SoftwareHut - Your Bespoke Development Company
SoftwareHut offers tailor-made solutions for start-ups, agencies and enterprises. We combine the practical know-how of software development with IT project management skills.
Due to our exponential growth, we've received numerous awards including:
- 3 x Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2018 | 2017 | 2016
- 2 x Deloitte Technology Fast 50 CE 2018 No. 1 in Poland | 2016
- 2 x Financial Times Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies 2019 No. 23 in Europe | 2018
Contact with foreign clients is maintained through eight international offices in the UK, USA, Germany, France, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and Switzerland. The company is experienced in sectors like TravelTech, LabTech, E-commerce, FinTech, PropTech, Healthcare, Media & Art, etc.
We provide services like Frontend Development, Backend development, mobile development, customized applications, and cloud solutions.
We work with:
Angular, React, Vue.js, .NET, Node.js, Ionic, React Native, iOS, Android, Java, Scala, Python, Django, PHP, Drupal, Symfony, Magento, Wordpress, Unity3D, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL, Oracle, Cloud (Azure, AWS, Google).

headquarters
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Warsaw 00-001Poland
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Portfolio
Microsoft, Sonetel, QBank, Skyscanner, Paxport, SafeLaw, Nordic Tech House, Orbis Information Systems, Calnex, Apator

Ecommerce Development for a Swedish Fashion Brand
Hermine Hold is a Stockholm-based ecommerce brand providing hair accessories for women. Influenced by Swedish roots, values and love for travels, Hermine Hold aims to support strong, independent women, offering a way to express themselves through inspiring collections. Prior to their launch campaign, Hermine Hold tasked SoftwareHut with the development of their online store. Given the complete design of the store, we’ve successfully delivered the project within a specified timeframe.
Prior to the launch of Hermine Hold's campaign, Nordic Tech House tasked SoftwareHut with the development of their online store. Given the complete design of the store, we’ve successfully delivered the project within a specified timeframe.
We’ve successfully developed an ecommerce based on Centra cloud platform, using React.js to translate client’s designs into visually appealing and high performing user interface.

Improving Lab Connectivity with Mixed Reality Interface
In spite of the work taking place inside modern laboratories, they remain a hotbed for time-heavy manual and inefficient processes. By implementing the likes of Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), lab managers can record, allocate, and review resources through centralized digital programs.To ensure a comprehensive, and fully accountable digital workplace, a solution would be needed to take this process further.
SoftwareHut played a central role in developing Holo4Labs software. Holo4Labs harnesses the power of Microsoft HoloLens 2 smart glasses to create a visual assistance interface, using Mixed Reality technology in laboratory environments.
Holo4Labs interface significantly improves productivity and at modern laboratories. With digital LES procedures, tasks, instrument management and intuitive data entry, it revolutionises the way labs work.

Delivering a Drupal CMS-based website for OneTwoTrip
OneTwoTrip is an online travel service, helping customers find and book a flight since 2011. The website now gathers information about flights from 800 airlines, including 100 low-cost operators.
Looking to extend their website with a localised content, OneTwoTrip reached out to Order of Code (OOC, now a part of SoftwareHut team), tasking them with website development of the platform.
Choosing Drupal CMS ensured a high level of configurability required by the client. Using this content management system makes it easy to maintain a news portal, which besides enabling different languages was important part of this project.
The result is a scalable, localised, well-optimised portal offering flight information and travel news.

SaaS Property Management System Development for Admireo
Admireo is an online property management service for real-estate owners and communities, available in SaaS model. Efficient property management tool is required to properly handle many aspects such as financials, issue tracking and communication.
We’ve designed, architected, built and delivered Admireo in one year. The system is in production and we are still extending some of its functionalities.
According to Admireo, these features allow employees to save 30-50% of workload normally used for manual tasks handling.

Online Product Comparison Tool Development for Motoquotes
Motoquotes was the UK's first tyre & MOT product comparison site, comparing the motor insurance market.
The scope of the project included online product comparison tool for drivers, offering best deals for new tyres and MOT tests. To complete this project, the OOC team had to come up with a solution to gather data from multiple data sources. While some retailers provided their APIs, the challenge was to obtain current data from those who didn’t.
Another aspect of developing this product comparison tool included scalability. With the website’s growth, it should allow motoquotes’ team to add new retailers and offers progressively.
The team had successfully overcome the obstacles, delivering a project meeting client’s business goals. As a result, the API that has been delivered was able to provide data through a variety of queries, gathering the data from third-party websites.
The motoquote’s users were able to search by tyre specifications, license plate numbers, or car model. Additionally, they could have sort results by price and add additional filters, including distance from a user based on provided postcode.

Highly-Secured Messaging Platform for Lawyers
Data breaches and comprising confident information is a threat to legal practitioners. Sharing details about their clients and sensitive documents must be, therefore, highly secured. For their client SafeLaw, Javeo Software (now a part of SoftwareHut and TenderHut Capital Group) developed a platform for secured messaging and file sharing – Safreum.

The Development of an Advanced Financial Management Solution
The GearShift system helps its users to track their financial performance and to plan their expenses. It gives them the possibility to make conscious decisions and avoid cashflow problems.
The client’s request was to optimise the performance of the already existing system, as well as improve and expand its functionality. Our task was to develop a new code based on the pre-existing and complicated logic.
This optimization improved the system’s performance to 2.5x, and thanks to the new functionalities GearShift became an advanced financial management solution. It is versatile; it can be used by a business owner, as well as an external accountant responsible for many clients.

The Development of a Visual Communication Platform for nooQ
nooQ is a Scottish startup on a mission to create a great communication platform, making it easier to make sense of various communication channels.
The company approached Order of Code (OOC, now a part of SoftwareHut team) with the implementation of their visual communication platform.
OOC worked with nooQ as an extended team, joining company’s developers in implementing visual communication tool. The platform uses heatmaps to highlight important topics, based on innovative volume controls.
The integration of multiple social applications now gives users more relevant data in one platform. Making use of the buil-in chat and integration with third-party services, nooQ became a one-stop tool for gathering and interacting with multiple sources of information.

The Golden Algorithm: Improving Calnex Analysis Tool
For Calnex Solutions, a global leader in synchronisation and OAM (Operation and Maintenance) testing, Order Of Code team (now a part of SoftwareHut), re-developed Calnex Analysis Tool, and implemented new algorithm for testing transmission parameters in ICT networks.
Implementing the new algorithm improved the tool’s performance, increasing the application’s speed 100x. As a result of the changes implemented by the OOC, the CAT sales grew significantly, and Calnex has been awarded with Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2015.

Creating a New Versions of Calnex Analysis Tools
Calnex Solutions needed to introduce their new solutions for testing 100Gb/s networks and 100GbE devices, they needed to improve their analysis tools.
Working with Calnex, Order of Code (OOC, now a part of SoftwareHut team), created a new version of the Calnex Analyser Tool (CAT) and a new Data Storage tool.

Developing a Multi-Billion-Dollar Website for Skyscanner
Since 2005, the Order of Code (now a part of SoftwareHut team) has worked on several projects for Skyscanner, one of the world’s most popular flight aggregators and metasearch engines.

Research & Development Support for Skyscanner
Apart from software development and testing projects delivered by Order of Code (now a part of SoftwareHut team) for Skyscanner, the team supported the company with R&D projects.

Increasing Big Data Processing Performance for Apator
Apator is a Polish capital group focusing its services on the electromechanical industry: metering and switchgear. They needed a scalable solution that would efficiently manage data transmitted from meters.
Order Of Code (now a part of SoftwareHut), helped Apator achieve this, providing design and development services.
Reviews
the project
Web Dev for Data Visualization Co.
"They're worth every penny."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Datavisual makes it easy to create stunning data visualizations. Our intuitive web-based interface offers pre-designed templates that anyone can use while giving design teams the power to rev up workflow and quickly output large volumes of custom data graphics.
For what projects/services did your company hire SoftwareHut?
SoftwareHut has been assisting us with backend development and database needs for the last few years.
What were your goals for this project?
To improve the technical flow of the platform along with add new features and find and fix bugs in the system.
How did you select this vendor?
Being the founder of a software company I am constantly contacted by development shops. SoftwareHut was the best and most affordable option for us.
Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.
SoftwareHut helped us with backend development on our node.js and mongoDB system along with some help with D3js development and AWS server setup and optimization.
What was the team composition?
We received a very reliable project manager and depending on the job had a team of up to 3 programmers assisting us with our needs.
Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?
Without the help of SoftwareHut we would not have been able to scale as quickly as we did.
How was project management arranged and how effective was it?
Our project manager has been extremely helpful and quick to respond to requests. We generally communication via Skype.
What did you find most impressive about this company?
The skill level and quality of work is fantastic as well as the responsiveness for requests. They're worth every penny.
Are there any areas for improvement?
Time zone differences can sometimes be challenging, but generally this is not a major issue.
the project
Software Development for Laboratory Solutions Company
“They were very good on project management and really didn’t require any oversight from me at all.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We are a services company for implementing laboratory information management systems.
What challenge were you trying to address with SoftwareHut?
We use them for a variety of development work on software products that we use in the laboratory. One of those is for managing resources, and the other is for collecting samples in a regulated environment.
What was the scope of their involvement?
In the resource manager project, we replaced a lot of legacy code that was written in C# in order to work with another laboratory software company’s sample management program. They have a software application that our objects can interact with to allow the user to apply data to a graphical user interface.
SoftwareHut developed a new code structure to go with an upgrade of the product that relies on the architecture of the other company’s product. In effect, we embedded our product into theirs for the architecture, but we created new rules and callouts for those rules on our own.
The second project was a form that they developed from scratch. It also works within the sample management lens, but it allows an operator to identify sampling points within an environment on a tablet. Having that mobile graphic presentation can really expedite the sample collection process.
What is the team composition?
We worked with the operations director there, as well as with two of their developers.
How did you come to work with SoftwareHut?
They were recommended to us through the partner company that we design products with, and we found their skill set and costs to be more than satisfactory.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested around $20,000–$30,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We worked with them from September 2018–February 2019.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The work they did for us was a key part of an upgrade on one of our products that has led directly to more sales on our resource manager. The sample collection feature is a fairly new release, so it’s difficult to attribute anything tangible yet, but we were very pleased with the result.
How did SoftwareHut perform from a project management standpoint?
They were very good at project management and really didn’t require any oversight from me at all. I was able to agree to a statement of work with the operations director and they stuck completely within the costs of that statement. Their lead developer would liaise with the developer on our side for the resource manager, and with a consultant for the sample collection device. Feedback on their performance from both has been great.
What did you find most impressive about them?
It’s very difficult to get good developers here in Ireland, and I think they have extremely good technical people. They bring really good software development that I would struggle to get here at an affordable cost.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I don’t see anything that could have been better.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
For anyone working with an offshore development company, I think it’s very important to have clear requirements before you start. As long as you establish a clear scope of work, you won’t have any problems.
the project
Mobile App Development for Healthcare Provider
"They’ve demonstrated their agility every time we had a new requirement."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
We’re the largest private healthcare provider in the UK. We run 40 hospitals around the country and provide a vast range of services: orthopedic, cardiac, oncological, physiological, and cosmetic. We treat around a million patients every year, have a staff of around 8,000, and work with 6,000 doctors around the country.
I’m the head of digital transformation. I report to the group IT director and am in charge of all the company’s applications. I also drive new digital initiatives—particularly from an IT system-processing point of view.
What challenge were you trying to address with SoftwareHut?
We were seeking a way to manage our medical records. We’re still very paper-heavy in the UK, compared to the US, for example. We rely considerably on paper for all of the clinical information of our patients, so locating and tracking these papers is very important to us.
Whether they’re nurses, doctors, or labs, many medical teams require access to patient information. Even though we’re working on digitizing information, we needed a quick fix for the time being, which was to be able to track the hospital’s paper records.
For that, we’re implementing a mobile app that will be available for scanners everywhere in the hospitals. It’ll be able to locate the paper files and determine who’s been using them.
What was the scope of their involvement?
SoftwareHut is developing an app that’s linked with a leading backend system. That system doesn’t come with a mobile app, so we went to SoftwareHut to build us one. Users can scan files as well as see and move records.
Our in-house business analysts gave the team requirements for app functionalities, along with some UX guidelines.
SoftwareHut is based in Poland, and we’re in England. They came on-site for the first week to take over the project and do some knowledge transfer with our team. After that, they worked remotely, in collaboration with us.
I’m fairly certain that the development is based on a .NET framework although the tech leads are in a better position to provide that information. The app can be used on Android devices.
What is the team composition?
We worked with a team of three: a tech lead, a developer, and an architect.
How did you come to work with SoftwareHut?
SoftwareHut came recommended by our pricing director who’d worked with them in the past. We had an introduction meeting, and I made some assessments. They seemed to have the right skills for the job.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested around $50,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with SoftwareHut in early June 2019 and we’re wrapping up the project now. The app just went live, and they’re offering continuous support.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
While I don’t have any metrics at the moment, the engagement has been effective. The project was initiated by our COO who told us that it would be a test of our IT competence. Since our credibility was at stake, we needed resources quickly.
Their response rate has been excellent, and they’ve showcased a great bandwidth of high-quality resources. They completed app development three days ahead of schedule, which was a remarkable feat in such a tight and high-pressure environment. They did so without compromising quality. I’m very impressed with the work they’ve done.
It’s easy to do business with them—they have high flexibility and are able to provide a quick turnaround of resources. They delivered on their promises early, even within a short engagement. I am definitely going to work with them in the future, since it was such a successful collaboration. They’ve certainly become a preferred provider.
How did SoftwareHut perform from a project management standpoint?
We oversaw the general project management, but the specific development itself was something of a black box. I’m not sure how they managed the resources—all I know is that the product was delivered and the three developers collaborated very well between themselves.
We didn’t want their internal communications made visible to us. We saw that the product was completed and all the milestones were achieved. They had great transparency when we requested access to something, and it was extremely clear they were abiding by the project timeline. The communication was really clear between their team and our project manager.
We mostly communicated over email, but we used Zoom as well.
What did you find most impressive about them?
We needed help for another project, and they quickly produced a statement and got started. Their response time is excellent. They’ve demonstrated their agility every time we had a new requirement. They’re able to find the right resources without compromising quality.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Honestly, I can’t think of anything.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
SoftwareHut is an offshore provider, so they need to be given the right input at the beginning.
the project
App Development For Supply Chain Management Company
"They're a solid, good company."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please describe your organization.
Procurence deals with supply chain risk management and supply management solutions.
What is your position?
I'm the CEO.
What business challenge were you trying to address with SoftwareHut?
We're a very atypical startup. We haven't hired any programmers in-house. All of our programming has been through partners to make us flexible in case something happens to us. We can react to the business environment by either increasing or decreasing the number of programmers that we use. That's number one.
Number two, it's good for our clients to know that we have additional resources to show that we are a stable company as well. If you have a large international corporation, they treat you differently from when you have five people in a garage doing the programming for us.
Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.
We're doing a mobile app together – basically a mobile version of our applications fully from scratch. The rest of the work is outsourcing the programming services. SoftwareHut built our website and developed our mobile app for Android and iOS at the same time.
How did you come to work with SoftwareHut?
The owner and CEO of SoftwareHut used to be our first project manager at a different company before he set up SoftwareHut. We've known each other since 2010 and have been working together since 2010.
What is the status of this engagement?
We began working together directly after SoftwareHut was split up. Our projects are ongoing. We consider SoftwareHut a part of our team, I've never had a hands-off relationship with them. Our relationship is more ambiguous. It's not as if we give them specifications, and they sit down and do the specifications. They can work with fuzzier requirements. We give them guidelines, and they sit down with my team to develop the specifications up front together with us.
Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?
I'm very happy with them. It's in too early a stage for our customers to see our work. We're doing multiple prototype stages. The first was a proof of concept to make sure it actually works. We're now in the next round where we've done the first checks. Now, we're doing the back-end. The next round is doing the rest of the front-end development.
How did SoftwareHut perform from a project management standpoint?
We have a project manager on their side that deals with the coordination within their team. He's the man responsible for doing status reports for me. He also takes part in our daily calls.
What distinguishes SoftwareHut from other providers?
I have a bit of a skewed perspective because I know the owner of the company. Obviously, we have a good personal relationship. Seeing him with his other clients, he has the same approach to the other clients that he does with me. I don't have any other comparisons. They're a solid, good company. Maybe it's just my luck, but I've never had a bad experience with IT [information technology] companies.
Is there anything SoftwareHut could have improved or done differently?
No, not at the moment. I'm very happy.
the project
Staffing Engagement for Application Integration
"SoftwareHut has advised me many times on what technology to use and the advantages to each."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please describe your organization.
My company develops software and provides IT [information technology] consultancy and legal advice to companies who participate in tenders in Poland.
What is your position?
I'm the CEO.
What business challenge were you trying to address with SoftwareHut?
We had a contract come in for the delivery of a laboratory information management system in a very big research and development company. We needed programmers and testers because the task was too big for the amount of people I had in my company.
Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.
We began with an analysis phase of the customer requirements, then moved into design, building, and implementing the system. SoftwareHut has been involved in all phases of the project cycle. We have our own project manager, but they provided a lead programmer and lead tester. We used them mostly in the analysis stage to ask proper questions of the customer because they were requesting very fast implementation of the system. They had funding from the European Union and, thus, did not have a lot of time for finalizing the details.
SoftwareHut developed some parts of the application because the customer needed it to integrate with their ERP [enterprise resource planning] system. They asked that we integrated their Microsoft Navision system with our Lynx system in order to keep track of inventory and HR functions in the same place. SoftwareHut developed part of the website and helped with the integrations, which is a very difficult part of the implementation.
How did you come to work with SoftwareHut?
I found them by looking through the Internet. In Poland, there are many software houses, but we chose SoftwareHut because we had heard good things about their high-level specialists. I saw them make a presentation once at a Microsoft conference and was impressed. The price was also important for us. Eastern Poland, where they are located is almost half the price of developers in Warsaw.
Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?
It was at least €200,000 [approximately $220,000].
What is the status of this engagement?
The selection process was long, we began looking in September 2014, but didn't sign a contract with SoftwareHut until June 2015 because it took a little bit of time to agree on the concept and so on.
Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?
They performed their job very well, but another important factor is how they handled our contract agreement. We had a fixed-price contract with cost and requirements predetermined, but the customer ended up changing some requirements, which forced us to negotiate in good faith. SoftwareHut was able to keep the original price through these negotiations and even during implementation when the customer asked to make modifications. They were very flexible for us. It was important for me that they didn't keep to every single point in our contract. They were supportive during the negotiation process with the customer.
How did SoftwareHut perform from a project management standpoint?
They performed very well and everything was on time. We had many discussions and, sometimes, we had to work in the night, but the schedule was kept because the customer's deadline had to be met. They performed very well.
What distinguishes SoftwareHut from other providers?
It's very important to me that they know the latest technologies because I am not as savvy as I used to be. SoftwareHut has advised me many times on what technology to use and the advantages to each. I appreciate that very much.
Is there anything SoftwareHut could have improved or done differently?
They normally work from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it was sometimes difficult to get them to work a little bit overtime. The most important thing is that they delivered on time, but maybe they should be a little bit more flexible. Of course, it's difficult to demand such thing because they are working a normal schedule. It's the law, and that's it, but sometimes they could be more flexible. Otherwise, they are very professional and deliver on time, so I cannot complain.
the project
Development for Choreography App
"There were never any problems because SoftwareHut was extremely easy to communicate with and very open-minded."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please describe your organization.
I work in a small organization that has recently created FairPlayAcademy.com, which is a website with a VOD [video-on-demand] system that contains choreography dance video tutorials.
What is your position?
I was the main project manager.
What business challenge were you trying to address with SoftwareHut?
We needed help creating the visual aspect of this project and, more specifically, the user experience design. I came to this organization and we recruited a company, which has since been sold to SoftwareHut. We had no experience selling this kind of content, so they had to convince us to do it with them. We needed to trust them, and it was a close cooperation between the two of us. We worked on the business model while they worked on the development.
Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.
They provided graphic designs for the whole user interface and front end of the platform. Besides that, they created the whole backstage CMS [content management system] and platform to manage the tutorials. We had to connect our services with Vimeo, which is what we're based on. They also had to create another layout for Vimeo that allows the users to switch between eight counts of choreography. They were also responsible for all of the PHP and HTML. They also had to create a payment system and all the mechanisms necessary to make it possible to buy the tutorial and subscribe for lessons. The whole application had to be both mobile- and desktop-friendly.
How did you come to work with SoftwareHut?
I personally knew the project manager of the previous company before they became SoftwareHut. After conducting some tests and doing some small jobs, we decided to continue with them. It was also convenient because they are based in the same city as us.
What is the status of this engagement?
The project began in autumn 2014 but, because we have several projects going on, we delayed it a little bit. We finished the development in March of this year [2016] and launched the product in April. We are testing the project on the market and will probably need to make some adjustments after we get an idea of what people like and don't like about it. These are the early after-launch observations.
Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?
It's hard to say if it's a success or not yet because we just launched and haven't started marketing it yet. We are very proud of the positive feedback we've received. People are complimenting how clear and easy to use the design is, which is nice. That's also a great compliment to our developers and designers.
In the first week after launching, we had purchases coming in from Hong Kong, the United States, and all around the world. Of course, it's not massively selling, but it's growing fast, and we strongly believe it will only continue to grow with the impact of a marketing campaign.
How did SoftwareHut perform from a project management standpoint?
There were two project managers on the project. I was one from the client side, and there was someone on the agency side, which is not quite typical. There were never any problems because SoftwareHut was extremely easy to communicate with and very open-minded. Even if something went wrong, he was always ready to hear my opinion and was always solution-seeking. We didn't have any problems with project management.
What distinguishes SoftwareHut from other providers?
I can only talk about the people that I worked with before they became SoftwareHut, but they were great, and we are very pleased with the work. I'm looking forward to working with the wider team, but I can only speak about the people involved in my project. It was a nice team, and they were good.
Is there anything SoftwareHut could have improved or done differently?
No. Nothing comes to my mind now.
the project
Internal App Development for Silicon Startup
"They are very open, they are very proactive, and that was perfect for us."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please describe your organization.
I am the CEO and co-founder of a startup in Silicon Valley that is focusing on proactive shopping technology. We have two products. The first product is a mobile ordering and payment application for restaurants that is leveraging iBeacon technology. Our second product, which we recently launched, is an expert shopping app for new parents recommending them baby products based on the context of their families.
What business challenge were you trying to address with SoftwareHut?
We started engaging SoftwareHut in late 2015 because we needed to develop internal software for our newest product to allow our agents and customer support to engage with users.
Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.
SoftwareHut developed our apps using the AngularJS application. Back-end development was done on our side, so we provided them with all the APIs [application programming interfaces] required. A lot of information was sent through WebSockets instead of REST API. We've had a great collaboration with them.
How did you come to work with SoftwareHut?
I don't fully remember. They either found us because they knew we were looking for a company and they sent us a message, or it was because they are from Poland, and we have an office in Poland. Either way, they reached out to us, and it went from there.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started building a prototype with them and, because the work was really well done, we decided that we wanted to evolve the project into something bigger. We've been working very closely with them since then, and we are still happily working with them.
Both of the products they have created for us are fully launched, but we continue to evolve and add more features. We plan to continue collaborating with them on the app for the foreseeable future.
Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?
If one of our customer support representatives or agents sees a particular issue or has a feature request, it will either go directly to their engineering team or to one of our designers who will push it to them. Within 24-48 hours the change is live and made available to the team. That has really made everyone super excited.
How did SoftwareHut perform from a project management standpoint?
As good as they could have. What was interesting for us in working with them was the frequency of our conversation with the two engineers we work with. They were so highly involved in our team as regular members, which was crucial for us as a startup. We would connect multiple times a day over Skype, Slack messaging, and so on. Their close integration with our team allowed us to really go at the speed that we did. They were extremely fast.
Because we were working with them so closely, I think part of the project management was done by us, but everything that was done on their end was as good as it could be. They always made deadlines or even delivered early. They were working and pushing stuff over winter holidays so we can make our deadlines.
What distinguishes SoftwareHut from other providers?
Providing a very high quality of code is definitely one component. For startups in particular, it’s very important to work closely with the engineering team that’s in place. Usually startups will have a couple of front-end developers in house and maybe a back end person. Most of the time they decide to outsource some of the more minor components that aren’t at the core of the company. However, these smaller components are very important to the business, so it’s crucial to communicate with the core team.
There are agencies that are a little more closed and do not interact much with the client, but SoftwareHut is exactly opposite. They are very open, they are very proactive, and that was perfect for us because that is the only way that we could engage with an agency.
Is there anything SoftwareHut could have improved or done differently?
Not really, otherwise we wouldn’t have been working with them anymore, and we are happily working with them. Everything has been excellent, and whenever there are things that are not the way we want, it’s usually a miscommunication. Our great communication allows for any issue to be solved immediately.
the project
Outsourced Web Development for Digital Agency
"It's fun to work with Softwarehut."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please describe your organization.
I am a project manager at a digital agency. We design, plan, and develop websites, apps, and social media strategies.
What business challenge were you trying to address with SoftwareHut?
We needed to outsource the development of a website for a client because we didn't have enough bandwidth to handle the project at the time.
Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.
We provided the layouts and designs, and allowed them to choose the CMS [content management system]. They did all the technical pieces of the project. They programmed, wrote the code, and did the front-end and back-end development.
How did you come to work with SoftwareHut?
We did some research and found them, and asked if they wanted to undertake our project. We started with a small project and were very satisfied, so we gave them a few more.
Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?
I think, right now, it's still less than $10,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We began working with them in October 2015 and have worked with them on three projects. Right now, they are the first program partner we ask if we need someone to program something for us. We work with them once a month.
Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?
We don't have any measurements other than the satisfaction of our clients, which has been high.
How did SoftwareHut perform from a project management standpoint?
They are really good, I like to work with them. Their communication is great. Deadlines are OK – they have missed one or two, but it's not that terrible.
What distinguishes SoftwareHut from other providers?
I like my contact there. It's fun to work with SoftwareHut.
Is there anything SoftwareHut could have improved or done differently?
No – not really. After every project, we write a little bit or have a conversation about what they or we could do better, but it's never that much. We're happy.
the project
Web Design for Polish NGO
"Lemontea is small but has an extraordinary team of programmers, designers and managers. They are flexible, and are always ready to adjust to the needs of their business partner."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please give me a brief description of your company.
We are called Stowarzyszenie Kreatywne Podlasie [Creative Podlasie Association]. We are a regional NGO operating in north-eastern Poland. Our main fields of interest are civic, educational, cultural and sport projects organized in the region called Podlaskie Voivodship. We have operated since 2008 as a legal organization. We are fully operational in terms of Polish and European law. Our team consists of about 20 people, but most of them are volunteers. There are 3 people on the board and we’re the most active part of the organization. The board is the core of the association – we create projects, we run the open-space office in Białystok, and we deal with all the formal matters.
What is your role at the company?
I’m Vice President of the association. My tasks are connected with all the projects run by the NGO, as well as with back office activities, such as the legal and financial operations of the association. I’m a lawyer, so most of what I do is connected with paperwork and the workflow of documents.
What was the business challenge that you were trying to address when you approached Lemontea?
Since 2010, we’ve been running a project financed by Polish Ministry of Labour and Social Policy from the so-called Civic Initiatives Fund. The name of the project is “Save for the Future”. Its main goal was to create a free online service allowing citizens to upload and share their digitized photos, movies, documents and other files, basically digitizing activities. For example, if you have an old photo from an album of your grandfather, and he can still tell you the story behind the photo, you may scan and upload the photo, add some details (metadata, description of the story) and share it with your friends or people from your neighborhood.
What were your company’s business goals for the project?
Our goal was to create, test, run and promote the online service. We wanted to encourage people from the region to change traditional data carriers from their material to digital form. It wasn’t actually a business goal, but a main goal of the project financed by the Polish government.
Can you tell me about the scope of the project?
The service allowed people to upload files, add metadata, search for an uploaded file and see it online. It was divided into two parts. The first one was a digital dictionary. The second was more dynamic and the core of the project. It was the tool allowing to upload and share digitized objects online.
What was your process for selecting Lemontea to work with?
We’ve known Robert since 2010 when we were organizing some cultural events in Białystok and in the Podlasie Voivodship. So when we were interested in creating such a developed, complex online service, we asked if they would be able to cope with such a challenging task. Lemontea, after a series of meetings and negotiations, decided to create it for us.
Can you give us a sense of the size of the project in dollar terms? A price range would be fine as well.
The whole budget of the project was PLN 215,000, which roughly translates to USD 50,000. However, the cost of the online service was about PLN 30,000, which is around USD 7,500. The rest was mainly the cost of creating and operating an open, non-profit digitization lab in Białystok.
When was the project completed?
The whole project started in 2011 and was completed in 2013.
What were the results of the project, and are there any metrics you can share? What have they helped you achieve as a company?
Unfortunately, the website is currently under construction so I cannot show the service as it operates. We’re now rebuilding it according to some new governmental directives on layout and operation of such free civic online platforms. But thanks to Lemontea we’ve created a quite popular and socially important internet service. Just to mention some basic numbers – during the first year of the project, users of the website published almost 50,000 objects, mainly historic photos that were digitized and sent to the service. That made us proud of the project and showed that it was important not only to us, but also to the people around us in the region.
How did Lemontea perform?
They were great at communication and adjusting to the specificity of the project. The final version of the service was created after several months of shaping up solutions that had to be not only high quality from the IT point of view, but also extremely easy for all the end-users. The majority of the audience was ordinary people with limited digital skills, so their comfort was one of the biggest challenges for us. Lemontea created a complex online service that solved all the problems we’ve encountered during the development process.
While working with them, was there anything unique or special about them compared to other companies that you may have worked with?
Lemontea is small but has an extraordinary team of programmers, designers and managers. They are flexible, and are always ready to adjust to the needs of their business partner.
Looking back on the project, is there any area that they could improve or you would do differently?
As the client, I should have been more specific about what I needed and what I wanted done. So perhaps Lemontea could have asked more specific questions about what we needed. Maybe that would have made the process faster. I think that most of the changes were generated on our side. We didn’t know exactly what we wanted and we weren’t experienced with online tools. Perhaps as a client we were not so easy for them, so any problems that developed were on us.
the project
Web App Development for Polish Regional Office
"There is no such thing as impossible for Lemontea."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Please describe your organization.
I work in the regional administration of Podlaskie, a region in northeast Poland. Our mission is to promote our region, so we deal with a wide variety of topics, including web design and web promotion. We use the Internet as one major way of promoting what we are doing in the region.
What is your position?
I am the deputy director of the Department of Promotion for this region.
What business challenge were you trying to address with Lemontea?
We were looking for someone to develop an Instagram-based photo contest for us. It was an innovative approach for official regional authorities in Poland. No one has ever done such a contest before. We turned to Lemontea and asked if they could do that for us. We knew they were working with web applications and we thought they might be able to help us.
Please describe the scope of your involvement with Lemontea.
They designed the whole back-end system that connected with Instagram and the tag system for the photos. They also made a landing page for everyone who took part in the contest.
How did you come to work with Lemontea?
We had done some projects with them in the past, and I knew one of their principals personally. I knew they were a fresh startup, that they had a qualified team of young programmers and that they would be willing to take on something different.
Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?
We have spent about $5,000 working with Lemontea.
What is the status of this engagement?
We first began working with them in 2011 or 2012. The specific Instagram contest was two years ago, but we still work with them. Whenever we need something to do with our website or if we want to create a website for a specific product, we turn to them.
Could you share any statistics, metrics or other feedback from your work with Lemontea?
We didn't have to worry about anything technical, since they took care of everything. I think we spent two months developing the project, and we didn't launch until we were completely sure that the website would function properly. The contest was a success, and we received several hundred photos. As far as I am concerned, the promotion of the region was very well done. We were satisfied with the work of Lemontea.
What distinguishes Lemontea from other providers?
I think the first thing that distinguishes them is their openness. There is no such thing as impossible for Lemontea. They are always trying to do something new and learn something new – new approaches, new technologies, and new techniques. They have fresh ideas. Even when we would be facing something difficult, suddenly they would come up with an idea and overcome the obstacle.
The second thing about them is that they are very good as far as the technology is concerned. We didn't have to worry about anything or worry about something not working. Many different problems can come up with such an application. We had to be prepared and had to test it thoroughly beforehand. Everything needed to work perfectly the first time, especially because we are a public administration. We were constantly aware of that. Unless everything is running smoothly, the public is not going to be happy if they see us spending their money on something that is not working.
Is there anything Lemontea could have improved or done differently?
They're a small team, and they are still growing. I think what might be holding them back right now is that their team is so small. I think they can focus only on one or two projects at the moment. Until they get bigger, they cannot handle several projects simultaneously.
SoftwareHut delivered a quality product, resulting in an ongoing partnership. Their team is very responsive, communicating over Skype to help with new requests.