UKAD

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We create benefits calculators for the public sector in the UK. The U.S. equivalents would be, namely, for food stamps and income-tax credit. I am a director for the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UKAD?

The initial project we had was to create a budgeting tool.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UKAD built our .NET tool based on specifications. It’s all bespoke, and there is a massive bag of features. Personal budgeting is one aspect of the app, but it has a number of features attached. We have around 180 clients which have access to a dashboard and backend. They consist of local governments and social-housing providers. Each one is individually configured on the system, with their own databases and control over various functionalities. They can create questions, budgets, categories, different layouts, and so on. UKAD assigned three backend and two frontend developers for the task, as well as a couple of testers. One of them acts as project manager, and the team has around seven people in total.

We have a chief internal developer, but everything else is being contracted to UKAD.

How did you come to work with UKAD?

We found them through an online search, by chance. We had an initial conversation, gave UKAD a small project to start off, and continued the collaboration.

How much have you invested with UKAD?

The cost of UKAD’s work has been around $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with UKAD in mid-2013. The collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I only have good things to say about them. I don’t have sufficient technical knowledge to answer this question, but UKAD has been fantastic for our requirements.

We had a choice between using UK developers, and outsourcing. We’ve obviously chosen to completely assign the project to UKAD, and they will continue to be our full development resource.

We’re transitioning to having UKAD develop our frontend. The portal itself is performing thousands of calculations per day, from as many users.

How did UKAD perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything is handled through Asana, and we have twice-weekly meetings with the developers. We also have constant Skype communication. UKAD has an Agile development methodology. The team has very good performance, and they’ve worked weekends when needed.

What did you find most impressive about UKAD?

My main concern is that I don’t want to advertise UKAD too well. Kharkiv is a very good source for developers, since it’s a center for academia within Ukraine. Many Soviet defense engineers were based in universities around that area, but they’ve stopped building missiles, and started developing software instead.

From my point of view, UKAD’s ability to scale makes them stand out. They have a good variety of in-house expertise.

Are there any areas UKAD could improve?

I haven’t got a thought in this sense.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Daek Drop In

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are B2C online tire company. We operate in Denmark and sell all kind of tires to diffent vehicles.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire UKAD to accomplish?

• business analysis
• UI/UX design
• full-cycle development
• support and maintenance

SOLUTION

How did you find UKAD?

Online Search

Why did you select UKAD over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from UKAD were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

UKAD developed a complex e-commerce solution for a car tire store. They performed detailed business analysis, designed user interfaces, and developed a digitalization strategy to reduce operations and make sales effective both for me and the client. UKAD's team made several integrations that allow clients to opt for the best options in a few clicks using car plates. They also built a system that connects the store with tire suppliers and mounting studios, so Daek Drop In operates as a fully digital business without offline offices. After the release, UKAD also helped me with support and some marketing activities, such as the installation of Google Merchant.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Detailed business analysis defined approach to digitalization
• A complex e-commerce platform delivered
• Timely and effective support granted seamless operations

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

The UKAD team demonstrated strong self-management skills. They consistently reported progress and outlined future steps during regular meetings, while remaining available for urgent troubleshooting. This approach was both comfortable and effective for all parties involved. Deliveries and responses were timely, ensuring a smooth and inconvenience-free process.

What was your primary form of communication with UKAD?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I really enjoy UKAD's creativity, quality, and the attitude with which they work. For me, as a person without any significant tech background, this helpfulness was very important and made our collaboration easy.

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

I can't name anything.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

The Academy is the leading company in Sweden in education in training and health.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UKAD?

We needed them to build an education and administration platform, redevelop our website, and perform SEO.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted an innovative educational platform that would streamline our administration.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We received recommendations of their work.

Describe the project in detail.

After our initial suggestions on appearance and functionality, our project manager and the UKAD began working together. We then got a regular look at drafts and we gave feedback and finally approved each part in the platform.

What was the team composition?

Their team worked closely with our internal project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We can now offer digital education in the areas we want.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our communication and development process have worked flawlessly.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They always provide quick and reliable support and they come up with creative solutions to any problems that arise.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, just that they had an office nearer to us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the owner and operations manager of a software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire UKAD?

UKAD has developed multiple technologies. 

What were your goals for this project?

UKAD is our development partner. They also support many of our digital products and offerings.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

We found them based on a recommendation.

Can you go into detail about the services they provided and the scope of the project?

They develop, support, and maintain custom software in .NET, PHP, and open source platforms like WordPress and Matomo. They also assist with hosting, server administration, and architecture.

What was the team composition?

They have a cross-competent team with senior developers, system architects, and development operations technicians.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

They're an important partner. Their accuracy, professionalism, and technical skill are critical to us. They can always help, no matter what we need.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We speak frequently and they're highly efficient.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They quickly understand what we want to achieve. It's almost like they're sitting next to us.

Are there any areas where they can improve?

I hope they will continue working exactly as they do now, and keep learning new technologies and frameworks.