FAQ

First and foremost, we prioritize technology compliance. We specialize in implementing projects using technologies such as TYPO3 CMS, Magento, and Symfony. When collaborating with agencies, we require the use of standard technological solutions, as well as the presence of a product owner or project manager on the client's or agency's side.

We adhere to current standards in our work and use production environment components that guarantee smooth operation and fully satisfy the client's expectations of the implemented project:

• - GitLab - enables versioning, smooth exchange of changes, and shows the history of changes.
• - Staging - a test environment with identical or very similar parameters to the production one (preferably prepared on the same server, with the same hardware resources). We use it to present the progress of work to the client and test changes during the DevOps phase.
• - Composer - automates the installation of functionalities and development environments.
• - Ddev, Docker - store ready-made configurations and allow replication across multiple devices.

In cooperation with agencies, we require the above solutions. Their absence significantly increases the time of project implementation, resulting in higher costs. When working with end customers, we create the appropriate development and testing environment ourselves and ensure the smooth operation of the project.

You don't need any TYPO3 knowledge, whether you are an agency or the end client. When collaborating with agencies, we expect them to have knowledge of standard procedures used in web development projects. For end customers who are just starting their adventure with TYPO3, we offer training that will teach them the skills necessary for everyday editorial work.

We estimate projects based on time and materials necessary to complete the commission according to the client's expectations. Therefore, it is crucial for you to accurately describe the desired functionalities and user stories, which are descriptions of what the user is supposed to do on the website and why. It is also important to determine the number of pages and their content. Such documentation is called a requirements specification. If we are not responsible for the graphic design, it would be helpful to have the frontend standards of the project, such as fonts and min-max sizes and resolutions.

If you do not have the requirements specification, we offer paid workshops with the end customer to create it. In the requirements specification, you should also state your business objectives, such as the purpose of the project and the business problems or needs it should solve. Additionally, you should include a timeframe, target audience (such as employees or customers), and budget.

Knowing your financial expectations, we can suggest improvements or exclude less important functionalities to fit within the planned budget.

We estimate projects based on the time required to complete the commission according to the client's expectations. Therefore, precise specification requirements, including detailed descriptions of the functionalities and components on the website, are crucial. The more detailed the requirements are, the more accurate the estimation will be.

Complex projects that involve the implementation of custom extensions will be more expensive compared to simple ones or those based on available extensions.

We collaborate on projects that are estimated to take a minimum of 200 hours. Our work includes building websites from scratch, taking over existing projects, improving and developing them, as well as maintaining and upgrading them.

After signing the framework agreement and NDA, we begin by obtaining all necessary access, a set of procedural instructions, and a detailed requirements specification for various functionalities. We adhere to standard practices, so you can track the progress of our work on staging. If you are an agency, or if you have in-house or third-party site administrators, you must provide space for the staging. This can take place in later phases of the project.

We start with an analysis. At this stage, we aim to understand your requirements and evaluate the project. Once we have determined the general requirements and provided an initial estimation, we will proceed to sign the contract. Afterward, we will use a detailed specification of requirements to determine the scope of work and provide an exact estimation. If needed, we can help you develop the requirements specification during paid workshops.

The next phase is design. After we conduct a technical, infrastructure, and system analysis, we will develop the site architecture and plan the required integrations. At this stage, we will also prepare the graphic design and UX/UI of the website, if you don't already have one.

The following stage is software development, and we will use the DevOps methodology. We will provide regular updates and reports on the progress of work during this stage. Finally, we will implement the finished project. During the maintenance and development phase, we will fix bugs on an ongoing basis, maintain the system, and implement new functionalities as necessary.

At the outset of our collaboration, we determine the channels of ongoing, brief communication (e.g., Skype, MS Teams, Slack) and project management tools for task commissioning and tracking (e.g., Redmine, Jira, Target Process, Asana, ClickUp).

We break down the work into sprints, typically spanning 2-4 weeks, and report on the results of each sprint. The sprint demo takes place at the end of each cycle. We also send hourly reports on a monthly basis.

Project management is tailored to the specific needs of each project. As a general rule, we follow the Agile philosophy and often employ Scrum and Kanban methodologies.

The process of updating a TYPO3 application depends on various factors, and we begin by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the system. To perform this analysis, we require access to the source code (e.g. git/ssh/ftp), as well as access to the TYPO3 administration panel with admin rights. Additionally, we need documentation of all integrations with third-party applications and external systems, and any documentation of custom solutions is also welcome (although not mandatory).

Please note that we do not require access to the production instance, as access to the test instance (assuming it reflects the current state) is sufficient.

The approach we take ensures a risk-free and downtime-free process, with content freezes kept to a minimum.

Key principles:

1. 1. Risk elimination: The upgrade process is performed on a test instance (production clone), which provides a safe development and test environment.
2. 2. Downtime elimination: Users can continue to use the TYPO3 application during the entire upgrade process.
3. 3. Data preservation: All content entered into the system, such as by editors or users, is preserved.
4. 4. Editor productivity maximization: Final content synchronization takes place before the actual go-live, thanks to automated data migration mechanisms.

The time required to upgrade a TYPO3 system depends on several factors, such as the complexity of the system, the number of extensions/modules, the current version of the system (i.e., the number of versions the system needs to be upgraded to), and the number of integrations with external systems.

Small websites that use only basic TYPO3 functions can be upgraded within a few days or even hours. However, larger and more complex TYPO3-based systems that use many extensions and custom solutions require more time to complete the upgrade process - usually from several weeks to several months.

We provide an accurate schedule of the upgrade process after analyzing the system and presenting it along with a cost estimate. Regardless of the actual time required for the upgrade work, our approach ensures a risk-free process with minimal content freeze.

We can assure a 100% success rate for TYPO3 system updates with our approach that prioritizes the following principles:

1. 1. Risk elimination: The upgrade process is carried out in a safe development and test environment, a production clone, that eliminates the possibility of risk.
2. 2. Downtime elimination: Users can use the TYPO3 application without any interruption throughout the entire upgrade process.
3. 3. Data preservation: All content entered into the system by editors or users is preserved without any loss.
4. 4. Editors' productivity maximization: Final content synchronization takes place before the actual go-live with automated data migration mechanisms, resulting in minimal content freeze.

Yes, but we do this automatically, using our migration scripts. This process does not require the involvement of editors or other people responsible for maintaining the application. This ensures that after the upgrade, the new system has the same resources as the old system.

Yes. During the upgrade process, all application components are adjusted, including integrations with external systems.

Yes. One of our main principles is to ensure that editors can be as productive as possible - the final synchronisation of content takes place before the actual go-live. Therefore, content freezes are kept to a minimum.

Yes. We guarantee a 100% success rate for TYPO3 system updates with our approach that follows these key principles:

1. 1. Risk elimination: The upgrade process is carried out in a safe development and test environment, a production clone, that eliminates the possibility of risk.
2. 2. Downtime elimination: Users can use the TYPO3 application without any interruption throughout the entire upgrade process.
3. 3. Data preservation: All content entered into the system by editors or users is preserved without any loss.
4. 4. Editors' productivity maximization: Final content synchronization takes place before the actual go-live with automated data migration mechanisms, resulting in minimal content freeze.

Technically, you can upgrade the application to the latest version of TYPO3 without changing the design. However, if you are planning to change the graphic design of the website, this should go hand in hand with the upgrade, as it makes economic sense.