Konig Labs

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Acting CEO of Digital Sport, a startup that develops a web-platform designed for organisations that are regulated by the Ministry of Sport. It allows the stakeholders of the sports industry to manage sports facilities and venues and thus improve their commercial use.

At the same time allowing the local authorities to ensure the sport organisations adhere to corresponding regulations and policies.

For what projects/services did your company hire Konig Labs, and what were your goals?

In line with the global trend, many companies across various industries in Russia, in government and private sectors alike, are undergoing digital transformation. We spotted the opportunity in Sports, Health and Fitness.

Apart from decentralised regional solutions, there isn’t a single large-scale platform that would enable entities across the entire country to manage their sports facilities. Initially, Konig Labs were hired to advise on the potential architectural solutions for the system, the scope of work and provide cost estimates.

Later, we outsourced the development and implementation of the platform to Konig Labs as the company had the relevant technical experience and had worked with government and semi-government organisations.

Our goal was to build and release the MVP to validate our hypothesis. After the MVP was released, we continued working with Koning Labs to develop the platform.

How did you select Konig Labs and what were the deciding factors?

We didn't have an in-house team and knew we would need to outsource the development. For that, we needed to understand the scope and cost of potential development. Given that we had already worked with Konig Labs on other projects, we reached out to them to provide these.

Later on, when we approached the development stage, we looked at a few software development companies but Konig Labs had proven their expertise and we decided to continue working with them.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The main technical requirement was to create a high-load web- platform able to support 100 000 concurrent users. Konig Labs helped us with customer discovery and requirements gathering, developing user personas, carrying out Impact Mapping sessions, distilling business metrics and MVP metrics. They provided the design prototype and final design of the platform.

They applied Domain Driven Design and used it to outline the architecture design to ensure the MVP is built with scalability in mind, as our vision was to have a product used across the entire country. They prioritised the product backlog and developed the MVP using a product-oriented approach.

They took an active part in helping us gather the learnings needed to proceed with consequent releases, advising what features to prioritise so that the product delivers value and has a high impact on the market.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I spoke to the product owner and scrum master during the weekly sync-up meetings and regular demos. Our CTO was in contact with the rest of the team which had the following roles: product owner, scrum master, designer, software architect, frontend developer and backend developer.

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Currently, the platform is being integrated by local Departments of Sport in 5 regions of the Russian Federation. Our company has been included in the Working Group on Sport Digitalisation created by the Government.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timelines.

The person responsible for the communications with the development team was our CTO, who oversaw the scope of work, deadlines, and implementation. There were no issues reported.

From my end, I can add that Konig Labs met all the deadlines and even managed to do more than we expected. We use Azure DevOps, Telegram and Zoom/MS Teams

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The guys at Konig Labs were absolutely passionate about making a quality product and ensuring that we build a viable business with this product. The team invested their professionalism, competence, and passion for what they did.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

We were given a lot of assistance with the groundwork every startup has to do - understanding the needs and requirements of the market, making sure our product caters to the right people and their needs.

I can only mention one thing that had to do with the preparation of some of the documentation. It was written using an advanced technical language whereas it was intended for someone with little to no technical background.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am Superintendent at Misje Rederi AS. The company owns and manages a fleet of 13 vessels. I am responsible for the management of a number of vessels. I oversee provision of supplies, technical maintenance and repairs, making sure all relevant documentation is up-to-date, and ensure the vessels meet the Classification Society’s standards for the safety, fitness for purpose, and seaworthiness.

For what projects/services did your company hire Konig Labs?

The rules of a Classification Society are designed to ensure an acceptable degree of stability, safety, environmental impact, etc. of a sea vessel. Not only it is required to carry out all maintenance and repairs timely and appropriately but there must be corresponding documentation proving that. We had a software that was helping us to document this. However, it was not sufficient. Moreover, it ran into limitations as far as the amount of data stored. We needed to optimize the processes related to production, synchronization and storage of the documentation.

What were your goals for this project?

It was required to move away from a paper-base workflow and simplify the entire process. The one in place was time consuming. We needed to increase the functionality of the older system and optimize the speed of data synchronization between the vessels and the company offices. We needed the first version of the application delivered in the shortest time possible

How did you select this vendor?

Before we engaged Konig Labs, we were working with another software development company on a different project. The speed of delivery was extremely slow which was not satisfactory. By the time that project was completed we were certain that we needed another partner. The partnership with Konig Labs came through a recommendation from a contact in the professional circle.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

They designed and developed a desktop application with a client-server architecture and a database server. The project started out with the initial meeting where our requirements and pain points were discussed and possible solutions were proposed. Once we approved the design and prototypes, the development process began. They created a system with new logic. Migrated and optimized MS Access database to SQL Server. Compared to the older system, the functionality was considerably improved. We started using the application at the end of 2017. Since then, they have been providing support and adding new features throughout 2018 and 2019.

What was the team composition?

Project manager, designer, 2 QA, 2 full stack developers

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

Due to the restrictions of the old database we were facing a prospect of deleting the data to free up space for the new entries. This meant that all the history of maintenance works and repairs would have been lost. Thanks to the migration and optimization of the database we were able to keep all data entries. The synchronization of data used to be a very slow and tedious process. It would total up to 4 days per month to synchronize the data between the vessels and the office. Because of this the synchronization would be done once per month. Now, it happens in real-time and takes a maximum of 2 minutes. The new system has an improved, more convenient user interface.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

There were no issues during the project. The main point of contact was the project manager who we had regular calls and meetings with. During the meeting we would discuss the goals and pool of work. They complied with the deadlines and delivered on everything that had been agreed on.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The speed of delivery was impressive, especially compared to the other vendor. All of our requirements were implemented. Subject availability of funds, we will continue working with Konig Labs to further expand the functionality of the system.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can’t think of anything

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are a group of like-minded people who got together to launch the startup To the Market. We are based in Russia. To the Market is a mobile app and the idea behind it is that it is very common in Russia for small private farms and village households to sell fresh produce to the passersby, sometimes literally, on the side of the road.

So we created a mobile marketplace that would facilitate this. I am responsible for the overall management, marketing, business development, and investor relations.

For what projects/services did your company hire Konig Labs?

In the rural areas in Russia, households traditionally rely on homegrown produce. These households either produce some quantities for sale to get some extra income or sell the excess amounts in case of a large crop. On the demand side, local produce is popular with the city population due to the growing demand for fresh, organic, and good quality food.

We hired Konig Labs to develop a mobile app to bring together the producers and buyers of these products. They developed the MVP. Currently we are continuing our partnership to further develop the product.

What were your goals for this project?

We needed a mobile up that would enable local farmers to market their products via a mobile channel, and provide city dwellers with the means to locate and buy local foods on the go.

Since we launched the MVP, we have acquired a base of about 1000 users. Also, we are seeing a 10% user conversion rate in one of the marketing channels. So far, we have achieved a stable volume of 10-50 transactions per week.

How did you select this vendor?

We carried out our own market research, sent out invitations for bids. Overall, we had about 20 companies submitting their bids. We shortlisted 4 companies. Unfortunately, the company we settled on and started working with let us down by not delivering on their obligations.

Konig Labs was recommended to us by our partner who had previously worked with the company. Not only Konig Labs was strongly recommended but the quoted price of the services was competitive compared to what we had seen from other vendors.

Describe the project in detail.

This is our first startup and at the time when we started out, we didn't know how to go about building an MVP and launching it. Konig Labs were instrumental in guiding us through the process and making this happen.

Konig Labs helped us with Customer Development and assisted with refining the business model to make it more relevant to the market demand. Initially, our requirements for the app functionality were quite vast.

Konig Labs helped identify the key requirements and core functionality, prioritized them and created a comprehensible product roadmap. Konig Labs formulated a hypothesis and determined metrics to test it, designed and developed the MVP which was realized as an Android mobile application.

They also set up the server infrastructure and provided continuous support after the MVP was launched. We are looking to develop an iOS version of the app and the meantime speaking with investors.

What was the team composition?

The main point of contact was the Product Owner. My colleagues and I were in constant communication with the Product Owner and QA engineer. There was also a UX designer, mobile app developer, and back-end developer on the team.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We get very positive feedback from our users. We are seeing good conversion rates. It is a reliable application and a good product that has been thoroughly implemented. The MVP has enabled us to engage a number of investors who are interested in investing.

One of the investors is willing to invest on the basis of the increased number of users and transactions. So this is what we are working on and are in talks with this investor. Because Konig Labs managed to structure and prioritize the functionality of the MVP, this drastically reduced the cost of the development. Also, the app design was optimized which positively impacted the overall cost.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

10 out of 10. The entire process was very smooth. I can't recall a single instance of misunderstanding or misalignment. Assembling the team and organizing the workflow, demos, testing, collecting our feedback - all was done professionally and constructively.

We had access to the product backlog. The process was very transparent and the team was in constant communication with us. There was a constant feedback loop between ourselves and the team - calls, email exchanges and we jointly worked on documentation stored on Google Drive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Partnership with Konig Labs exceeded our expectations. They are professional, reliable, and trustworthy.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not that I can comment on.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of Securando GmbH, a full service provider for the purchase and installation of security systems and alarm systems for commercial and residential properties. We offer an improved buying and processing experience through convenient and simple onboarding, fair pricing, individual adjustment options and the focus on high-quality service.

Securando is an industry-leading online platform in Germany encompassing a configurator and the innovative algorithm for finding best local offers and calculating the best price.

For what projects/services did your company hire Konig Labs?

We have made it our mission to innovate. The security technology market is an up-coming market in Germany and is characterized by high growth and constant change. At the same time it traditionally operated in an off-line environment and was characterized by lack of transparency.

We saw the opportunity in bringing the innovative business-model to the traditional market through the use of advanced technology and digital processes for both customers and business partners.

Konig Labs was hired for a technical implementation of a web-platform that enables customers to choose a custom offer of a security/alarm system based on their location, which had never been done before. In essence, we needed to establish an online presence and secure our position as an innovative leader in the industry.

What were your goals for this project?

The main goal was to establish an online presence, capture the segment of the market that wasn't served previously, and drive sales. We wanted to develop a configurator and provide smooth user experience with the help of an intuitive user interface. This goal was fully achieved.

How did you select this vendor?

We understood that technology was to play a crucial part in our success, therefore we were very demanding and had high expectations of our technology partner. We chose Koniglabs because this company is the best choice for us as a growing start-up. During the cooperation, we were able to flexibly adjust the personnel resources upwards and downwards at any time. Furthermore, the technical and methodical competence convinced us.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Konig Labs developed a web application with price comparison functionality that allows users to access the database of suppliers, and purchase an alarm system, as well as order installation services from providers in the selected area. The key functionality is a product configurator that enables customers to customize their system based on multiple options.

Kongi Labs team developed an algorithm that enables such actions and delivers convenience and a smooth user experience to our customers. With the help of Konign Labs we released the MVP of the platform. We are now in the second phase and continuing further enhancement of our platform.

Overall, the team was responsible for the UX/UI design, front-end and back-end development, setting up the AWS infrastructure. The platform was developed on Andular 5 using Javascript, HTML, CSS at the front-end and ASP .NET Core 2.0, EF Core, PostgreSQL at the back-end.

What was the team composition?

Product Owner, Software architect, 3 developers, 1 designer.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The approach suggested by Konig Labs meant that the MVP cost was 40% less of what we initially anticipated. Also, the redesign of the user interface resulted in a 13% increase of the conversion rate.

The MVP enabled us to secure a government grant to further develop the product and grow the business. Securando now has the largest manufacturer-independent network of local security companies in Germany and can handle projects of all sizes for private and commercial customers quickly and reliably.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The Project was very transparent with regular iteration planning and weekly group calls. There were also on-demand calls with the team which was always available to address any questions and ready for the calls. The project was tracked in Trello and we had all the visibility into the whole process.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

What is especially positive is that the team does not perceive us as just any external client. We have the feeling that the team identifies with our product and that they enjoy making our company even more successful.

Are there any areas for improvement?

In the course of the cooperation we were able to continuously optimize the process of collaboration, so that we are currently working with the Scrum method within the framework of 14-day sprints. This is the best setup we can imagine.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder and CEO of 1/2StundeÜben, a startup in Germany aimed at those who learn how to play piano and want to practice as often as they wish independently of the presence of a teacher. Our product is a mobile app for daily piano practice.

For what projects/services did your company hire Konig Labs?

The company was hired to conceptualize a solution and develop a proof of concept that would enable accurate comparison of musical passages. At the time I only had an idea and needed a team that would accurately translate my idea into a technical solution.

What were your goals for this project?

I needed to test the viability of my idea and determine whether demand for such a solution existed in the market. Technically, the solution had to record, analyze and accurately compare audio files, i.e. the recording of the music passages performed by the teacher and the student.

How did you select this vendor?

KonigLabs was recommended to me as they had worked with other companies from Germany before. My requirement was that the team had the expertise and the right approach to startup development. Our partnership started after reviewing their website and a Skype call.

Describe the project in detail.

The idea was to help students to practice piano and improve their skills. The solution was conceptualized as a mobile app and developed on iOS. The team used a lean startup approach. They collected my requirements, carried out Customer Development and helped with the Business Model which was invaluable since I didn't have any previous business background. At the time, there were no solutions available that would allow for accurate analyses and comparison of audio files.

What was the team composition?

There were 5 people: 1 Product Owner, 1 Designer, 1 Mobile/Front-end developer, 1 Back-end developer, 1 Quality Assurance engineer.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The MVP of a product was developed which allowed me to validate my hypothesis and determine that the market existed for such a solution. This allowed me to get funding of €133,000 to further develop the product, which is now under way.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Even though it is a near shore team, they were always available for a meeting and would come to Germany to discuss the project face-to-face and have workshops. Likewise, I visited their office and we had a number of workshops. Meeting in person is always important.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The people at Konig Labs are very smart and they understand what I'm trying to say and what ideas I want to convey. From previous experience of communicating my ideas and vision to developers, it wasn't straightforward - I felt people were struggling to grasp the essence and it was difficult to find a common language.

I've never experienced anything like that with Konig Labs. On the contrary, they understand every single detail of what I want to say, on a very deep level, and translate it into a solution. It's like they understand me on an intuitive level.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There’s never been any issues. The only thing I wish sometimes email responses were a bit quicker.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm CEO of Luxms Group, we develop Luxms MPP BI leveraging data-centric Massively Parallel Processing architecture.

For what projects/services did your company hire Konig Labs?

We've worked with Konig Labs on data management/preparation for a large enterprise customer

What were your goals for this project?

We needed to deliver data marts based on complex big data information sources for Luxms BI with tight deadline-driven implementation schedule.

How did you select Konig Labs?

We've done web projects with them in the past and they're good with delivering on time and within budget.

Describe the project in detail.

The project was phased with cadence monthly deliverables. Data marts preparation was absolutely on a critical path. Luxms BI implementation stack is PostgreSQL, Java, nginx, JavaScript. Strong analytical skills were required to deliver on time and of required quality.

What was the team composition?

it was a typical enterprise grade BI implementation, with weekly status, involved several companies and dozes of experts - analysts, front end developers, QAs, devops etc.

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The project went live as planned. The budget was not overrun. Data quality was as required and the system works in a prod environment SLA 5[8 without any hassle since the launch date.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

weekly status calls and intense email exchange. Corporate chat channel also helped to keep the geographically distributed team in sync.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of the engineering team was impressive. Ability ti escalate and address issues when needed asking CEO Alex Palatkin.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Ability to scale faster would be good.