USA
Custom Church App Development
Sigma Software team developed a customizable & flexible platform for churches and organizations aimed to provide users with biblical content based on their unique needs anytime and anywhere
Customer:
International Christian Ministry
Business Need:
The Client was providing churches with white-label church mobile apps for parishioners. The number of churches willing to launch such an app was growing, but the set-up grew too hard to maintain hence each church had a separate app. The need for optimization became obvious.
Result:
We transformed separate apps into a single church app platform easy to maintain & scale: rewrote the back-end from Ruby to PHP, introduced a new architecture for simultaneous updates of multiple apps, and optimized UI/UX. To date, the product serves 300+K users and 1500+ churches.
Working with you is a blessing, and even when we are hitting roadblocks, we know that BTTB product is in good hands
Collaboration Overview
Key Facts
Product Owner of the Back to the Bible, Justin Manes, wanted to bring a substantial improvement to their white-label app and was looking for a professional team of custom mobile app developers that would bring this plan into a prosperous issue.
By the time he came to Sigma Software in 2018 with the idea, the solution was already 6 years old and combined 1000+ church apps for different parishes. Sigma Software team performed full mobile app backend architecture redesign to enable simultaneous and smooth updates of all apps. In addition, we also performed full UI re-design for better UX and modern look & feel of the apps.
- We performed code review & analysis of the existing solution, clarified requirements, and envisioned the new solution
- Fully rewrote mobile app backend from Ruby to PHP while combining technologies of native mobile languages (Android, iOS) and Web
- Fully redesigned UI/UX of the solution
- Added a set of new features (e.g. comments section for people to share their thoughts and express support for those who pray)
- Perform ongoing 3rd line support for the custom church app
Collaboration Process
By the time we started working on goTandem product, we had already experienced successful cooperation with the Back to the Bible Product Owner on other projects and were on top of mind as a trustful partner for support and development of the goTandem solution.
Started working as a team of 7 FTE, we ramped up to 19 FTE and delivered the first version of the product within 8 months. After the first release, the team continued its operations and delivered a product release every 2 weeks till the whole solution was fully redesigned.
- The team follows the Kanban development approach with 2 weeks-duration iterations
- We use Jira Confluence and TeamGannt to manage product backlog and track development pipeline
- Product features and tasks backlog are defined and prioritized by the Product Owner on the Customer’s side
- The Project Manager and CTO have meetings with the Product Owner on a weekly basis to discuss the overall project
- Regular weekly project status reports and monthly reports outlining current project status, achievements, risks, plans, etc.
Hybrid App Development
The application is featured with a unique custom architecture that enables simultaneous & automated updates for all end-users even without App Store approval. For that to happen, we introduced a CD process for the web application backend that serves as a core of the mobile application, thus can be dynamically updated when needed.
As for the functionality, goTandem application offers a vast array of features aimed to help people discover themselves in religion and get a personalized experience with the Bible through the biblical content tailored to their unique needs, namely:
- 41-question quiz during registration followed by a summary e-mail with spiritual growth assessment
- Custom-fit messages based on user’s needs and goals (regular assessments help to keep messages relevant)
- Up to 12 scheduled notifications reminding users to open the app and read a scripture
- Integration with GPS to adjust scheduled notifications according to the time zone
- Prayers section where people can share their thoughts and give support to those who pray
- Ability to save, like, comment, and share content via social media
- Over 3000 users at the age from 8 to 80 that allows any user to find fellow thinkers and share support
Gallery
Testimonials
“I had the best meeting ever with a head of the Anglican Denomination. He is an old guy like me but took it upon himself to download the app, had his entire leadership team download the app, and was amazed by how well it worked! He then had his leadership team meet on the functionality of our app and they loved how it works. They say that it is the best tool they have ever found to get people engaged in the Bible and that is exactly what they need since many of their members have 'moved beyond the Bible.'
I know you work hard and your hard work is paying off in huge dividends. I am noticing a complete change from the past. Before, I had to explain how the app worked. Now, in almost all of my presentations people are telling me how well go Tandem works and the potential they see for their own usage. Thank you for your dedication.”
I know you work hard and your hard work is paying off in huge dividends. I am noticing a complete change from the past. Before, I had to explain how the app worked. Now, in almost all of my presentations people are telling me how well go Tandem works and the potential they see for their own usage. Thank you for your dedication.”
“This project is unique not only because of its social impact but also due to a very interesting technical challenge we successfully solved. Solution architecture design turned into a real quest, and I’m proud that our architects have envisioned an elegant solution that provides smooth and simultaneous updates on multiple individual apps.”
Let us discuss how our team can contribute to your success