Program-Ace

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a non-profit game application. We’ve developed a game platform for people to play on and for non-profits to receive donations. Players can donate money through the games to these organizations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Program-Ace?

We needed software development services.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We had all the ideas and specifications at the start, and Program-Ace has helped us to program all the functions through frontend development, backend development, a bit of business analysis, DevOps, and project management. The deliverable is the code and the program.

The work is done in Vue.js and JavaScript, and they also interact with Firebase database technology. We have our own internal designer but they’ve contributed to that aspect of the platform as well.

We have a live working website with a catalog of games that we have licensing for; we don’t’ develop games, but we have the rights to games. There is also a fundraising mission capability that allows users to raise money for their chosen non-profit across games. When a user signs up, they choose an organization to support; they can also share the organization and invite their friends to join the mission, forming a team and a team goal.

What is the team composition?

It’s differed over time and according to need, but we normally have between 5–8 people including a frontend developer, a backend developer, a team lead, a designer, a DevOps resource, a business analyst, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Program-Ace?

The founder of our company received a recommendation from a friend. We exchanged thoughts and decided that Program-Ace would be the best solution because of their offerings, their professional ability, and their cost.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’re holding the first MVP with all the main functionalities and we’re about to go live. When feedback comes in from users and nonprofit organizations, we’ll pass that on to Program-Ace.

How did Program-Ace perform from a project management standpoint?

There were a few communication problems with the developers initially due to a language barrier but Program-Ace did everything in their power to resolve them. We’ve reached a good communication flow.

We use Trello and Slack to communicate, as well as video calls. An agile working method has helped us speak to whoever we need in the group. If I have a question that applies to multiple teams, I speak to the project manager.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Program-Ace has been keen to help us and for the project to succeed, doing what they can to accommodate our customers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

If you’re working on an international project, be prepared to cross a bit of a language barrier.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear with your direction and delivery dates. Ask for regular updates directly from the developers.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Radwin. We are a broadband wireless access vendor.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Program-Ace?

I needed help developing a new software solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve developed software using Node.js, Python, and Angular. The software is a planning solution for transportation and communication for metros and trains. Users can open a new project and design a new communication for a new line of train or metro with the functionalities Program-Ace built. 

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager and two developers.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020 and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

The deliverables they provide meet our expectations. We have tested it using automation frameworks and we’re satisfied with their work.

How did Program-Ace perform from a project management standpoint?

We work in scrum. The ceremonies and planning, sprint reviews, and retrospect take place on a daily basis. They’re very communicative and responsive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understand the context of the project, such as the use case and value expected to be provided to the end customer. They’re professional, easy to work with, accountable, and ramp up quickly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend working with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the co-founder and CEO of FashionTek, a service offering a 3-D virtual dressing room for online e-commerce retailers. Our technology allows people to essentially try on clothing virtually before purchasing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Program Ace?

We were looking for an app developer that could help us build a prototype that demonstrated our vision.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Program Ace created the tech specifications and wireframe for our app based on our ideas, using Unity. They provided four iterations and made the app available for iOS, as well as on an online platform. The app includes a manikin feature that can be swiveled around 360 degrees.

What is the team composition?

I mainly interact with our account manager and a few project managers.

How did you come to work with Program Ace?

Our internal 3-D tech lead has some experience working with developers, so he helped us find Program Ace. He'd worked with them in the past and was happy with their work. Other colleagues of his also reported positive feedback from their experiences with their team. For our budget, we were most impressed by Program Ace. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested around $45,000 or more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We signed a contract with Program Ace in December 2017 and the product is expected to be completed shortly [in April 2018].

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I've received tremendously positive feedback from the few people I've shared some of the results with. After showing the app to an important potential partner, he was sold on the product immediately.

The prototype exceeds our expectations, especially considering the relatively small investment and quick turnaround. We can only imagine what more time and money will allow us to accomplish when we're ready.

How did Program Ace perform from a project management standpoint?

Program Ace has overdelivered on their promises and has been very proactive throughout the engagement. Any time we suggested changes, their team has been professional, receptive, and quick to turn them around, communicating to us mostly through email, Skype, and Trello.

They're responsive and don't hesitate to ask us any questions when they need more information. We're so impressed by their work that we might actually be building another project with them in the near future.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate the level of creative agency they've taken with us, suggesting several elements we didn't specifically ask for but are glad they've incorporated. They really brought our product to life and used their own ingenuity to make it a better product than what we were expecting.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They've surpassed our expectations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be prepared with as detailed of a plan and vision as possible to make the discovery and design phase easier.