Q agency

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Corporate Branding and Marketing Director of Sela

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Founded in 1997 as Saudi Arabia’s first FIFA-recognised player representation company, Sela has grown to be a leading organisation specialising in the sport, entertainment, culture, leisure and hospitality industries. Across these sectors, the company conceives and delivers spectacular experiences and creates iconic destinations that millions of people enjoy each year. 

For more than 25 years, Sela has been proud to partner with some of the world’s best- known brands to offer event management services and curate experiential moments that build engagement and connect with audiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Q agency to accomplish?

• Develop a website for Via Riyadh
• Develop an app for Via Riyadh

SOLUTION

How did you find Q agency?

Clutch Site

Why did you select Q agency over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Q agency were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Developed the customer facing website and app that promoted the Via Riyadh property to showcase the various components within the venue.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Launching within a very challenging timeframe

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They are always responsive, coming up with creative solutions, and always adding value from previous experiences. Their methodology is bullet-proof, and the team members are highly skilled and cooperative.

What was your primary form of communication with Q agency?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They really took care of the client and made us feel like this was the most important project for them. I felt always prioritized, and that the Q Agency team is simply part of the extended Sela team.

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

Not a single thing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of business operations at WaterBear, a digital media publishing company and streaming platform. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

We needed Q agency to design and develop our mobile and web app platforms.  

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Q agency has designed and developed custom software for our mobile and web apps. Initially, we built the prototype together, followed by the MVP which launched in March. We also worked with their design team during the MVP. They used Flutter and React.js. They’re currently in the production support and maintenance phase.   

What is the team composition? 

I'm in contact with the chief business officer, the founder, and the business development team. Our product team has a very good relationship with the development team. 

How did you come to work with Q agency?

We interviewed different development houses and chose Q agency, based on a recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in October 2022, and the collaboration is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Q agency released our MVP into the market according to our required specifications. They develop quality work. 

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a very strong partnership with Q agency. I’m in constant contact with them. Q agency’s entire team is incredibly responsive from the CEO to the project manager. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We work in a true collaboration with Q agency. I’m impressed with how they pivot with us as our priorities shift. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing that I would change. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let Q agency help you. They will provide advice and support from product strategy to development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Product & Technology Officer of Stepathlon Lifestyle UK

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Stepathlon is a “Virtual Race” Fan Engagement Platform that effectively combines Mass Participation with Wellness and leverages ‘Fan Love’ to Engage and Expand Fan Communities for Stakeholders (Team, League, Event, Celebrity) across Sports, Media and Entertainment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Q agency to accomplish?

• Help us define detailed requirements for our new platform
• Augment our product team with developers to deliver our new platform
• Refine high level design concepts into developer ready assets

SOLUTION

How did you find Q agency?

They contacted me

Why did you select Q agency over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Q agency were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged with Q to redevelop our entire virtual race platform. The platform includes:

1. mobile apps for iOS an Android which connects to 40+ fitness trackers to automatically record activity
2. web apps for managing clients & races, a web app for embedding into existing native apps
3. an API based backend exposing newly build services to aforementioned apps as well integrating with a number of 3rd party technology platforms proving SSO, CMS, CRM and CDP functionality.

Q helped us defined detailed requirements via a discovery phase and ongoing augmentation of our product team to deliver the new platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The discovery phase produced a very detailed set of requirements, technical proof of concepts and project timeline and budget requirements. The project is currently delivering in an iterative manner across all of the key deliverables; API platform, management web app, mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The discovery phase was time boxed and tightly project managed by a dedicated PM. Once we entered execution our own team took over PM responsibilities. We've been able to augment the team within days notice, adding more resources in response to apparent bottlenecks.

What was your primary form of communication with Q agency?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

For a remote first company the entire team lives and breathes the same values. They're well-versed and competent in their areas of expertise and helps us shape our approach. It's a real partnership.

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

I genuinely can't think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a digital agency. We provide UX/UI design, brand design, and development services. We’re a small agency with around 20 people, but we have large clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

We mainly focused on web development, but we got more requests for app development. We needed someone to provide app development resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re currently working on two projects with Q agency. We focus internally on UX/UI design, and they implement the solution. They start with the technical discovery and use the Flutter framework to develop apps until they’re on the Google Play and Apple stores.

The first project is for a big supermarket chain in Germany and Europe. We’re building an app that focuses on the world championship at the end of the year. The supermarket chain has a partnership with the German Football Association, and together they’ve released collectible cards from the German national football team. The app will allow people to collect the card digitally and unlock special features, prizes, and other rewards. Since the cards have no codes or markers, implementing image recognition technology is the main challenge. Additionally, the app will have different animations to make it feel like a game.

The second app is a membership application for the German Mobility Club. It’ll allow users to see what’s happening in the mobility world, how they can use mobility more sustainably, and insert their vehicles to get tips and data to optimize their driving behavior. Also, an emergency call feature will guide users through simple steps if they have an accident. Through this feature, people can get help without calling anyone, get home, and get everything they need to feel comfortable after the accident.

What is the team composition?

Although we’re not at an operational level anymore, they’ve provided us with a full stack development team. We’ve had a product owner, a product manager, developers from junior to senior level, a business analyst, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Q agency?

It was a recommendation from a befriended agency.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent €250,000 (approximately $250,000 USD) until now.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in December 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a design-driven agency, we look at the quality of the implementation; the UX/UI designs should be as we imagined them. Also, we oversee the estimates, ensuring they provide a realistic estimation and implement the budget on time.

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

At first, we expected a more proactive approach to their communication — we like to work as partners, not in a classic vendor-client relationship. After several calls, we highlighted that we wanted to be transparent and open in the communication and estimations. Afterward, things got much smoother. We’re currently working well together.

For communication, we use Slack for chatting, Google Meet for video calls, and Jira for tickets.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re professionals. After addressing the first hiccups, they immediately focused on fixing them and giving us a good feeling. Now, we know the project is in good hands, and working as an integrated team is great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It isn’t critical, but we like to work differently. We don’t need over-friendly interactions and presentations as the first point of contact. We want to get straight to the point and be honest to get to the mindset of being partners.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re good at implementing well-defined projects, so you should have a clear scope.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a pet marketplace where breeders can sell their puppies and other customers sell pet-related supplies.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

We were building a new app for a project outside of our current business model. Since we needed our in-house developers for our existing platform, we needed external help to build the new platform on the side.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Q agency is building a cross-platform mobile app for us. The concept, graphics, and UI/UX come from our end. Initially, we had a series of workshops with many of their teammates to sharpen the concept. 

Although we built the backend in-house, we passed it on to Q agency. Currently, they’re doing development work in Flutter and backend work, coding in PHP. Q agency will also develop the frontend.

What is the team composition?

We work with three people from Q agency: two Flutter developers and one backend developer.

How did you come to work with Q agency?

Another agency we work with recommended Q agency to us. We chose them because they have good rates and are very customer-focused. 

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent around $150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of Q agency’s work is really good. Even though I’m not a Flutter developer and couldn’t judge their coding, the developers are really dedicated. For example, they get motivated if we have a deadline.

We had a due date for the first version of the app, and in general, they held to their end. Although what we initially agreed on couldn’t be completed, it was due to requirements changing over the course of development, and it wasn’t their fault. 

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They deliver on time and within the budget. We have dailies with the developers, and they’re using our project management tools. With this engagement, we’ve gone from a project approach to a dedicated team approach, so we’re responsible for all the tools.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed by Q agency’s customer service. They love to make their clients happy, which stands out to me. They always try to work something out in our favor if we need anything or if there’s a problem. We don’t have a client-agency relationship — we have a partnership.

Additionally, they offer different technologies and services, which is a strong point of Q agency.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could improve the process from first contact through development. We’d never worked with an external agency at this level before, and more discussions about what to do next at the early stages could have helped us. I had a feeling that Q agency had done this many times before and that our ideas of how the engagement should work weren’t so involved at first. We’ve had to work it out between us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would definitely recommend Q agency! My advice would be to talk to them and make a plan for the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of Accunea, a medical device startup in the R&D phase working with organ transplant patients. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

I’m a programmer and electronics engineer, so I built the hardware side of the device, but needed a usable interface. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Q agency developed our device’s UX/UI so we could view and pull data. The goal was to have interface capabilities to turn the data into explainer graphs and the ilk. At the beginning of the project, I provided Q agency’s team with Arduino-based demo boards that interacted with specialized frontend hardware that captured usable data. I also gave Q agency information about the protocol and data format I was using. 

Q agency used the logo, color scheme, and user information I provided for the UI design. We went back and forth on the design before Q agency began development in Android Studio. At the end of the process, Q agency the interface, which allowed users on handled tablets to interact with data and offload it onto a PC to analyze, 

What is the team composition?

I worked with 3–4 teammates from Q agency, including Peter (Key Account Manager), an engineer, and UX designer.  

How did you come to work with Q agency?

For this project, I needed a company that could turn around a product quickly for a low cost because we had a smaller budget. Q agency was responsive when I reached out and provided a preview of their previous work. I had a lot of confidence in their capabilities from what their team showed me and I appreciated that they were in an EU member state. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around £4,000 (approximately $5,200 USD) with Q agency. 

What is the status of this engagement?

My engagement with Q agency was from December 2019–January 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Q agency delivered a usable interface, although there were some bugs because we only worked with them for two sprint periods. However, Q agency got us to where we wanted to be — we’ve used the interface in our research. Overall, as the key user, I was very satisfied with Q agency’s work. 

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

Peter managed the project well — we had regular check-ins with Peter and a designer to discuss progress throughout the project. We also had weekly sprint reviews. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Q agency quickly understood exactly what I wanted and turned around a high-quality deliverable within our timeline. They delivered to the workflow mockups we approved, which was impressive considering they were working with hardware they’d never seen before. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I had to address several issues throughout the project, and I think it would’ve been a more fruitful partnership if the Q agency had sought more senior advice early into the project. Since we were a smaller-budget project, we worked with more junior-level teammates from Q agency. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise customers to properly scope and define projects with Q agency at the beginning of the partnership. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a company that develops small, autonomous tractors that can operate independently in unstructured environments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

Our tractors have to be commanded by people using them, so Q agency is developing the application for us to monitor and control the tractors.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a small pilot project — a bare-bones MVP of the application. After we were pleased with that, we proceeded with a second phase of development. This product will allow us to start and stop the tractors, monitor them remotely, and operate them under many conditions.

We’re still developing our tractor system, but we have a brain in a jar. They used a robotic simulation to test and build the app. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with three people or so: a project manager, a developer and one more business resource. We mostly worked with the developer. The business resource is pulled in every once in a while to answer specific questions.

How did you come to work with Q agency?

A family member of one of our employees worked with them to good results in the past.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $5,000 for the pilot MVP, and we’ve spent $20,000 on the current stage of development.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m happy, and my software guys are happy; the app is functioning.

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They are wonderful in this regard. We use Slack, Jira, and email to collaborate. There hasn’t been a lot of communication necessary throughout.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their speed of delivery, quality, and flexibility stand out. We have a non-traditional application, and they’ve been willing to give it a go — figuring it out along the way.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. We’d have already addressed any issues if they arose.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear idea of what you want to do and a functional goal. If you can communicate that to them, then they will execute on it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the creative director of a digital marketing agency called 265 Media.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

We were trying to provide a digital solution for the Special Olympics (one of our clients). They normally have an annual event, but that didn’t happen because of the pandemic. Our challenge was to take that live event and give it life in a digital format.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

Q agency helped us develop a technical solution to host the Special Olympics, which featured competitors from 58 countries. The idea was loosely based on fantasy football concepts. We’d built a training ground where competitors could do training exercises and earn points for their respective countries. As they earned points, they could go up or down a league table. 

To accommodate that, Q agency built a complex solution that allowed everyone who signed up for the event to participate in scoring the competitors. The solution would keep a tally of the scores and adjust the league table as the event progressed. The competitors were also loaded into a map as well as into the league tables.

Q agency’s team brought a lot to the project in terms of input on other ideas that we could add, and they managed to hit a tight turnaround of six weeks. We plan to use this platform for two more events this year as well as for the World Games. 

What is the team composition? 

I dealt with three people during the scoping process. Once the work began, I collaborated closely with one point of contact, which was brilliant. The two of us functioned like project managers to make sure we hit our schedule.

How did you come to work with Q agency?

I’d heard of them through a colleague a few years ago, and they presented us with some projects that showcased what they could do. We’ve since gone to them for our bigger, more complicated web development projects.

How much have you invested with them?

It was about €35,000 (approximately $42,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

This project lasted from September–August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Q agency’s platform was the first stepping stone toward digitally transforming our client’s organization. While we judged the project’s success based on the number of sign-ups we received, Q agency’s work was really reflected in the quality of the solution itself. The site worked perfectly despite the short turnaround preventing us from doing extensive testing. Any minimal bugs that we did see were fixed quickly.

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and communicated well. We mostly coordinated through email. I’d have weekly check-in calls on Fridays with my main point of contact, with other quick calls as needed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Obviously, Q agency managed to pull off a very complex project in a short time span, but it was their add-ons that were really impressive. There were functions that I originally didn’t want to suggest because I was concerned about our turnaround time. But, they went ahead and scoped out the ideas on their own and assured us that they could fit them into the schedule. These add-ons ended up making the solution more advanced.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I wouldn’t say that there was anything that they could’ve done better. We employed them for their development expertise, and that’s what they delivered.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you have people on your team who know what’s involved in a web development project. Otherwise, you’ll struggle simply due to the nature of the work. I’d also advise you to invest the time during the initial scoping process. Don’t cut corners there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for an oil and gas contractor handling operational systems improvement. That involves examining internal processes and implementing solutions that optimize efficiency. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

We needed their help with resource forecasting, visibility, and utilization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We were looking to create a solution that would allow us to take a standardized approach for estimating required resources for a project or SOW. Related data was then spread across a bunch of disparate Excel worksheets, so they helped us build a platform to increased data visibility and standardization. 

The application is geared toward our department of resource management. It was important that we understood where resources for our current projects get committed. It was essential for us to have full oversight of our current resources as well as potential resource shortages further down the pipeline. They built the custom software platform that gives us those insights.  

What is the team composition?

There were a couple of team changes during the project, so there were about 10 people we worked with in total. However, there was only a maximum of about six people working at a time. There was a business analyst, a UI expert, someone in charge of test scripting, a lead developer, and several other developers as well. 

How did you come to work with Q agency?

Our internal IT team found them and made me aware of their services. Our solutions team was impressed with their discovery workshop, providing a full breakdown of the work along with an estimate of what they were able to provide. Against the market, they offered a full scope of services. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent €160,000 (approximately $192,800 USD).  

What is the status of this engagement?

We had 13 two-week sprints lasting from June–December 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

During the demos we’ve given of the software, we’ve received very positive feedback. People are excited to get their hands on it. Once we’ve made a few tweaks based on user feedback, it will be available on a wider scale. The response has been pure excitement with the company so far.  

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

They're extremely easy to work with and contact. Sometimes, they would push us to hit deadlines more than we would push them. They’re an organized team that’s committed to developing a solution that provides value. That showed through in their commitment to performance and project management.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility and adaptability were both impressive. In my experience, designing a new solution is a learning process that needs an agile, quick team. They were able to move the project forward despite ambiguities, knowing that we’ll materialize solutions together as we progress. They’ve well to challenging situations and have allowed the project to develop as we’ve moved forward. They didn’t need to have all the answers upfront because they took a helpful, agile approach. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did a fantastic job.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them be creative. Some of the best aspects of our project materialized due to their suggestions. Be flexible in allowing them to contribute to your ideas, even if you feel like you have a strong idea of what you want.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager for a news outlet.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Q agency?

Our publication’s editorial content was very strong when it came to the news, but we identified a gap around the guidance space. We brought Q agency on board to help build a site where we could explore the idea of learning in the financial space.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Q agency delivered a functional site built on WordPress. We needed something that could be regularly updated with editorial content and optimized for SEO. It was quite holistic.

Now, we’re focused on optimization. As we learn about our users, it’s more about delving into the data and solving problems with the help of Q agency. We use Google Analytics for that piece.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with six people.

How did you come to work with Q agency?

I wasn’t part of the group that hired Q agency, so I can’t speak to that.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There was a restructure of the whole taxonomy of the site, and after making that change, we saw a 40% month-over-month growth in organic traffic. That’s been great. They were heavily involved in that process and it was very seamless. 

Anecdotally, in terms of the goals we set for ourselves during sprints, it’s very rare that Q agency doesn’t meet them. They’re a very strong team to work with. They’re very knowledgeable and communicative; from my point of view, they’re excellent. 

How did Q agency perform from a project management standpoint?

We have a really good scrum master who’s extremely communicative. It’s nice as a product manager to be able to lean on someone who’s good at delivering, because it means I can take a step back and look into the future. They’re very strong from a project management point of view.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with the quality of their communication. If there’s ever a problem, the whole team jumps on it straight away. Also, the quality of their answers when we have questions. Q agency comes back with quite detailed demonstrations of how to do something if we’re unsure, and they’ll offer to jump on a call to help us. It’s great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not from my experience. They’re very much embedded into what we’re doing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear on the skill sets you need. Having a diversity of knowledge within the team has really helped us.