Univio

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

E-commerce Manager responsible for the B2B platform with over 160 000 products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Our large e-commerce doesn't have RWD technology and has to be redesigned to meet customers' needs in the field of responsiveness. The website struggled with many UX and UI problems and a low conversion ratio.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The main goal was to change the entire front-end technology (based on Vue.js) to provide RWD and remove UX/UI problems. Unity Group had a great team and experience in that kinds of big and complicated projects which was deciding factor to select them as a vendor.

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

The entire work included: - changing the search engine - creating dedicated search engine functionalities - implementing RWD using Vue.js technology - redesign of entire UX - changing the User Interface to simplify navigation

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

The entire team consists: - 3 front-end developers - 2 back-end developers - 2 beta-testers - 1 project manager

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching the redesigned front of our website we had a great outcome in revenue and conversion rate. Few of the indicators are listed below:

• 150% of conversion rate growth
• 30% more number of transactions
• 32% higher revenue

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

The Unity Group management style is fully professional and based on the best project management tools such as Jira. We worked in agile management methods using Scrum Sprints and weekly stand-ups.

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

They have great experience building custom e-commerce websites. Every single problem that appeared during the entire redesign process found a solution and a way to reach our planned goals.

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

Like in every big project we had some communication issues and struggled with project milestones and deadlines. Finally, we were able to overcome these problems.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a Director of e-Commerce and Omnichannel Systems Development. Neonet is a Polish retail chain offering computer equipment and consoles, audio/video devices and household appliances, mobile phones, tablets, photographic equipment and accessories.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Global4Net, and what were your goals?

Migration from Magento 1 to Magento 2, AWS hosting, Progressive Web Application implementation, sustain support, development of new functionalities and integration of additional extensions

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

The vendor has been selected based on the market research and with consideration of service quality, time-to-market and proper understanding of business priorities

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

The most important stages of the project: Omnichannel version, Neo24 portal, Multistore, migration to Magento 2, Progressive Web App implementation, AWS, creating of new customer panel and new mobile version.

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

1x Project Manager, 3x Backend Developer, 7x Frontend Developer, 4x Tester

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project was conducted in an appropriate manner, in accordance with the methodology and ensuring that the key deliverables were implemented within the deadlines defined in the project schedule. The remarks included in the acceptance protocol were implemented in accordance with the adopted arrangements and within the agreed scope.

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

The cooperation is going very well, thanks to the fact that we have been working together for many years, we are able to build proper business awareness and communication with efficient information flow.

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

What I appreciate most about Global4Net is and engagement and the knowledge of experts as well as the fact that they act quickly and always respond quickly to comments. Global4Net sets targets very well and delivers on them. I also appreciate the very good cooperation with the large number of meetings. The Global4Net is open to new ideas and is not afraid of challenges.

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

Sometimes better cost and resource planning, but otherwise everything else is top-notch.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT systems development manager at Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services, an employee experience and incentives and recognition services provider.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unity Group?

I needed help to implement WSO2 integration software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first deliverable was a workshop where Unity Group presented what they offered with their services. They told us about a new way of implementing integration, as well as what we should do and shouldn’t do with these tools.

Moving into the technical work, Unity Group did an analysis of the architecture setup. They presented the architecture in a structured document with good insights. This document was the second deliverable and served as a baseline for our next steps. 

The first phase of the implementation project was the micro-integrator work with Salesforce. The second phase was an IdentityServer for our back-office system. Right now, they’re doing production deployment of the Identity Server. The last service they’re going to provide is maintenance.

What is the team composition?

I’m in contact with a project manager, an account manager, and a technical contact.

How did you come to work with Unity Group?

We started with market research. We considered 3–4 companies to help implement WSO2 in the Polish market, and Unity Group is the most renowned company in Poland. They had very good prices and gave the best proposal. Their responsiveness also stood out, as well as their willingness to share some of their concepts before we paid them. They invested a lot in our relationship. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2020. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Unity Group worked through the first phase in a timely manner; it was done in three months as expected with few bugs and high efficiency. The second phase hasn’t gone as well as the integration part did, but it’s still been very good. 

Production had to go live in September 2020; the schedule was very tight and very well defined. Unity Group was very precise. We’ve encountered very few bugs on their side since the launch. When it comes to the size of the solution — meaning the number of interfaces and machines we put in place — it was good.

How did Unity Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They stick to the set schedule. We have scheduled meetings on Microsoft Teams and are integrated into their Slack environment. There are also Confluence pages on our side. Their responsiveness is very good too — we speak over phone calls and emails, and I have a direct point of contact. They were particularly good about staying in touch during our rapid deployment process. 

Unity Group has been flexible when it comes to testing and deployment. They’ve also accommodated several change requests during the period before receiving the final payment. They have a client-centric approach.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m happy with their performance. Unity Group was ready before us and stuck to a fixed price despite our change in requirements. They’re very flexible and dedicated — a solid partner all around. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s nothing I’d have them improve. They could always be more knowledgeable about WSO2, but they certainly know what they’re doing. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be ready with the specifications of your business needs before going onto the project. Working in an agile environment without being certain about what you want is not effective. You can also ask Unity Group to help define your requirements.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project management officer (PMO) at Forte, one of the biggest furniture manufacturers in Poland.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unity Group?

We attend furniture fairs three times per year, one of the biggest being M.O.W., in Bad Salzuflen, Germany. Because of COVID-19, many of our customers outside of Germany couldn’t attend it, so we had to prepare a virtual presentation. We had just three months to do it, so we went to Unity Group to establish what was and wasn’t possible.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unity Group prepared a Shopify shop with presentations of our products. The shop was nonstandard in that we had to limit the offer based on the customer.

Given that people buy furniture based on the look, it was important to show it in an attractive way. We didn’t have a lot of time, so we prepared a nice-looking but simple presentation for the site. We bought a Shopify template and customized it.

What is the team composition?

We had one frontend developer, two backend developers, and a project manager from Unity Group.

How did you come to work with Unity Group?

We worked with them on developing a product information management tool in the past and we found them online.

How much have you invested with them?

This project cost $25,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our first contact with Unity Group was in March 2020. This particular project started in June 2020, and the site was launched in mid-October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Everything was okay and we were happy with the collaboration. Our customers are happy, too.

How did Unity Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in touch all the time, so it was a totally agile project. We didn’t know what we could achieve at first, but the communication from Unity Group was very nice and they were engaged in this project.

We worked in a fixed-price model, but with an agile scope, which was a nice approach. We were 100% sure how much we’d pay at the end, but we could still make changes to the scope. We used Slack for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They had a very skilled team, so we didn’t waste time explaining everything. They also brought ideas for increasing the user experience. The engagement from Unity Group’s side was very good and they were open to discussing ideas. We had a common goal and they delivered in the end.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything went well in this project.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I don’t have any advice in particular but I would recommend Unity Group as a partner. It depends on the project and the client has to know what they need.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm Project Manager respornible for development and implementation PIM class system. Selena Group is a global leader and distributor of construction chemicals and one of the four largest producers of polyurethane foam in the world.

Selena was founded in 1992 in Wrocław. At present 1800 employees around the world work for Selena Group. The Group’s product range includes foams, sealants, adhesives, waterproofing products, insulation systems, fastenings and complementary products.

The Group comprises 35 companies in 17 countries. The Group’s manufacturing plants are located in Poland, Brazil, South Korea, China, Romania, Turkey, Spain and Kazakhstan.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

Bottlenecks:

• data are scattered in various applications/tools
• lack of tool for efficient creation and management of technical documentation (TDS,repository for MSDS)
• mistake and not standarized communcation about products
• have to develop “patchwork” solution in house
• more cost and more resources engaged
• maintain current level of complexity

Goals: TO IMPROVE PRODUCT INFORMATION MANAGEMENT BY ENABLE COLLECTION DATA FROM DIFFERENT SOURCES AT ONE PLACE AND DELIVERY SOLUTION FOR :

1. CONSOLIDATION, STANDARISATION, AGGREGATION, ORGANIZATION DATA
2. ENSURE DELIVERY CONSISTENT AND VERIFIED CONTENT TO OUR COMPANIES AS WELL AS SELECTED EXTERNAL PLATFORMS/ WEBSITES / CUSTOMERS (by CONTROL & ADMINISTRATION ON EACH LEVEL OF PROCESSING)
3. LOAD ALL REQUIRED DATA BASED ON PROCESSING PATH (FORMULA-MASTER PRODUCTS-PRODUCTS-AX INDEX) BASED ON BUSINESS PRIORITIES AND VERIFIED DATA AND RUN DAILY JOB ON PIM (DIVISIONS, COMPANIES, PLAB)

SOLUTION

How did you select Unity Group and what were the deciding factors?

RFQ. We want to work with specialist in that area and big Company.

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

1. Customization of tool during sptints according to pre implenentation analysis & backlog
2. Craeting product level 1 (core product inforation) & product card & generator
3. Craeting product level 2 (marketing inforation) & marketing product card & generaator
4. Integration with LIMS
5. Integration with ERP
6. Integartion with B2B

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

3 people from core team 10 people from other areas (technical documentation, R&D, Divisions, Local Comapnies, IT, Marketing, PLAB, B2B)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

not yet.

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

1. We communicated through JIRA and Teams, email
2. Daily meeting with core team
3. Weekly meeting with UNITY to cjheck progress
4. Kick off meetings
5. Trainings
6. Tests with users

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

Their direct contact & fast problem solving along with their support in integrations was impressive.

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

no

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the e-commerce director for a large Polish online pharmacy.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Unity Group?

Unity Group implemented a third-party software for our e-commerce platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They implemented the backend and frontend software for us. It was for an e-commerce site. From the very beginning, Unity Group helped us to judge the quality of our project plan. We asked them to estimate how well the software would fit our needs.

That was the starting point of our project together. They agreed that it was a good choice and got to work on the implementation.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of developers, a project manager, and other technical employees. There were probably around 10–12 people.

How did you come to work with Unity Group?

I wasn’t the one who found them, so I am not sure how we connected. I thought they would work well with us because of their experience. They have a strong brand.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started around August 2018, and we just wrapped up in August 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We look at the site performance, sales, and pretty much all the e-commerce KPIs that we can. After the implementation, the business performance metrics were strong.

How did Unity Group perform from a project management standpoint?

It was very organized, and we had very good communication. Together with them, we managed difficult situations very well. I'm very satisfied with this type of project management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I wouldn’t say there was one part of the project that was better than another. Overall, the whole implementation went very well, even though the goals were set very high.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Neither of us was familiar with the software, but they did quite well with challenges.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Building trust between teams is crucial. Make sure your goals align in these kinds of technical efforts.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior vice president of IT for a commercial insurance firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UNITY Group?

We wanted to create a software to help us seamlessly integrate our external partners and were looking for an experienced vendor to help create the infrastructure.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Unity Group created a custom piece of software that’s specific to our systems and processes as well as caters to our industry. They built the infrastructure, ensuring the right processes were there and that DevOps and testing were in place. Their team also created an MVP. It allows us to integrate with our brokers and other partners, sharing information quickly and easily. There is also quicker turnaround time.

What is the team composition?

The team is made up of technical architects, varying in levels of experience.

How did you come to work with UNITY Group?

I heard of them through word of mouth. We started working together on a small scale to ensure they could do the work we needed. They had what I was looking for and the workload has advanced.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested close to $1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in Q3 2018, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’re building the right product, it is high quality, and they do it in a timely manner. Those are the three key parameters I use to measure their success, and they’re meeting them.

How did UNITY Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We handle this internally and communicate via Microsoft Azure.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They ask the right questions, which helps ensure a quality product is created.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Regular communication and structure would be helpful for them and their clients.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They’re a good partner if you value quality work as well as input from them. I’m not sure how big they can scale.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a project manager for a DIY (do-it-yourself) product & solution retailer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UNITY Group?

We were looking to do something different, and develop a web application using hybrid technology.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They handle all our web applications, including content and backend. They also handle our mobile applications.

They developed the web app in React Native. It is an e-commerce platform. 

What is the team composition?

The team has been as large as 25 people at times, including project managers, frontend developers, and backend developers. 

How did you come to work with UNITY Group? 

UNITY Group they were working with the company before I came on board.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around January 2013, and it is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They have helped us consistently grow the platform. They are always able to translate our new and different ideas into a product. In April 2020, we did more revenue than we did in 2018 in its entirety.

How did UNITY Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They do well with management. We communicate via phone, Redmine, and Slack. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They take ownership of their work, treating the platform as their own. They offer suggestions, improvements, guidance when they think we are heading in the wrong direction, and really do their best to see us succeed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

The price could be lower.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be honest about your needs. They will ask questions, and find the solutions that are best for you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a railway freight car leasing company. We mostly own tank wagons used for transporting dangerous goods, and we lease them to petrochemical companies. We have 25,000 wagons in Europe, in France, Germany, and Poland. Our mother company is located in the US and has around 100,000 wagons, and we also have entities in India, Russia, and Mexico.

When we started working with UNITY, I was a project manager responsible for implementing some data exchange tools, specifically web services, as well as collaboration portals for exchanging data with maintenance workshops for our wagons. I’m currently the product owner for the suite of products delivered by UNITY.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UNITY Group?

They’ve delivered IT services to our European entities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Everything we have in Europe is integrated into the same IT tools, which are supported by UNITY.

We started with a small proof-of-concept project with them, which was successful. We continued with a full implementation of the web software, and we’re still enlarging the software. UNITY is also responsible for the maintenance of the software.

We had other projects with them after that, including the development of a collaboration software for service centers. We launched a tender for the development and chose UNITY once again. This was a larger project that cost a few hundred thousand euros.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked directly with their project manager and with the leader of the business analysis team, and I initially served as the project manager from our side. When I became product owner, we also involved a system architect in the daily collaboration with me, for reporting and deciding on what the system should look like in the feature.

How did you come to work with UNITY Group?

I searched Google for enterprise service bus suppliers in Poland, where I was located.

How much have you invested with them?

The cost so far is between €500,000–€600,000 (approximately $570,000–$685,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with UNITY around August 2018, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

UNITY started as a small partner for us, delivering one quick integration. After two years, they’ve become one of our most strategic providers in Europe. We’d had some very bad experience with some IT projects in terms of delivering on time and on budget, which is why the US supervisors stepped in some years ago. Everything improved once we started the collaboration with UNITY. 

We started a project two years ago with another company, for customizing a Microsoft platform to our needs. We weren’t satisfied with that company, so UNITY is taking over this project now. We can always count on them, and they always deliver on time and with good quality.

How did UNITY Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We’re satisfied with their agile development methodology. UNITY quickly adjusted to our agile methodology, which is slightly different than market standards. We use more reporting and testing after each iteration. They quickly adjusted their Jira to our needs, and the reporting after each iteration was done in a way that we and our US supervisors preferred. I was happy to collaborate with UNITY, and I got the same feedback from our CIO in Chicago.

One of the good things about them is their transparency. I and the rest of the team on my side have access to UNITY’s Jira, where we can see the work registered by each developer and track estimates versus the actual work. I can monitor costs on a constant basis, and I can enter comments easily on tasks if something’s taking too long or there’s another issue. I can also see how much money was spent on a particular meeting and determine whether it was a worthy expense or not.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I visited their headquarters in Wroclaw, and I was impressed by how they’re organized internally between developers, business analysts, and testers. We have a small internal development team for our ERP, and UNITY’s way of working really opened our eyes on what development should look like in terms of merging process, branches, and deployment. Even though our internal team is small, we’ve integrated these approaches into our internal processes.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It could just be my impression, but we’ve faced some uncertain circumstances, and UNITY was less aggressive or didn’t take up the challenge. We’ve had incomplete requirements, and we assumed that UNITY would take the opportunity to develop something, but they refused because they were unsure about the requirements and it would’ve been too risky for them. I don’t know if this is something to bash, but it was the only situation where I was surprised and didn’t understand why they didn’t give it a shot. 

I’m really happy with them overall, and, even if there’s a situation where someone in the project isn’t delivering yet or we’re not happy with a personality in the group, they’ll react to it quickly. There’s nothing that was escalated highly and that I could mention as an issue.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Collaborate with the business analysts and the project manager closely, and listen to their recommendations, especially the architects’. I believe that every project will be successful then. If the client supports the business analysts with the needed information, everything will be delivered on time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CIO of One Company. We’re developing a B2B SaaS platform for electrotechnical building plans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with UNITY Group?

They’ve helped us with software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

UNITY Group developed our SaaS platform based on our idea. My colleague and I came up with the idea, and we’re both scrum masters, but all technical skills are provided by UNITY Group. They’re our partner and right hand. They work in Java and AWS.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with 10 people from their team over the last one and a half years.

How much have you invested with them?

Our yearly budget is $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with UNITY Group in November 2018, and it’s ongoing. We have a long-term contract with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had a professional experience with UNITY Group, and our product is excellent. I’ve collaborated with many software houses over the last 20 years, and this was the first time I’ve been able to sleep well before changes. Everything is working well. UNITY Group is one of the best software houses in Poland.

How did UNITY Group perform from a project management standpoint?

We can get in touch with their top management and owners if we have any issues. From my point of view, their communication is perfect.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Communication is what sets them apart. They’re always ready to get in touch and help us if something goes wrong. We’ve worked together for one and a half years, and they’ve helped us from a strategic point of view.

With other providers, the start was good, but things got worse and worse. UNITY’s level of service has been consistent. Everyone’s remained engaged one and a half years later.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I felt that the work could’ve been faster at times, but they explained to me that the risk of reducing code quality was too high. Some small parts were slow from my point of view, but everything’s worked excellently in the end.

I can’t say what would happen if they worked faster, without doublechecking the work. Compared to others, they’re still excellent, but I still feel they could’ve done some things faster.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

The most important part is to create a good plan and agreement with UNITY. If the client knows what they want, the collaboration will be on a good level.