u2i

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

R1: The proof of u2i's success in building a useful application is evident in our revenue growth. We've been getting more and more customers and have enjoyed solid success renewing our existing users. With u2i building our product, we have added large-scale improvements year after year since we first launched.

Change occurs at a rapid pace in this space, and u2i helps us stay competitive with smaller and more nimble startups. As our development partner, they empower us to build stable, functional deliverables correctly and on time. They've successfully executed the product plans that address our customers' demands.

How did u2i perform from a project management standpoint?

R2: Overall, u2i is very efficient. They don't follow the most traditional project management style like the waterfall method. Instead, they tend to be more Agile and iterative. They're better suited to that type a fluid and flexible life cycle. We use video conferencing and Slack to communicate and usually meet in person 1-2 times a year.

What did you find most impressive about them?

R1: u2i is a fantastic group of people. They're thoughtful, serious, and professional about their work. At the same time, their flexibility and sensibility make it really enjoyable for us to work together. The whole team is incredibly hardworking, smart, and creative. It's rare to find a group of over 20 people who are all not only talented but also fun to work with. The sound relationship we’ve formed is a key ingredient to the quality of products we've built together.

R2: Their developers are highly skilled. u2i is very selective about who they are, which is reflected in our day-to-day interactions. In the past five years, I haven’t come across a single resource that hasn’t either met or exceeded my expectations for software development abilities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

R2: Due to their model of working, scaling is a bit of a challenge for u2i. Their strategy is to prioritize certain types of quality and culture over growing their company. Being a niche player rather than a typical large consultancy might be a conscious decision on their part. This does create some challenges if we have critical needs to scale on a concise timeline. This is their strategy, though, and I don't know if it's necessarily an area for improvement.

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

We built a community of hundreds of thousands of users who post over 10,000 times each month to the message boards u2i built from scratch. Our marketing team was delighted with their flexibility and how quickly they could make changes and additions.

For a small investment, we built something that allowed them to achieve really great things. They made everything much more responsive and reactive.

How did u2i perform from a project management standpoint?

They helped us adopt an extremely successful agile process for both coding and project management. Anyone who acted as a project manager was also a developer, which helped keep things moving. They’re all incredibly talented programmers. We could contact them through Trello and Skype and they were willing to use the tools that worked best for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are a perfect combination of easy-going and competent. They are incredibly organized and we haven’t found anyone else like them. They are the best external team I’ve ever worked with. Without reservation, I recommend them to anyone who needs their services.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t think so. We’ve never worked with a team that had their level of flexibility. We measure all our other vendors against them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the opportunity to help find the solutions you need. Trust their experience, knowledge, and expertise. They can implement your existing ideas, but they’re really talented problem solvers. Honor their creativity and intelligence and use the full toolset they offer. They will respect your needs and help you accomplish your goals.

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

I couldn’t be happier. What they’ve been able to achieve in the time we’ve worked together has blown me away. It’s a game changer.

How did u2i perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is fantastic. They utilize some tools that were originally unfamiliar to me, but we’ve since started using them and they’ve worked very well. We use Slack and Kanban for most of our communication. We also have video chats once or twice a week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re great to work with and very responsive. They’re fun and personable, as well as very good at what they do. Building the technology has been that much more enjoyable because I like the people I’m working with. They’re in Poland, but the time difference hasn’t been a problem. The communication (both verbal and written) is superb. Their quality of work is top-notch and they’re happy to accommodate changes and are eager to please.  It’s been a wonderful experience overall. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The engagement has been everything I’d hoped it would be and more.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should just give them a chance. There are a lot of choices out there, but in terms of overall spend and quality of work, you can’t do better than u2i. You could probably get someone to do it for less, but you’re going to be giving up a lot. Similarly, you could do it with someone a bit closer proximity-wise, but you’ll end up spending a lot more. You just can’t get better value for the price. Also, if you think it’s going to take three months, you should probably plan on six. That’s probably a smart way to approach just about anything that you’re doing in life, but especially with technology.