International IT company ELEKS, founded in Ukraine and headquartered in Estonia, has acquired a majority stake in Estonian software and digital services company ADM Interactive. The acquisition strengthens capabilities for developing public sector digital solutions across Europe and emerging markets. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction value or other financial terms. 

Tallinn, 7 October 2026. According to the parties, the transaction represents an investment aimed at expanding the team and strengthening digital capabilities in Estonia. Following the acquisition, ADM Interactive’s active shareholders and existing management team will continue to lead the company, and plans are in place to expand its Estonian workforce. With this transaction, ELEKS gains local leadership and a stronger team in Estonia. Together, the companies will focus on growing capabilities in public-sector digital transformation, including secure and resilient digital public services and other areas of strategic importance. 

According to Minister of Economic Affairs and Industry Liina Vahtras, international cooperation between companies helps bring Estonia’s digital expertise and experience to a global audience. “Both countries have knowledge and experience that they can share with one another. Estonia has world-class digital public services, while Ukraine has gained unique experience in ensuring the continuity of those services under the conditions of a full-scale war. For Estonia, the value of this transaction lies in combining this expertise to create something truly unique and in helping bring that competence to European markets,” Vahtras added. 

“Estonia is a global benchmark for a digital society, which is why ELEKS is headquartered in Tallinn. By partnering with ADM, we are fusing Estonia’s unparalleled public sector expertise with the scale and resilience of Ukrainian engineering excellence to deliver next-generation solutions for public sector and commercial clients across Europe,” said Andriy Krupa, CEO of ELEKS. 

The growth of ELEKS’ operations in Estonia and the expansion of the company’s public sector practice across Europe and emerging markets will be led by Riho Pihelpuu, Country Manager of ELEKS Estonia and CEO of ADM Interactive. ADM’s clients will continue to be served by the same team, now supported by the knowledge and experience of more than 2,000 ELEKS specialists worldwide. 

“For nearly 30 years, we have been building digital services for a small country. It has been an exceptional testing ground where solutions are developed quickly and tested under public scrutiny. At times, however, we lacked the scale and, for certain projects, the specialised technical expertise needed to take the next step. With ELEKS, those limitations disappear. We gain deep expertise in areas such as data science and artificial intelligence, while the same team can now compete for tenders and deliver projects that were previously beyond our reach,” said Pihelpuu. 

The companies’ cooperation builds on the broader framework of long-standing cooperation between Estonia and Ukraine, supported by governments, embassies and development cooperation organisations in both countries. ADM and ELEKS have previously worked together on public sector projects in Ukraine and in emerging markets. 

“We are grateful to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs, ESTDEV, and the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency for their contribution. Their visits, programmes and initiatives have helped build the partnerships that ultimately led to this transaction,” Pihelpuu added. 

“Ukraine has a strong technology sector, highly skilled people, and unique experience of maintaining and developing digital services under the extraordinary pressure of a full-scale war. Estonia brings its own remarkable experience in building a digital state, developing trusted public services and turning innovative ideas into practical solutions. When Ukrainian technological capacity meets Estonian experience, trust and access to the European market, we can create solutions that are valuable not only for Ukraine and Estonia, but for Europe and beyond,” said Volodymyr Boiechko, Ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia. 

About ELEKS 

ELEKS is an international software engineering and IT consulting company founded in Ukraine in 1991, with its group headquarters located in Estonia. The company employs more than 2,000 specialists and operates approximately 20 offices across Europe, North and South America, and Asia. Its development centres are located in, among other countries, Ukraine, Poland, Croatia, Argentina and United States. More than 500 ELEKS employees are shareholders in the company. ELEKS holds security and compliance certifications including ISO 27001, SOC 2, HITRUST, CREST and Cyber Essentials Plus. 

About ADM Interactive 

ADM Interactive is a Tallinn-based digital agency founded in 1997. The company develops web portals, self-service platforms and business-critical software solutions for public and private sector organisations in Estonia as well as international clients.

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The old site, previously at keskraamatukogu.ee, had not kept pace with the network’s growth. The information architecture did not have a clear model for representing a network of this complexity. There was no consistent structure for branch pages, no reliable way to surface events by location and no logical separation between information that applied to the whole network and information that was specific to a single branch. Navigating it required patience.

Behind the scenes, the problems were more significant. Staff directories and contact information were updated by hand. There was no connection to the City of Tallinn’s SAP system, where the authoritative employee and organisational data actually lived. That meant two separate records of the same information, maintained in parallel, with the website version usually being the less accurate of the two. For a public institution serving the whole city, the site also fell short of WCAG accessibility standards, which was not a minor issue when the service was intended to reach everyone.

ADM handled the full scope of the project: UX research and design, development, hosting, end-user training and ongoing maintenance.

Phase One: Structure Before Screens

The project ran in two distinct phases. The first focused entirely on UX and information architecture, and no visual design work began until that foundation was in place.

For a network of this size, that sequence matters. A site covering dozens of branches, departments and service types needs clear structural logic before anyone considers colours or typography. Without it, the result is a site that looks modern but still leaves users searching for basic information, which is more or less what had happened with the previous one.

The UX phase covered information architecture mapping, wireframes and an interactive prototype built in Figma. Usability tests were run on the prototype before development began. This is the point of testing at that stage: problems found in a Figma file are inexpensive to fix. The same problems found after the build are not. The design phase was signed off by Tallinna Raamatukogud in July 2025.

Phase Two: Building for the People Who Run It

The technical build was completed in WordPress. One of the central requirements was that library staff needed to be able to manage the site themselves after handover, not just in theory but in practice. This included updating content, adding events, changing opening hours and publishing urgent notices. None of these tasks should require a developer.

The permission model was built to reflect how the network actually operates. Each branch has its own editor, who can manage that branch’s page independently, including contact details, opening hours, events and booking requests. Central administrators retain control over the broader site structure. The result is a content management setup where updates happen at the source, rather than through a central bottleneck.

Each branch and department has a dedicated page with contact details, opening hours, a description and an integrated map. A network-wide view brings all locations together in a single interactive map, giving visitors an overview without having to navigate branch by branch.

The SAP Integration

The SAP integration was the most technically involved part of the project. The City of Tallinn manages its employee and organisational data centrally through SAP, and previously none of that data flowed to the library website. Staff directories were maintained separately and manually, which meant they were constantly at risk of falling out of date.

The new site queries SAP once a day and pulls the latest data automatically. Administrators can still override individual entries where needed, adding context that SAP does not capture, correcting information or removing a specific person from public view. However, the default state is now accurate without anyone having to maintain it manually.

For a network with staff spread across dozens of locations, this is not a small change. It removes an ongoing administrative task that was both time-consuming and unreliable.

Everything Else the Site Needed to Do

A library network has a broader range of functional requirements than most websites. The build covered all of them.

Events and news are managed through a dedicated module with a calendar view. An urgent notice system allows time-sensitive alerts to be published either across the whole network or targeted to a specific branch, which is useful when a location closes unexpectedly or changes its hours at short notice.

The room and equipment booking system lets visitors submit requests directly through the website. Branch editors receive those requests in the back end and can approve or decline them. It is a self-service workflow that would previously have required a phone call or an email.

Multilingual support was built in via WPML, reflecting the reality of Tallinn’s population. WCAG accessibility compliance was addressed at both design and development level, meeting the standards that apply to publicly funded institutions.

A few smaller features are worth mentioning. The site includes Mailchimp newsletter integration, a blog module, contact forms, social media integration and a welcome screen built specifically for the public internet terminals in library buildings, a detail that shows how many different use cases the site has to serve.

Handover and Launch

End-user training was completed in January 2026. The second phase was formally accepted in February. The site went live on 26 March 2026 at tallinnaraamatukogud.ee. Hosting runs on a professional server environment with separate TEST and LIVE instances, allowing changes to be tested safely before going public.

The change from the old site is most visible in the day-to-day work of managing it. SAP handles staff data automatically. Branch editors manage their own content. The central team has oversight without being the only people who can make changes.

For visitors, the change is more straightforward: the site now does what a public service website is supposed to do. Branch information is accurate. Events are current. Booking is online. The site is accessible to people regardless of language or disability. These are not ambitious goals, but they are the ones that matter most when the service is meant for everyone in the city.

Interested in what this kind of project could look like for your organisation? Feel free to contact us to discuss the details.

The post Case Study: Tallinna Raamatukogud: A Full Rebuild for Estonia’s Largest Public Library Network appeared first on ADM Interactive.

digiriik.eesti.ee is a web environment that serves as a public-facing resource for Estonia’s digital state initiatives. When the platform required a technical overhaul, the project was taken on by ADM Interactive, working alongside the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs and the Centre of Registers and Information Systems. 

What Needed Fixing – and Why 

The platform was running on an older version of Drupal, the content management system that underpins the site. Drupal 10 support has a defined end of life, and remaining on an ageing version means falling behind on security patches and eventually losing access to long-term technical support altogether. For a government-facing platform, that is not a risk worth taking. 

Beyond the CMS version, the project had three other clear requirements. First, the site needed to be runnable via Docker, meaning the environment could be set up using a Dockerfile and docker-compose, making local development and deployment more predictable and consistent. Second, a Kubernetes solution was required to give the platform proper cloud readiness, delivered through Helm, with a Helm Chart and recommended configuration values included. Third, accessibility issues needed to be resolved in line with the EN 301 549 standard, which sets the accessibility requirements for ICT products and services procured by public sector bodies across Europe.  Each of these was a concrete technical requirement, not a vague ambition. The scope was specific, which made the work plannable. 

How the Work Was Done 

ADM’s approach followed the requirements closely. The Drupal upgrade went to version 11, one step beyond the minimum requested, which extends the platform’s support horizon and reduces the likelihood of having to repeat the same exercise in the near term. Moving to Drupal 11 also meant addressing compatibility issues with existing modules and configurations, the kind of detailed work that does not appear in a project brief but takes time. 

Docker support was added, giving developers and administrators a cleaner way to run the environment. With a properly configured Dockerfile and docker-compose setup, anyone working on the platform can run a consistent local environment without having to manually replicate server conditions. This reduces the gap between development and production and makes onboarding new team members more straightforward. 

The Kubernetes solution, built with Helm, puts the platform in a position to run on modern cloud infrastructure. Helm Charts package the configuration needed to deploy the application, and including recommended default values gives the next team working with this setup a reasonable starting point rather than a blank page. 

The accessibility work involved identifying and resolving issues in line with EN 301 549, the European standard that public sector digital services are expected to meet. This standard aligns closely with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and covers areas such as keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, colour contrast and clear labelling of interactive elements. Accessibility fixes on a platform like this are not just a compliance exercise; they determine whether people with disabilities can use a service intended for the public. 

Alongside all of the above, ADM produced full project documentation, including architecture descriptions, usage guides, testing reports and a backup plan. Documentation of this kind is often treated as an afterthought, but for a government platform that will be maintained and developed by different teams over time, having a clear written record of how the system works and how it was built is genuinely useful. 

The Outcome 

The platform is now running on Drupal 11, with a longer support horizon and a more secure foundation. The Docker and Kubernetes setup means it is ready for cloud deployment and easier to work with in practice. The accessibility issues that were not compliant with EN 301 549 have been resolved, ensuring the site is equally accessible to all users, regardless of how they access it. 

This was a technical project in the truest sense: no new features, no redesign and no new content. The value lay in making the existing platform work better, last longer and meet the standards it was required to meet. This kind of work is less visible than a launch, but it is what keeps digital infrastructure functional over time. 

One point worth noting is that content development and further feature work on digiriik.eesti.ee will continue in subsequent project phases. The technical upgrade delivered here was the foundation, not the finish line. 

Working Across Three Organisations 

The project involved ADM Interactive, the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs and the Centre of Registers and Information Systems. Government IT projects with multiple institutional stakeholders have their own rhythm, shaped by procurement frameworks, approval processes and coordination requirements that are part of the territory. Delivering the work on time and to specification in that context requires clear ownership of each workstream and consistent communication across all parties. 

The platform is now in better shape than it was. For a digital environment that represents Estonia’s approach to digital governance, that is a reasonable assessment. 

Working on a platform that needs a technical refresh or has accumulated compliance issues? Get in touch. We are happy to review what is involved. 

The post Case Study: digiriik.eesti.ee – Bringing Estonia’s Digital State Platform Up to Speed  appeared first on ADM Interactive.

What the Work Actually Involved

The brief was not to redesign anything from scratch. The client portal already existed, and the task was to prepare it for the introduction of a new card product. This involved development work across several layers: portal functionality, database connection handling, security fixes, bug fixes and general stability improvements. The changes needed to fit into the existing design without disruption, which presents a different kind of challenge from building something new. When hundreds of thousands of people regularly use a system, the bar for “good enough” is higher, and there is little room for instability on launch day.

Alongside the portal work, ADM also designed new screens for the Coop app. While the portal changes could be integrated into the current interface without visual disruption, the app required new designs to properly support the additional card features. The two workstreams required different approaches: one focused on fitting into an existing system, the other on introducing something new that still felt native to the product.

The project involved three organisations: Coop, Coop Pank (which owned the financial product side of the card) and ADM. This kind of setup adds coordination overhead, because decisions pass through more people, timelines must account for dependencies across teams and the go-live date is influenced by external factors, not just development readiness. Each party had its own responsibilities, and adhering to them helped keep the project on track. The collaboration held up, and the card launched on schedule.

The Result

In March 2026, Coop Pluss went live. The new card is a credit card offering up to a 70-day interest-free period and a credit limit of up to €2,000. Any of Coop’s existing Säästukaart holders can apply, which means the potential user base from day one is close to 758,000 people. The application process is fully online, and once the agreement is signed, a virtual card becomes available immediately. There is no waiting and no need to visit a branch.

The card works across all three of Coop’s digital touchpoints: the app, the website and the client portal. For users, the experience is consistent regardless of which channel they use. For Coop, this means the new product is properly integrated across their digital presence rather than simply added to one part of it.

For a loyalty programme that has been in place since 1999, this is a meaningful step. The original Säästukaart built its user base on something simple: discounts at checkout, accumulated over years of everyday shopping at Coop stores across Estonia. It worked because it was frictionless and familiar. Adding a financial product with credit functionality is a different proposition, and it places greater demands on both the user and the supporting infrastructure. Getting the digital side right was an important part of making that transition credible.

A Few Things Worth Noting

Projects like this do not always get written up, partly because the work is difficult to capture visually. There is no before-and-after screenshot that shows what it takes to stabilise a portal serving hundreds of thousands of users or to coordinate a technical launch across three separate organisations with their own systems and timelines.

The work that tends to be invisible, such as database connection management, security patching and ensuring everything performs reliably under real load, is often the most critical on a project like this. A loyalty programme of this size carries a considerable amount of user trust built up over more than two decades. A poor launch would have been noticed.

What made this project successful was keeping the scope clear from the start. ADM’s role was well defined: client portal on one side and app design on the other. Coop Pank handled the financial product and the regulatory aspects of the credit offering. Coop managed the broader programme and its relationship with cardholders. Each party understood its responsibilities and the work progressed accordingly. In a three-way collaboration, that level of clarity is not guaranteed; it has to be established and maintained.

The 9 March deadline was met. The card is now live and available to nearly 758,000 people, accessible through the app, the web and the portal that ADM helped prepare. For a project involving this many users and moving parts, that is the outcome that matters most.

Interested in what this kind of collaboration could look like for your project?
Get in touch — we are happy to discuss the details.

Photos in this blog post are taken from:
https://www.cooppank.ee/eraklient/igapaevapangandus/kaardid/coop-pluss https://www.cooppank.ee/coop-pank/uudised/coop-pank-ja-coop-uuendavad-eesti-suurimat-lojaalsusprogrammi

The post Case Study: Coop Pluss: Upgrading Estonia’s Largest Loyalty Programme appeared first on ADM Interactive.

But there were significant issues with the platform. System instability and poor agency integration were among the technical problems. A lack of clear roles and procedures was undermining effective management and service delivery. There was also little public uptake.

The government required a professional, unbiased assessment of the platform’s current condition and future challenges to proceed. ADM was hired by ESTDEV and Botswana’s digital team to conduct a thorough analysis and offer a course of action.

Our Approach in Action

ADM put together a team of digital government experts to assess how ready the 1Gov platform was technically and practically. We drew on our experience from Estonia’s well-known e-governance systems but shaped our approach to fit Botswana’s needs.

We started by talking to the people closest to the platform: government IT teams, 1Gov developers, civil servants, and everyday users. These interviews gave us a well-rounded picture of how the system was working and where it wasn’t.

Next, we reviewed whatever documents were available: technical architecture, project plans, and policies. When documentation was missing, we filled in the gaps by drawing on lessons from similar projects we’d worked on worldwide.

We also tested the platform by directly logging in, trying out services, and mapping how different parts of the system connected. Throughout, we applied proven principles from Estonia’s digital model, like secure data exchange, user-first design, and interoperability. But every recommendation was adjusted to fit Botswana’s reality. For instance, while Estonia uses a national digital ID, we proposed solutions that worked with Botswana’s current ID system and internet infrastructure.

Teamwork That Made It Work

Strong collaboration was key to making this project work. From day one, ADM worked hand-in-hand with Team Europe team and Botswana’s digital stakeholders. Together, we agreed on clear goals and reporting needs, making sure our assessment would support broader Team Europe digital efforts in the country.

Both on-site in Gaborone and remotely, we stayed closely connected with the Ministry of Communications, the SmartBots programme team, and local IT partners involved in 1Gov. We held daily check-ins to share progress, test assumptions, and keep everything transparent. This consistent communication helped build trust. Botswana’s experts felt comfortable speaking openly about challenges like tight budgets and limited skills, which helped us get a more honest and accurate picture.

Of course, the work came with its challenges. A big one was missing documentation. Over time, the 1Gov platform had evolved without much written record. To work around that, we relied on live system walkthroughs and conversations with those who knew the platform best, essentially reverse-engineering how things worked.

Time was also tight. We had just a few weeks to deliver a full assessment before the next planning cycle. To meet that deadline, we moved fast: dividing tasks across our team. Security, infrastructure, user experience and working in parallel using agile methods. We focused on what mattered most, tackling the biggest technical gaps and organisational roadblocks first.

Even when things didn’t go to plan, like when a key workshop had to be cancelled due to availability, we stayed flexible. We switched to email and shared docs for Q&A, making sure we still got the input we needed without slowing things down.

Results and Impact

ADM delivered a clear, practical report that showed where the 1Gov platform stood and what needed to happen next. Technically, we highlighted key issues, including the need to upgrade the server infrastructure for better reliability, and the benefits of adding a unified data exchange layer to improve how ministries share information.

We also tackled organisational gaps. Our recommendations included setting up a dedicated governance structure for 1Gov, clearly assigning service ownership within ministries, and boosting local IT capacity through targeted training. The report provided a prioritised action plan, combining long-term steps with quick wins.

The impact was felt quickly. Botswana’s digital leadership used our findings to shape the next phase of 1Gov. Actions like purchasing new server hardware and starting civil servant training sessions were put in motion soon after.

The report also made waves beyond the core team. It was featured during an EU–Botswana digital dialogue as proof of real progress in the country’s digital transformation. Our insights helped spark wider discussions around funding and support, giving both Botswana and its international partners, including the European Union, more confidence in the 1Gov programme’s direction.

This project showed not just results, but the power of international collaboration. It strengthened Botswana’s credibility as it pushes ahead with its SmartBots digital strategy and highlighted a partnership model that others in the region can build on.

Lessons Learned and Points of Pride

This project gave our team valuable lessons and more than a few moments to be proud of. Here’s what stood out:

Smart Work, Fast Results

We showed that a full platform assessment can be done quickly without cutting corners. By working as a focused team, using proven methods, and dividing responsibilities smartly, we delivered a thorough review in just a few weeks. That speed, without losing depth, is something we’re proud of.

Local context makes a difference

Working in Botswana reminded us how important it is to understand the local environment. We took the time to learn how people work, communicate, and make decisions. That helped us get honest input and make sure our recommendations were realistic. Instead of suggesting a brand-new system, we focused on improvements that fit with the tools and skills already in place and that made a real difference.

Learning goes both ways

Botswana’s curiosity about Estonia’s digital journey brought great energy to the project. Their interest in digital identity, secure data exchange (X-Road), and public adoption of e-services turned our work into a two-way exchange. For us, it was rewarding to see Estonian experience spark new ideas. For them, it opened doors to local solutions. That shared curiosity and openness became a real highlight of the project.

Real-World Impact Across Sectors

The 1Gov project proved that even complex digital transformation challenges can be solved quickly and effectively when local context, the right people, and a clear focus come together.

Building on this experience, ADM has supported organisations across multiple sectors, from public digital platforms to retail and real estate, in improving their digital services, infrastructure, and user experience.

Our work consistently delivers measurable results: stronger system reliability, more efficient processes, and better digital experiences for end users.

Explore some of our other projects:

• ITK: A more user-friendly Perekool platform
• Leveraging Drupal for Enhanced Local Government Portals
• Digitalising Kenya’s national birth registration service

If you’re looking for a trusted partner in digital transformation, ADM combines global experience with local insight to turn ideas into measurable impact. Contact us to learn more.

The post Case Study: Botswana 1Gov Platform Assessment appeared first on ADM Interactive.

Ulmenthal represents Eeva’s artistic alter ego and musical persona, shaped by a lifelong curiosity for sound and style. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs, Kate Bush, and Tame Impala, Eeva’s creative goal is to surprise, experiment, and fuse different elements into something both unique and deeply human.

Eeva’s upcoming record reflects a diary of personal growth, with the earliest sketches dating back to 2021. The result is an ethereal soundscape that merges offbeat production, nostalgic tones, and organic storytelling.

“These songs feel like subconscious thoughts that found their way into words,” says Eeva. “They carry the textures that excite me, sounds and beats that are slightly off, and song forms that arise naturally, like what I once discovered in old SoundCloud mixtapes.”

ADM jury praised Ulmenthal’s music for its freshness, subtle complexity, and emotional depth.

Hendrek Kraavi, ADM’s COO, noted: “Ulmenthal’s music immediately stood out for its delicate neosoul-like vocals and intelligent melodies. It’s genre-blending yet cohesive, Amaria meets Sven Grünberg and Cocteau Twins, all orchestrated by Tricky. It’s beautifully strange and harmonically rich.”

Laura Kivik from ADM team added that the music felt instantly different and refreshing- professional, passionate, and full of character. It’s the kind of new voice that truly enriches the Estonian music scene.

Ulmenthal’s upcoming release features tracks written, sung, and produced by Eeva herself, with final touches made with the help of Johannes Lõhmus and Siim Hiob. ADM’s collaboration will bring her music to streaming platforms in late 2025 and on vinyl in 2026.

As Riho, ADM’s CEO and founder of the competition, put it: “This competition is all about giving young artists wings and Ulmenthal is now ready to fly.”

The ADM Band Competition began in 2009, stemming from CEO Riho Pihelpuu’s deep passion for music and his commitment to supporting Estonian music and contributing to its growth. Over the years, many now well-known artists such as Poolring, Mariin Kallikorm, Onkel Jonkel, Elisabeth Tiffany Lepik, Erki Pärnoja, Sander Mölder, Kelly Vask, Maris Pihlap, OOPUS, and others have emerged as winners!

The post Ulmenthal’s dreamlike sound wins ADM Band Competition 2025 appeared first on ADM Interactive.

Currently, there are two camps in the Software Engineering field: enthusiasts and
skeptics about AI-driven development. Most enthusiasts are representatives of
solo developers or small development teams. Individuals and tiny teams
achieving $1-100 million in annual revenue just by using AI agents instead of
human software developers. Companies like Lovable reaching $100 million ARR
with just 45 employees. Skeptics are mostly those who develop large
enterprise-grade systems working in a bigger development teams.

Well, applying AI-driven development in a 6-8 member development team
working on enterprise-grade projects? That’s a completely different game. At
ADM we decided to pilot it! Spoiler: it’s challenging, yet we did it!

Our Setup with Claude Code

As of today, the best AI coding agent implementation I have tried has been
done by Anthropic, with their Claude Code. Thats why we decided to use
Claude Code for our development process.

The first thing we did was establish clear rules. We created a CLAUDE.md file in
project that contains project description, coding style, which libraries and
components to use, how to deploy and test, etc. – basically everything that is
needed for development. This same file was shared across all team members,
so every instance of Claude Code would follow the same patterns.

We also created comprehensive documentation for our existing codebase that
we kept updating during development. Without this, Claude Code would
suggest solutions that didn’t fit with what we already had.

To make Claude Code more effective, we connected Figma through MCP so it
could retrieve UI mockups directly. We also set up a Puppeteer server through
MCP so Claude Code could test functionality itself: then Claude Code can
actually open a browser, go to a specific URL, and test end-to-end
functionality, as a human QA Testing Engineer would do.

The Documentation Problem

Here’s where we hit our first real bottleneck. We had requirements
documentation – lots of it. But it wasn’t working for Claude Code. There was no
single document that would be single-point-of-truth for AI, and it became a
problem – AI needed clarifications and more detailed instructions from the
developer, and multiple iterations to achieve desired functionality.

So, we needed to create shorter, more specific version of requirements
documentation specifically for AI. This wasn’t just about reformatting – it
required going back to stakeholders to clarify ambiguities that human
developers probably would just figure out but AI wouldn’t.

It’s interesting that this aligns with what other companies are experiencing.
According to industry research, European fintech unicorns achieved 30-40%
cost reductions through AI adoption but faced quality issues. Klarna, for
example, cut 40% of their workforce using AI, only to reverse course and hire
humans again when their AI-first approach degraded customer service quality.
The pattern is clear: AI amplifies existing problems, including unclear
requirements.

The “It’s Done” Problem

Another surprise: when Claude Code says all required functionality is complete,
you need to check. In our experience, we quite often need one or even two
more iterations before all required functionality is actually implemented. A
human eye needs to supervise and review everything.
This matches the broader industry paradox. Research shows that despite AIgenerated
code introducing 10 times more security vulnerabilities and frequent
reliability issues, developers are spending $200-400 monthly on these services
because they’ve become indispensable for modern development workflows.
We’re all accepting these trade-offs because the productivity gains are real.
That’s why we implemented mandatory code review for all AI-generated code
before committing. It adds time, but it’s saved us from numerous issues.

How We Changed Our Development Process

We’ve essentially reduced our Agile approach – no sprints, no grooming
sessions, no planning meetings that take half a day. We kept only daily
standups for status updates and information exchange. Everything else shifted
to continuous AI-driven development.

This might sound extreme, but it makes sense when AI can generate in hours
what used to take days. Traditional estimation and planning become less
relevant. And we’re not alone in this – Spotify achieved an 86% adoption rate of
AI-powered development tools, and they have also moved away from traditional
sprint structures.

Our Key Discovery: It’s Not Just About Code

At ADM Interactive, we believe the solution isn’t just using AI for coding. The
real breakthrough came when we started applying AI to the entire end-to-end
flow: requirements identification and analysis, solution brainstorming and
design, and documentation creation. These were actually our main bottlenecks.

Now, before we code, we use AI to help translate what stakeholders want into
clear technical specifications. We use it to generate architectural proposals. We
also create documentation before coding starts – AI generates it, humans
review it, stakeholders approve it, and only then does implementation begin.
This shift has been more impactful than just faster coding. It’s helped us
identify unclear requirements early, consider alternatives we might have
missed, and maintain documentation that’s actually up-to-date, always.

What We’ve Learned

Working with AI coding agents in a team setting requires different thinking than
solo development.

You need:

1. Standardization: That CLAUDE.md file isn’t optional. Without it, you’llget eight different coding styles from eight team members using AI.
2. Better and clear requirements: If your requirements are unclear to human engineers, they’re useless to AI. We had to get much better at writing clear, specific requirements.
3. Human oversight: Always. Every piece of AI code needs human review, at least very brief. The AI doesn’t catch everything, especially integration issues between different parts of the system.
4. Process changes: Traditional Agile doesn’t fit anymore. You need something more fluid that matches the speed AI enables.
5. Broader AI application: Don’t just use AI for coding. Apply it to requirements, design, documentation – the entire pipeline.

Moving Forward

The transition to AI-driven development isn’t just about adopting new tools. It’s
about rethinking how we build software. Despite all the challenges we’ve faced,
AI-driven development has genuinely accelerated our delivery. We’re building
features faster, maintaining better documentation, and our developers are
focusing on what matters most – solving complex problems!

If you’re considering adopting AI-driven development for your team and want to
avoid the pitfalls we’ve encountered, feel free to reach out.

The post ADM AI Expert Series #2: Our Journey with AI-Driven Development appeared first on ADM Interactive.

The competition is all about giving Estonian artists a real chance to be heard. The winner’s music will be published on Spotify, Apple Music, and other global platforms. But most importantly, we’ll make sure it’s pressed on vinyl too.

Now in its 17th year, the competition continues to help beginner artists reach new audiences and take their first professional steps in music. To take part, send us your demo by October 3rd, 2025.

As the competition founder, Riho Pihelpuu, explains, this is exactly why the contest was created in the first place:

“A lot of exciting music in Estonia never reaches the wider public. That’s why we created the ADM Band Competition — and over the years, artists like Sander Mölder, Erki Pärnoja, OOPUS, and Maris Pihlap have taken part. If you want your music to be heard, send us your demo!”

Last year’s winner, Poolring, showed just what the competition can offer. For singer Paula Pajusaar, taking part meant more than just recognition:

“Participating in ADM’s competition has given me a reason to finish songs and reflect on their broader concept—who and what they might exist for and what message they carry.”

The experience gave her the courage to pursue her dream of releasing a vinyl and the reassurance that her music could resonate deeply with listeners.

That’s what makes the competition so valuable. Of course, the prize is a major highlight, but the process itself is just as rewarding. It gives musicians the motivation to finish their work, the opportunity to share it with a wider audience, and the confidence that comes from stepping into a professional environment. As Poolring noted, even the deadline can be one of the best motivators to push through resistance and get the music done. Taking part is simple. Send us an introduction of yourself or your band, along with at least four tracks so the jury can get the best possible idea of your sound, style, and potential. All deadlines and requirements for the competitions can be found here: https://adm.ee/band/en/

The winner will be announced at the beginning of November. From there, ADM will begin work on publishing the vinyl record and help bring the music to an international audience through partners and clients worldwide.  On top of that, the winner will also receive social media training from Estonia’s top specialists, helping them promote their music and reach even further.

Every big career starts with a first step. This could be yours.

The post The ADM Band Competition 2025 is ready to kick off! appeared first on ADM Interactive.