2020 for Codica: a Year in Review

2021 is just around the corner. Now it is a great time to look back and recall everything that has happened to our team in the passing year.

In this article, we will share insights on how we spent 2020. You will find out about the most exciting events that our software development company took part in and learn about our new projects.

So what did 2020 bring to Codica team? Let’s find out!

Switched to fully remote work

The outbreak of Covid-19 at the beginning of 2020 had a significant impact on businesses worldwide. Organizations of any size were forced to quickly adjust to new circumstances to stay relevant.

Remote work became a new reality for companies engaged in software development. Codica was not an exception.

In March, our Ruby on Rails development company switched to the home office model. This was not a new experience to us, since we work remotely with our customers. However, we focused on establishing an even more transparent working process for all of our colleagues. The purpose was to maximize the effectiveness of each employee’s work.

Everyone got access to the required online collaboration tools for productive work and efficient communication. Calls and meetings were held daily to make sure that every teammate is on the same page. Our transparent reporting system continued to help keep everyone updated on the current status of each project.

Another important task was maintaining team spirit. To keep our teammates engaged, we used so-called virtual icebreakers. For example, we asked colleagues to take pictures of their desk space or view from the window. After that, we created a digital collage out of the best snapshots.

For example, here are some of our teammates’ home offices:

… And returned to the office

Summer brought us good news. Finally, we were allowed to come back to the office and work side-by-side with our teammates, even if not for long (as we switched back to remote work in autumn). We missed having fun with our colleagues during breaks. So we were eager to make up for the lost time.

Besides, we had another reason to be excited about returning to our office. New software development specialists joined our company during the quarantine, so we were happy to meet them face to face.

Delivered successful custom software projects

The success of our Ruby on Rails development company is inextricably linked to the web development projects we deliver. In this regard, Codica achieved fantastic results this year.

We have expanded our customer geography. Our new company clients come from such countries as Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, United States.

The projects we got to work on were innovative, promising, and ambitious. Let’s take a brief look at the most significant of them.

For example, earlier this year, we got a request from a Spanish customer to build a marketplace for selling graphic equipment. We developed a complex solution that required lots of effort from our team. This project allowed us to use our accumulated expertise in marketplace development and e-commerce website design. In the end of the day, we achieved great results. We’re further working on this solution, helping our client implement new features.

Also, we built a progressive web application for fitness instructors and their clients. The app was designed to help both parties improve the training process. By implementing the advanced PWA technology, we provided our customer with a fast, secure, and reliable solution, and also saved costs on mobile app development.

Another marketplace development project our team delivered is a platform for booking test drives. The solution allows users to see real cars photos and choose available time slots.

We hope that the next year will bring our team even more diverse projects that will allow us to grow our expertise in the field of custom software development even further.

Got listed by rating & review agencies

It is a great honor for our team to be listed among the best and most reliable software development companies. This year we were included in the following lists published by authoritative review and rating platforms:

• Recognized as one of Top Web & E-Commerce Developers in Ukraine;
• Listed among Top Progressive Web App Development Companies;
• Acknowledged as one of the Top 5 online multi-vendor vehicle trading marketplace development companies in 2020;
• Recognized as one of The Best Software Developers in Eastern Europe;
• Acknowledged as one of the Top Software Development Companies;
• Acknowledged as one of The Best Website Development Agencies;
• Listed among The Best Website Design Agencies;
• Listed among Top Ruby On Rails Companies.

Celebrated work anniversaries

We never miss the work anniversaries of our dear teammates. We appreciate the contribution of each employee to the success of our company and thank them for their hard work and dedication.

This year we celebrated several work anniversaries, two of which are especially significant to our team. Our Ruby on Rails developers Sergiy and Rostyslav had 4th and 3rd working anniversaries accordingly.

These guys had been working at ground zero of Codica and continue taking an active role in company life. They quickly adopt new technologies and take on new projects, thus forging our company onwards. Also, Rostislav and Sergey take newbies under their wing and help them grow into highly-skilled professionals.

We congratulate our dear colleagues on these outstanding milestones and wish them many interesting, innovative, and revolutionary projects to work on next year.

Hired new team members

We are always eager to encourage highly-skilled professionals to join our team. In this regard, 2020 turned out a particularly successful year for Codica.

This year the number of our projects has increased significantly. For this reason, we decided to attract more specialists engaged in custom software development, including Project Managers, Backend and Frontend Developers. Thus, we guarantee that all our projects will be delivered within pre-negotiated time-frames.

Additionally, we expanded our Quality Assurance department. This way, we put even more effort into testing software solutions we have built before delivering them to clients. Each customer of our company can be absolutely confident about the high quality of each product we deliver.

We are excited to witness the growth of our software development company, and we are not going to stop.

Published more high-quality content

Continued growing our blog

We work hard to make our blog a reliable source of the most relevant information about custom software development. We share our expertise with the readers on how to build an online marketplace, provide tips on SaaS product development services and PWA development services. We also have a lot of information about mobile app development. These are priority areas for our custom software development company.

Our expert articles also contain tips on UX/UI design and software development, the latest industry trends, and examples from our practice.

In 2020, we published 46 articles within the following categories:

• Design;
• Development;
• Entrepreneurship;
• Technology;
• Codica Way.

Let’s take a look at the most popular blog posts from 2020:

• 16 Leading UX/UI Design Trends;
• How to Build an eLearning Website Like Udemy or Coursera;
• Progressive Web App Design: Tips for Great UX and UI;
• How To Create a Job Search Website Like Indeed: 3 Fast Solutions;
• How to Build a SaaS Product: Step-by-Step Guide;
• Pros & Cons of Using Ruby on Rails for Web Development;
• How to Build an Auction Website Like eBay;
• How to Make a React Progressive Web Application (PWA).

Additionally, our subscribers get a monthly newsletter. This way, we help our readers to stay updated about the latest materials from our expert team.

Grew our social media presence

It has always been important for our software development company to have a strong presence on social media. We use popular social networks to keep in touch with our friends, customers, and partners. In our opinion, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook are great mediums to discuss industry news or share our achievements.

Michael Idinopulos, a social business pioneer, once said, “People don’t buy from brands; they buy from the people they know.” We agree with this statement. For this reason, we often publish photos showing our life and the people behind our marketplace development company.

As for the exact number of social post we have published this year, the statistics look the following way:

• 130+ posts on Facebook;
• 100+ publications on LinkedIn;
• 300+ tweets on Twitter;
• 100+ posts on Instagram.

Celebrated Codica’s 5th birthday… and more

At the end of the first week back at the office, we decided to throw a small party. We found it was a great way to socialize with the new colleagues. Besides, we were happy to restore bonds with our old teammates.

During the spring quarantine, we had plenty of birthdays and work anniversaries. We were not going to leave aside any of these milestones.

The greatest and the most significant reason to celebrate was Codica’s 5th birthday. It was a big day for our software development company. We were lucky to have our dear colleagues around and mark our success and achievements with them.

Participated in out-of-office events

This year our web development company has been engaged in multiple out-of-the-office activities. We firmly believe that such a change of scenery helps our colleagues feel more comfortable. They start revealing their interesting personalities and become good friends.

Let’s take a look at the most entertaining events our marketplace development company took part in.

Went kayaking

Kayaking has become a nice tradition for our energetic, active, and athletic team. This kind of activity helps us foster teamwork, create lasting memories and a strong connection with our teammates.

Since it was the last summer weekend, it was a great way to say goodbye to this wonderful time of year. Also, we got a fantastic opportunity to know the guys who had joined our team during the spring quarantine better.

It was a first-time experience for some of our team members. They were excited to leave their comfort zones and gain new impressions.

Had a picnic to celebrate Programmer’s Day

Being a software development company, we are passionate about celebrating Programmer’s Day. This holiday gives us another reason to thank our teammates for their dedication, positive attitude, and hard work. We value their effort focused on providing excellent web development services.

This year we decided to celebrate Programmer’s Day in the open air. We took food and drinks, our lovely pets, and went for a picnic.

It was a fantastic day full of laughter, fun activities, and positive emotions. We were playing football and volleyball, cooking delicious dishes, and having a great time with the team.

In the evening, we all were sitting by the fire, playing board games, and sharing interesting stories.

Organised a paintball game

It has become another cool tradition for our team to get together and play paintball. This kind of activity improves communication, strategic planning, and leadership. These qualities help us deliver high-quality web development solutions for our company clients.

This year was no exception.

Took part in the Kharkiv International Marathon

We are fond of various sport events. When the Kharkiv International Marathon was announced, we decided to take part in it.

It is worth noting that this race turned out fortunate for Codica team. Our developer Yuriy got the second-best result on his distance and got a well-deserved prize.

We are very proud of our talented, active, and energetic teammates.

Attended a cooking class

But it’s not only about sports! We intended to make our corporate anniversary celebration truly unique and unforgettable. So we came up with an exciting idea of visiting a cooking class and trying our hands at making delicious Italian dishes.

We broke up into three teams. Each of them was cooking their own dish under the charge of an experienced chef.

After all the dishes were ready, we all drew around a big table and had dinner together. It was great to have fun and share our impressions about this amazing event.

Explored new countries, and our own, too

There is a quote saying that "Since life is short and the world is wide, the sooner you start exploring it, the better." We cannot but agree with Simon Raven.

Codica PWA development company is a great fan of traveling and learning about different countries. We find it an exciting way to learn something new and push the boundaries. We never miss the opportunity to visit the most beautiful and enigmatic corners of our planet.

Our journeys are not limited to visiting other countries only. We love our native country, Ukraine and never get tired of admiring its rich and beautiful natural landscape. We are happy to share images taken during the trips of our team members with you, dear readers.

Continued helping those in need

Codica feels a responsibility to support social initiatives and charity work. Thus, for several years, we have been helping a charity society called “Orphans of Kharkiv”. This foundation was established to take care of orphans and kids from families in need.

In January, we were helping host different festive events for children. It was a real pleasure to see kids playing, drawing, watching cartoons, receiving gifts, and discussing various topics. We hope that in this way we could make their lives at least a little bit happier.

Also, in summer, we raised money to buy stationery materials to help kids prepare for school.

Held an awesome New Year Party

This year we didn’t have a huge party, but a small and cozy celebration in the office.

We had a traditional holiday photoshoot, held different funny contests, enjoyed delicious food, and had a great time with our teammates.

One of the highlights of the party was a Secret Santa event. It became our good tradition to prepare gifts for our colleagues and hide them under a New Year tree.

Codica looks forward

2020 was a difficult year for businesses. The outbreak of Covid-19 forced companies to adapt to new realities and do it quickly to stay in the game. Codica is not an exception.

Still, we managed to achieve great results even under these tough circumstances. We have delivered new successful software projects, attended exciting events and had plenty of fun outdoor activities. We have expanded customer geography and pleased our readers with interesting and helpful content.

We are not going to stop there. We are optimistic about the future and expect to reach new heights in 2021.

May the new year bring you joy and happiness, inspiration, and wealth. Our team gives a shout out to the readers for their support and wishes all the best in 2021.

If you are looking for a reliable software development company for your project, feel free to contact us. Codica team is always ready to welcome new challenges.