11Sigma

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of Stoplight. At Stoplight, we’re building a bunch of tools and software to help companies design and manage their API lifecycle.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 11Sigma?

First and foremost, we wanted to find quality engineers that weren’t as expensive as where we’re headquartered. We wanted people who would be fulltime and engrained within the broader company. Our domain is unique, so building that expertise up over time is important to get a good amount of productivity for these engineers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We brought on about five engineers. They’ve helped with backend work, our own APIs, and some frontend projects. They’ve worked on a wide variety of things with us.

What is the team composition?

Their developers are on teams with our developers. Each team has one of the 11Sigma folks.

How did you come to work with 11Sigma?

Stoplight came through the TechStars program in Austin. They were referred to us by another company in the program who worked with them. We chose them because I hit it off with Chris (CEO). They were excited to work with us.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them a monthly rate depending on the developer’s level. So far, we’ve spent over $200,000 for their services on numerous projects.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with 11Sigma started in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

It’s been a positive engagement with 11Sigma. Their skilled engineers work well with our team. They enjoy working with each other, and 11Sigma’s engineers feel part of our internal team. Since they mesh well, it helps move things forward.

How did 11Sigma perform from a project management standpoint?

It’s all integrated with us. Since we’re effectively running the project management, we use GitHub and ZenHub. If another company wanted a different setup, that could likely be arranged.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I enjoy the people and hiring process they run. We’re ramping up a little more now. The process is very tight, which is shown in the people they’ve found for us. The team fits within ours, culturally and on the capability side.

On their own side, they worked hard to make sure their employees are happy and fulfilled in the work that they’re doing. They run retreats so their employees can take a break from work.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not right now. I don’t have any complaints. We plan on hiring another engineer or two within the next quarter, and they’ve done a good job.