A: In 2016, a group of us met on the shores of lake of Zurich to discuss how mindful – or otherwise – we all are about what we do, how we do it and how much we consciously shape our own paths in our day-to-day lives.

We concluded that most transformations in life emerge from painful experiences that we would know intuitively how to solve if only our fast-paced lives didn’t get in the way. The problem is that most of us fail to take the time to be truly mindful and listen to ourselves. We tend to respond to life’s rising demands by putting in long hours. And this inevitably takes a toll on us physically, mentally and emotionally.

As different as we are, there is one similarity we all share: the pursuit of happiness. No matter how far we travel in search of contentment, it can be found only in ourselves. When we learn to appreciate what we have, we start embracing the present moment, catching the day!

This happiness comes through mindfulness. Being mindful is a choice that requires effort at times.

We, as DAYCATCHER founders, have discussed the powerful experience of developing a routine, of taking 10 minutes each day to capture moments and memories in a journal.

Being generation 50+, all of us are acutely aware that each morning you’re given a new day, precious, unique and irrevocable. We were convinced that sharing the journal and joining quests with others would help us be inspired and energised to get the most out from every day and to create a memory collection to be treasured into the future.

This is how DAYCATCHER first saw the light of day.

For more details see: www.daycatcher.com

A: It all started with a strong personal recommendation from close friends who had been working with Innobyte for quite some time on various projects. We then established a first contact via Skype and were convinced within minutes that we arrived at the right place. We felt understood and unconditionally supported with our idea. From the first calls, we developed a solid mutual understanding of the requirements of the project: the desired user experience we were striving for, the best practices in software development we wanted to be applied and the specific latest technology components we needed to master the complexity of a community platform.

We took the time to discuss the project details on-site in Bucharest with the designated team and started working using a phased, agile approach for the next 12 months. Everything we saw and experienced already, in the beginning, was consistent and gave us full trust for a long-term partnership.

A: It was and still is the most important aspect for us. No signed contract or defined procedure can guarantee or replace mutual trust and transparent communication.

We developed a solid trust basis bottom up. If specialists trust each other in what they do and how they do it, then project managers can focus on steering, removing impediments and supporting rather than controlling and fixing, and senior leaders feel safe to empower the teams too.

We truly shared and lived agile values with the Innobyte project team:

• individuals and interactions over processes and tools;
• working software over comprehensive documentation;
• customer collaboration over contract negotiation and
• responding to change over following a plan.

…which was essential for developing such a great product as DAYCATCHER.

A: A real win-win situation was that each party understood what is important for the other party to be successful. So rather than focusing on each other’s short-term objectives, we both focused on making the other successful.

Team members in every role in both teams (DAYCATCHER and Innobyte roles including but not limited to Project Manager, Architect & Development Lead, Developers, Quality Manager, Test Lead and Testers as well as the Innobyte Management namely COO and CEO) consistently delivered on:

• Commitment
• Focus
• Openness
• Respect
• Courage

A: Technical skills are truly leading edge and especially powerful when coupled with agile mindsets and genuine consistent behaviour of mature personalities.

Their skills were a great fit for the project, as we wanted to get the best practices in the mobile/cloud technology to achieve an awesome user experience and engagement, for fast and personalized content management and reliable transactional processes.

It was an amazing experience to work with such a team of skilled professionals focusing on delivering value as well as self-motivated and empowered individuals living Innobyte’s company culture every day.

The Innobyte team ticked all boxes!

A: I think a lot was mentioned in the previous questions. However being a Swiss company, quality, reliability, loyalty and trustworthiness are key ingredients we would not make any sacrifices when partnering.

So Innobyte also walked the talk here. “Quality” starts when discussing solutions with the empowered team and all roles involved including the testers. We had at any time full transparency with regards to the code basis, test procedures and results. In none of the various deployments into production so far we had any doubts or experienced any unexpected results. Mutual reliability and loyalty were not even discussed. It is simply there and a cornerstone of how we work together. Most important, the Innobyte team proved tangible the trustworthiness we put into them by being great advisors and defenders when it comes to data privacy, information security, compliance (e.g. GDPR) and personal integrity.

A: The positive experience, without any exceptions, and the trust gained in both the company and all individuals we worked with. We have a solid basis to scale easily and if needed also to navigate through difficult times.

Päivi Räty Isenschmid & Christoph Isenschmid

DAYCATCHER Founders