SEVEN

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of Phenomune and some of its subsidiaries. We’re currently in the clinical trials phase of a research study that aims to demonstrate that sensitivity to certain tastes can be linked to the human immune system against upper respiratory infections. We’re basically trying to answer why some people have more adverse reactions to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and other upper respiratory infections than others when all other health factors are equal.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEVEN?

We had an old website that left a lot to be desired. It didn’t have the right look and feel, and it was very outdated. Thus, we hired SEVEN to do a complete UI/UX overhaul of our site, as well as to redesign and redevelop our app to ensure it was compliant with the US federal and medical regulations.

What was the scope of their involvement?

SEVEN has redesigned our website’s UI/UX from the ground up, which is the informational side of our platform. They’ve also developed the web app component of our platform using AWS for hosting. Their team has developed this app using containerized deployment, leveraging Jenkins for automatic deployment. They’ve also used Cloud Load Balancing and Cloudflare.

The design process started by creating low-fidelity wireframes. Then, SEVEN designed high-fidelity wireframes for all the user flows throughout the website and the app. We only told them to preserve our logo, but they were in charge of designing everything else. This included the layout, color, page style, and fonts.

Our app has different user accounts for individuals, doctors, physicians, and healthcare providers. Healthcare providers are able to have their own subsidiary patient accounts. Given that our product is prescription only, our app has a variety of additional controls in place to ensure that only those individuals who have received a valid prescription can purchase our product.

In addition to the medical e-commerce side of our app, SEVEN has integrated a functional test-taking component. Thanks to it, individuals who have received the product and registered it can either go to a doctor’s office or follow the instructions for using the test. After that, they’re able to upload their results into the app. On the backend of our app, the algorithm processes those results and gives them a baseline snapshot of their current situation.

We’ve already launched our app for clinical trials, solicited user feedback, and identified some pain points. Thus, SEVEN is currently making a variety of little tweaks and changes to our user flows and the algorithm behind the app so that it can identify and classify different individuals more precisely.

Given that we’ve had to transition our app from an e-commerce section to a clinical trial version, we’ve had to remove some of the preexisting controls that bogged down user account creation. Thus, we’ve also worked with SEVEN on creating this clinical trial version to make it secure while removing the more involved verification controls the customer-facing app had in place.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with around 12 people from SEVEN, including project managers, DevOps engineers, network engineers, backend developers, frontend developers, and UI/UX designers specializing in Figma. SEVEN’s CEO has also been involved in the process.

How did you come to work with SEVEN?

SEVEN was already working on the project when I was hired as CIO.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $250,000–$500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around March 2022, and our engagement is ongoing.

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

SEVEN has delivered the functionality we required, successfully building our app to meet HIPAA-compliance requirements. Moreover, their turnaround times for delivering UI/UX designs have been impressive.

How did SEVEN perform from a project management standpoint?

SEVEN’s project management is excellent. They’ve delivered on time and been on top of things at all times. A large amount of their team is located in Ukraine; still, we’ve never had any issues with their performance, despite the unfortunate ongoing situation with the Russian Invasion.

Their team has been wonderful to work with. The only challenge we’ve had was when they were unable to get a hold of us because a strike knocked out the power in their city. Since then, they’ve implemented energy generators and other strategies to avoid more issues.

SEVEN is also very accessible, and we communicate using a combination of tools. We exchange emails for simple things, and we have weekly Zoom meetings during heavy development cycles. They’ve also added me to their Microsoft Teams server, so I can use it to message them for quick questions and small troubleshooting tasks. Although we’re not involved in their internal processes, I believe they use GitHub for the code repository, as well as other tools for project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SEVEN’s biggest strength has been their ability to manage the project. We’re a startup with a lot of research going around our product, so we’re like a moving target. Still, they’ve been very understanding and accommodating to our multiple scope changes. Their team has remained flexible to those changes, figuring out ways to repurpose some of their development work to meet our deadlines and budgets, which is wonderful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything they could improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Unless you have someone on your team with a lot of experience in UI/UX design, don’t be afraid to let SEVEN lead those efforts because they’re very good at that.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of an on-demand gym membership platform. We provide a centralized platform that allows gym members to sell their memberships when they’re not using them. Our platform also allows users to access our partners at preferential pricing rates. For our operators, we’re a member-centric retention tool that provides an additional revenue stream.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEVEN?

We hired them for development services.

What was the scope of their involvement?

SEVEN is our development partner. They've built our mobile app, backend, and dashboard. The team has worked with us since the incubation of our business idea and has helped us create a functional product. First, we discussed the requirements and budget with Adrian (Founder & CEO), then we went back and forth with contract negotiations and later signed a service-level agreement. 

We went through a discovery phase involving research to ensure we could tap into the correct APIs and booking systems. From there, the team designed the UI/UX and did full stack backend development. Since then, they've helped manage and continuously build our product. The team uses technologies such as Java, AWS, and an Angular 12 framework.

The app allows members of our partnered gyms to sell their memberships when they're not using them. Users can sell days, weeks, or months' worth of memberships. Meanwhile, gym partners can offer a solution to their members so that they'll keep their membership even when they're not using it enough and would normally cancel it. 

What is the team composition?

The team composition has changed over time. We've had more people working with us during certain periods depending on our requirements. SEVEN has brought on developers, testers, and UI/UX designers when we've required them. Currently, we have two testers, a project manager, a head of engineering, a frontend engineer, a backend engineer, and one full-time and part-time iOS and Android developer, respectively.  

How did you come to work with SEVEN?

We put out a tender for a couple of development agencies and decided to go with SEVEN. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together around September 2020, and the engagement is ongoing.

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

We recently launched the business, so it's still early days to give any metrics or analytics. However, without SEVEN, this technology wouldn't exist, and we wouldn't have a product. Moreover, they've implemented all the functionalities we wanted. When we have critical things that need to be fixed quickly, the team can grow overnight, which is one of the benefits of working with them. 

How did SEVEN perform from a project management standpoint?

Broadly speaking, the project has been on time and within the budget. Although we had circumstances during development when things were a bit slower than we would have hoped, these delays were due to third parties we had to tap into from API — they were out of SEVEN's control. Moreover, we were building something no one had built before, so there was no roadmap to follow regarding the requirements. From SEVEN'S perspective, they've met all their deadlines. 

Regarding communication tools, we use Microsoft Teams, Asana, and Slack, depending on what we want. The team has been very flexible; initially, they asked what platforms we use to communicate. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

SEVEN's work ethic is phenomenal, and the team is very passionate about their work and what they deliver. They want to provide the best service and build the best product possible. The fact that their developers bought into my business has boosted my confidence. 

Moreover, they're very open, honest, and upfront. I'm not tech-savvy, and they're very helpful in holding our hand and explaining the technical side of the backend. Overall, the SEVEN team is extremely talented and good at what they do, and we trust and value them as part of our business. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There's always something to improve. Their developers are based in Ukraine, and due to the distance, their communication could improve. However, that's overly critical because their communication is very good. Generally, the team is great, and the proof is in that we're still working with them two years later. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work with SEVEN – they're excellent! The team is willing to work around your requirements. They're flexible, which is especially important for startups or young businesses because things can pivot quickly; SEVEN has been great with that. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a technology startup. I design software products and lead our onshore and offshore engineering teams.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEVEN?

We wanted to launch a new product but had a limited budget and tight timeline, so we engaged SEVEN to help with the product development process. Our investors and business partners had high expectations, so our goal was to develop the product on time, within budget, and without bugs.

What was the scope of their involvement?

SEVEN has provided us with several end-to-end engineering resources to develop a web application. We started by defining the requirements and planning the day-to-day operations of the development process. After determining the budget and setting timelines for deliverables, the team began working on prototyping the UI/UX design in Figma. 

After creating the UI/UX, the team built the frontend of our web application. They used native technologies to develop the frontend and integrate databases, third-party applications, and payment methods. Then, we worked with SEVEN’s DevOps team to develop the backend of our infrastructure on AWS. 

More recently, we’ve been working with SEVEN to create an extension of our web application for mobile. We’ve designed, budgeted, and blueprinted our plans for the mobile development process, but it’s an ongoing project. The team has begun working on building the application for iOS and Android. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with over 20 team members from SEVEN, including Adrian (Founder & CEO), a principal project manager, UI/UX engineers, and back-and frontend engineers. 

How did you come to work with SEVEN?

We found SEVEN through a referral from our network. I reviewed 350 companies and shortlisted 60. SEVEN had a great online presence and a good reputation, so we included them in the shortlist and reached out for an interview. After speaking with their engineers and CEO, we felt confident in their software development and project management experience, so we moved forward with the partnership. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We engaged SEVEN in February 2022, and the partnership is ongoing. Our project is quite complex, with many moving parts, so we work together sporadically.

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

Our partnership has been very successful; SEVEN has delivered on all their professional promises. They’ve efficiently developed and launched our new product, according to our requirements, which has been no small feat. We’ve been satisfied with the quality of their code and the product has been well received by our investors. 

How did SEVEN perform from a project management standpoint?

SEVEN’s biggest strength has been their ability to manage our project; we’ve had a great experience. They’ve built a strong project foundation by diligently following our roadmap and assigning and executing tasks efficiently. They’ve dedicated a team of highly skilled, professional engineers to our project, and Adrian has handled our day-to-day operations flawlessly. Our project manager has shared valuable expertise and submitted detailed progress reports to keep the project on track. 

SEVEN has become an integral part of our team, and they’re the best technology partner we’ve ever worked with. They’ve consistently met deadlines with high-quality results, worked within our budget, and anticipated issues. We’ve used Microsoft Teams to communicate, and despite working remotely, they’ve been very communicative and responsive throughout the project. 

We’ve appreciated SEVEN’s teamwork-driven approach and willingness to solve problems before they arise. They’ve even flexed their team when necessary, so we’ve never experienced delays when key team members have vacationed. In these instances, the team has documented our technical environment so effectively that new team members have been able to work productively on day one. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve been most impressed by SEVEN’s client-driven business model and straightforward communication style. We’ve worked with other service providers who’ve been more concerned with driving sales for their company than executing effective software solutions, but SEVEN is different.

Despite being the CEO and overseeing several projects, Adrian has regularly engaged with us to understand our needs. SEVEN has delivered a team of experts who’ve invested significant time learning about our market, technology, and goals. As a result, they’ve built us a customized solution that has addressed our complex issues. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing SEVEN could improve on.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the technical director of Shepherd Aero, a global flight support outfit based in the West Coast of the US specializing in ferrying aircraft around the world. We work globally and have pilots and aircrew that we bring in on contract.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEVEN?

We wanted to create an app that would allow our aircrews to submit certain paperwork and items they have to tend to daily when flying missions for us. The goal was to ease all the paperwork into a convenient mobile application to take that headache away from the process. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

SEVEN has developed our mobile app for iOS. They took us through the development process from beginning to end. They started by designing the UI and creating wireframes and flow diagrams. They used Figma to demonstrate the placement of elements, the flow, and the buttons. 

From there, we moved on to the second phase, and they began the development. We've provided them with documentation throughout, including the use cases. We did the API work on our side because we already had some proprietary software on the backend. SEVEN has helped us optimize the API and is developing the app so that it can talk to and utilize it. The team has created a markdown so that we can match things up on our side. 

They've also done extensive testing on the app. The team got several of our internal teammates on board to run through the app, try it out for themselves, and provide feedback. The app allows aircrew to file documents like expense reports and daily logs for maintenance items. Other functionalities let users communicate directly with our dispatch to receive information pertinent to their flight, like permits and clearances. We're currently in the project's final phases, moving into distribution. 

What is the team composition?

We've worked with a UI expert, a project manager, a lead programmer, and another programmer. They've also brought in a couple of testers on their side. 

How did you come to work with SEVEN?

I found them through a referral. We reached out to someone we knew in our industry who had a team of programmers at their disposal. They were unable to fulfill the project, so they referred us to SEVEN. 

How much have you invested with them?

The total project cost is around $90,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

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

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

SEVEN provides us with high-quality work. Since we're still distributing the app, we don't have any metrics yet. However, from testing, we can already tell the app will be a huge timesaver and a great benefit for the company, especially when we deal with many external workers. The app is intuitive, efficient, and convenient for the crew to submit paperwork. 

The system they use to collaborate with us and keep us updated on their progress is very good — they're very professional. Moreover, the team has an intuitive and attractive process for UI design, and they're really responsive to feedback. 

How did SEVEN perform from a project management standpoint?

We've had to work out budget constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and SEVEN has optimized their team composition to adapt to our budget. The team walks me through each particular task and how things are mapped out through Zoom. When I need to brief my superiors on the project's progress, the information is always available to me in some form or another. 

We have frequent meetings where they keep us updated about the budget and how things are progressing compared to the original deadlines. In a couple of instances, we've given them some extra items at the 11th hour, so we've had to push things back.

They communicate very promptly via email or Microsoft Teams. There hasn't been a time when they're non-responsive or not working on the project. Overall, their project management is very intuitive.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SEVEN takes a lot of pride in their work and is very frugal. A long time ago, we outsourced for work on another app, and the quality was subpar and very cookie-cutter. Meanwhile, SEVEN has a lot of great ideas that hadn't even crossed our minds when it came to the app iterations. Our experience with them has been night and day compared to other providers we've worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there's anything they need to improve. While it would have been nice to have a slightly more accelerated timeline, that delay was due to concessions we made to keep within our budget. SEVEN watched our budget like a hawk and made sure we stayed on it, so I have nothing but good things to say about them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don't be afraid to talk with the SEVEN team and communicate your needs. Even if your project is something they haven't done before, they'll look into it and be diligent about making sure they can do it; they seem eager to expand their toolset. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an e-learning company. We provide educational services to students, predominantly around helping them to improve their exam results and prepare for university admissions. 

What challenge were you trying to address with SEVEN?

We hired them to develop all of our technology.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We initially specced out the project and what was needed. Then, SEVEN provided us with an estimate and researched what technologies would be best for the project. In the end, we went with Angular and JavaScript.

There are two main parts to our technology, which have been quite demanding. The first part is on the student experience side. Our goal is to help identify skill and knowledge gaps as easily as possible and help students overcome those difficulties. For that, we have live tutors involved in that process.

The second side is the tutorial side. When our system identifies areas that the students are struggling with, the course automatically marks the assessments that they’ve been taking. It also understands why those students get those questions wrong. Having technology that marks something instead of a teacher is helpful for the marking, but it isn’t helpful for the teacher’s insights because now they’re removed from the equation.

On that tutor side, the technology doesn't just determine if the student got the question correct or incorrect, but it also understands why and gives that insight to the tutors. We identify the students that need help and cluster them by ability. Then, we have informed tutoring sessions, and the technology helps us with this.

In general, it doesn’t make sense just to teach what is in the textbook because it ignores everyone’s ability and whoever needs help. Our system focuses on which students need help and clusters them by capacity so we can support them around that specific area.

What is the team composition?

We’ve moved one of their senior developers to a project management role, and we’re both doing project management. 

How did you come to work with SEVEN?

We engaged with them through Upwork.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $450,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in January 2020, and it’s still ongoing.

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

There aren’t any quantifiable metrics associated with it, but I think the quality of their work is excellent. 

How did SEVEN perform from a project management standpoint?

We usually use email and Skype for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their communication and response times are exceptional.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only request would be to deliver things on time, but that’s a problem that we have with every developer we’ve worked with. Including my internal developers, I’ve never worked with anyone that could tell me accurately when they could deliver something, so it’s a tough thing to ask. However, it hasn’t hurt us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be very clear on what you need. Although they can help you define your service and product, it’s essential to understand deeply what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Founder at Timemarket. A personalised​ page for paid video calls. You can create an account and sell your time and knowledge to others.

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

Our goal was focused to create a UX/UI friendly platform where people can search for professionals and can schedule a video call with them. For professionals like doctors, teachers, lawyers, nutritionists etc., can create a flexible timetable where they can sell time slots for video communication with them.

Seven Collab made a huge work to provide a turn-key solution for this project. WebRTC, payment processing infrastructure, front end and back end architecture, production of ​marketing materials.

How did you select SEVEN and what were the deciding factors?

Internet search. Meet​ my criteria by doing similar projects before.

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

We had three sprint stages. During each sprint, we wear to focus on work. All work was

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

In total, thirteen people have been working on my project. Project Requirements: Maria Engineer front: Yaroslav Engineer back: Oleksiy M. Engineer back: Oleh Ui/Ux: Olha SSA: Sergiy DB architect: Maria Engineer front: Ihor Engineer front: Oleksii P. Ui/Ux: Karina DevOps: Yuliy QA: Svetlana

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

I cannot share this information

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

Communication tools zoom/skype and our software WEB RTC that we made for time market​ project

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

Their flexibility and friendly​ atmosphere were impressive in the workflow.

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

Focus more on project analysis

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at an analytics company. We provide solutions for the retail industry in terms of demographics and useful tools for management optimization.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEVEN?

We needed help to develop a platform that could support all the data we collected from the sites.

What was the scope of their involvement?

SEVEN helped us build software from scratch that could allow us to handle the data we provide to our clients, along with cloud communication and franchise management.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 3–4 members of their team, including a project manager, a backend developer, a frontend developer, and a dev-ops manager.

How did you come to work with SEVEN?

We chose them because they seemed reliable and provided internal solutions for our needs, so the overall impression was great.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from June 2019–September 2021.

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

The platform they delivered has been key to the ongoing success of the process we’re in as a business.

How did SEVEN perform from a project management standpoint?

They were good; their project management was professional, and they were able to overcome any problem that could arise. In terms of communication, we used to have meetings to discuss the progress of the process.

What did you find most impressive about them? 

Their reliability, dedication, and communication were outstanding.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They need to understand what they can and cannot do; we had an issue when we gave them an R&D project, but they couldn’t deliver it.

Any advice for potential customers?

Define and be clear with them about the scope of the project. Also, ensure that they stay on top of things and work within the barrier of their services.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO and co-founder of an OEM industry firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEVEN?

Since we’re a startup, we’ve been looking for a partner to build our digital product. Namely, SEVEN is helping us with two web-based applications.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first application is for OEM parts and the second application is for us to orchestrate the first platform. SEVEN developed both applications from the ground up, working from end-to-end through infrastructure, DevOps, and UX design. They’re a full-service agency.

SEVEN’s team has set up everything to operate in the AWS cloud, as it’s a cost-efficient way to build and scale. I came to SEVEN with precise flows, scenarios, and mockups, and their people helped us finalize that documentation. For example, depending on what library we chose, we’d have to set certain component controls, or else we’d be shouldered with a large amount of custom development. This takes time and money, so we set our controls and minimized the custom work required on the frontend. This allowed us to deliver the first version of the applications within six months.

What is the team composition?

We’ve been working with 8­–9 people depending on the moment at hand including front- and backend developers, database engineers, UX designers, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with SEVEN?

We first met at an exhibition in Frankfurt on additive manufacturing, and one of their business development teammates set an appointment with us. We were fairly early in our journey at the time, but we stayed in touch; I reconnected with them when this project came together.

Salespeople can push themselves sometimes, but SEVEN didn’t do that. They kept in touch respectfully, so I brought them back when we looked for vendors. During selection, they proved their skillset and answered our questions well. They even set up several meetings so we could establish communication practices to would overcome any language barrier.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since October 2020.

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

Regarding how they deliver, their API work, the code quality, and the documentation, they’re excellent, especially compared to the other vendors we’ve seen. This is without even considering the short timeframe they performed under.

One action that stood out was the accuracy of the estimate at the outset. They developed some initial code to gauge the price, and the final delivery price was very close to that number.

Feature milestones were hit along the way, and while there were some minor extensions at the end, that’s common when complex software development projects start coming together for delivery.

How did SEVEN perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management happens partially on our side. SEVEN’s main contact communicates really well about when items will be delivered.

SEVEN has an internal, Jira-like tool that manages our backlog, and then we document our features in Jira itself. Zoom and Teams support our communication, and design collaboration happens through Figma.

What did you find most impressive about them?

SEVEN is a true part of our team. They’ve made an exceptional commitment to us, sometimes working until 2–3 am if we have a client meeting to solve issues.

I can truly rely on their feedback as well. They’re experts in PHP development and software infrastructure. Quality, reliability, and scalability are the qualities they bring to our development.

They’re a full-service agency that allows us to work with just one partner for this whole complex project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One challenge for all software companies is that they have employee frustration and turnover, so having more backup resources would be nice.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know where you want to head because this helped us move extremely quickly. Also, have an idea of how the product should be.

SEVEN builds things rapidly; they can help explore and figure out the project on the way, but it will take longer.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and director of a UX-specializing agency that builds websites and applications, where I play the role of UX and product design lead.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEVEN?

We needed to engage a development partner for one of our client’s projects, which is why we hired SEVEN.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our team designed the product idea and developed the feature map while SEVEN developed the technical aspect. They began by analyzing all of our requirements and user flows to determine what technology stack and methodology was best to use to develop our niche application. 

The team decided to build the web app on Laravel, with Angular on the frontend. We use a third-party service for the API, but for this particular project, a lot of it was bespoke, meaning most of the features were built from the ground up. 

The application itself has voice, video, and text chat features aimed at a broad audience, with a focus on B2C. It is a two-sided marketplace, with one side having a practitioner providing a service and another side hosting the end user. We created an administrative dashboard for both sides. It is similar to Fiverr.com, except the service comes through the video chat app.

SEVEN helped us develop the core functionality, which is an information hub where users can search for service providers and where vendors can create their professional profiles. We built a verification capability into the web app, which will be required to prove that service providers are qualified or experts. The web app is accessible via desktop and mobile devices, so we made sure that the core functionality could handle the traffic that would come through those channels. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with three project managers and a technical lead from SEVEN and also used the expertise of one of their UX designers. 

How did you come to work with SEVEN?

We found them through an online search. There were five companies that we thought could provide the service we were looking for. One got knocked out because we didn’t have the confidence that they could achieve a project of this scale. Another company made product features but couldn’t do the customizations we wanted.

We selected SEVEN because we knew that they had done video chat applications in the past for various spaces. They had built a core functionality that could be repurposed to suit our application. Their price quote was also really competitive compared to anyone else’s.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $110,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first engaged with SEVEN around August 2020, but we had been chatting back and forth for a couple of months before that. The product has been delivered just a couple of weeks ago, in March 2021.

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

I knew that this project was susceptible to scope creep since we’re working on a completely new product idea and the client has no technical background. In my experience, projects like this would usually end up costing twice the size of the budget. SEVEN, however, managed to control the budget against the scope and evaluated the feasibility of any additional feature we wanted to integrate. 

SEVEN also had a really good system that helped us stay within budget. They provided a range, and we ended up hitting the maximum budget because the technology stack involved was quite critical and we had to do a lot of testing to iron out issues.

How did SEVEN perform from a project management standpoint?

They provided transparency on their progress and kept me close throughout the entire development process. We planned and reviewed sprints together, and determined what would be delivered in each sprint. 

I’m based in Australia and they’re in Ukraine but our difference in time zones worked out okay. I was able to communicate with them throughout their mornings if we wanted to go deeper or follow up on things. We scheduled calls several days in advance and they never postponed; the team was always available. 

All the features were built by the time SEVEN had set, with delays stemming from the client’s side. The core application was actually finished six weeks early, but the subsequent testing brought us to the original deadline. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

One thing that I loved about working with SEVEN was how transparent they were. I’ve worked with lots of developers before and it’s often cloudy when the client wants to know something. For this, I was able to give our client a clear response as I was let in to know everything about the development. Their level of engagement and communication was excellent. 

The team also had a really impressive, in-depth discovery process. At first, I was a bit concerned that they were just going to turn us into something really rigid because they were going into so much detail. However, their process actually provided a lot of support especially in areas that I hadn’t considered. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I found their user reporting system a bit confusing. One could immediately tell that it was built by technically-minded people. The project manager would create her own simplified version of the reports, which was great, but the official version that they gave us access to was just difficult to use. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would encourage you to allow SEVEN to conduct their in-depth discovery. I was resistant to it at first because it was a bit exhaustive, but I let them do it because of what it provided to the project management and because it helped us stay within the budget. Also, create a relationship with the team where you’ve got really close and constant contact.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Sharpen solves the problem of people not remembering very much after they leave a lesson or meeting. In fact, most people only retain 5–10% of the information they received. Sharpen allows learners to create smart notes that help them remember more and perform better.

What challenge were you trying to address with SEVEN?

I engaged SEVEN for the development of my web product. I was actually with another agency at the time, but I’d been frustrated with their inability to problem-solve.

What was the scope of their involvement?

I had the concept and initial wireframes for Sharpen. We held an onboarding session, where they scoped out the build and fleshed out the wireframes into a more robust project plan.

We then held another meeting to clarify the project scope and budget. The initial budgeting — which consisted of minimum, maximum, and forecasted costs — was significantly helpful in managing my expectations.

After that, they launched into web development. They first built a clickable prototype, and after we signed these off, they began with the product backend. It was initially meant to be an integrated widget, but it evolved to become a standalone, 360-degree product.

We’re currently finalizing the sign-on process for the beta version of the web application. They utilized JavaScript and PHP frameworks for the build.

What is the team composition?

I have direct contact with 5 teammates. While I primarily communicate with the project manager, I imagine that there are even more teammates behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with SEVEN?

I was looking for a new partner and interviewed around 15 different agencies. SEVEN was recommended to me by a friend and client of mine, who was building their own platform with them.

I saw the reliability of their work and the meticulousness of their documentation, so I went and talked to their CTO. He demonstrated a keen sensitivity to his client’s longer-term business goals. It was more of a discussion around how we build something long-term, as opposed to simply building a solution. That was what made me decide to work with SEVEN.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent north of $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began the project in March 2020, and it’s an ongoing relationship.

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

Their work has been extremely solid. They’ve developed something that’s unique, intuitive, and aesthetically pleasing. It’s functional and user-friendly, so there’s not much more that I could ask for.

I had a beta-test call with an ed-tech industry leader, and he expressed that it was the most impressive beta-mode product that he’d ever seen. Despite only being an early-stage build, the current solution is quite advanced in both look and functionality.

How did SEVEN perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent on this front, particularly because they excel at managing expectations. They reign me in and stop me from disappearing down unnecessary rabbit holes (especially because I’m always trying to explore different ideas.)

They’ve been very good at telling me no, which I appreciate. They facilitate the exploration of my whims, but only when it’s feasible or sensible. They ensure the timely execution of our set deadlines.

We used Skype to communicate. I used Asana to oversee my own project, but I believe they used some internal project management software to track project progress. Their paper trail is excellent; every time I request a scope change, I get an incredibly thorough budget explanation back from them. Thanks to their stellar communication and expectation management, we’re always on the same page.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness is phenomenal. They usually respond within a couple of minutes. Even though I’m not their only client, it sometimes feels like I am, given the amount of attention I get.

They also address my questions and concerns very seriously. They look at every question carefully and will conduct research if they can’t give me an answer right away. This provides a sense of risk mitigation, which makes me feel safe while navigating the development cycle.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We’ve had a couple of roadblocks due to a lack of communication. The issue isn’t specific to them but is likely to occur when working with any agency.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Call me. I’ll be working with them for the foreseeable future.