20spokes

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Blaze is an education software company that teaches kids how to self-manage themselves towards a purpose-driven future. I am the Founder and CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire 20spokes?

I hired 20spokes to develop a responsive web application software that serves as 2 distinct products within schools and homes.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals were to initially build an MVP for early pilots in homes and schools, then to expand product development based on user feedback. To validate our assumption that we could positively impact social and emotional learning with adaptable technology.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I selected 20spokes after reviewing several local and offshore agencies. It was important that I could trust my vendor, that their talent was local, and that they would serve as much as an advisor as they were a service provider.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

I needed fully UX/UI designs, as well as front-end and back-end development. I provided an intial design framework and vision for 20spokes to work from.

What was the team composition?

I was provided an agile team of developers, in addition to an experiences designer, QA specialist and PM.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

This project was critical to the realization of a product vision and resulted in a very successful pilot at a top high school in the nation.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

PM was managed through a single point of contact with Basecamp, Google Hangouts, InVision and Airtable used to manage communications and feedback.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I found the authenticity and knowledge of leadership to be very strong. There was a genuine interest in doing the right thing, helping me avoid bad decision, and always stepping up with a since of accountability. The quality of the software written was also excellent. We had no issues when we launched our first major pilot with over 100 users.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I have no suggestions for improvement

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Wellbe, Inc. We’re a healthcare software company with a web-based platform that we offer to hospitals, healthcare providers, and health systems. The app is used to guide patients through specific episodes of care while keeping them connected to their providers. It provides them with a structured experience.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 20spokes?

At the time, we were working on an extension of our core product that was designed to engage with prospective patients who’re contemplating a procedure or treatment plan. We hired 20spokes to help us develop the product.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted to walk users through the decision-making process of committing to a treatment plan, ideally culminating in the patient’s ability to make an appointment with a doctor.

This build required a patient-facing and provider-facing tool to function correctly. 20spokes was brought on to produce the consumer-facing app. In this PWA development, they worked in Ruby on Rails, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React. 

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with a project manager, lead backend developer, a frontend developer, and company owner.

How did you come to work with 20spokes?

They were referred to me by another Chicago-based agency.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $45,000 on the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from January–April 2019. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I was able to observe their progress on a collaborative project management tool and our Github repository. They uploading their code directly to the platform for code review and to pull our requests, just as we would do internally. They showed an adaptability to changing tasks throughout the project, still delivering the promised product on time.  

How did 20spokes perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was adequate. It was helpful to have an attentive professional tracking progress, so they could accurately provide updates when I needed visibility. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They brought high levels of both skill and attentiveness to our team. As a small company, we appreciated that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was pretty satisfied, but there were a few times they made decisions without consulting our team. That was very minor in the scope of the project, but it would’ve been more efficient to communicate with us in those situations.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go into the engagement with a set of expectations. That’ll help get the timing and cost estimations in place faster. From there, communicate with them as clearly as possible. Our project had a tendency to shift gears. They were accommodating, as long as I was giving them advance warning and discussing possible implications with them. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re and after school education company that provides educational activities such as chess, robotics, drama, and art to elementary kids around the country. I’m the president of the business and operate day-to-day.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 20spokes?

I hired them for two main reasons. Our old custom operating system was being used when I acquired the company. I wanted to have some ownership over our system and evolve the efficiency. We were hoping to enhance and improve what we already had.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Throughout this entire relationship, they’ve been our go-to IT partner. When the in-house IT person left the company partway into the project, they were hugely important in keeping our systems stable. So, not only have they been involved in enhancements, they’ve taken care of other development projects that pop up from time to time.

Prior to the start of the project, we had a very old Ruby on Rails operating system. We wanted to update and enhance it. They upgraded the entire system, allowing us to process more data faster. The team was tasked with creating a more modern workflow that improved processes across businesses. 

This was essential because we’ve grown considerably in the last five years, going from 300 students to about 1,000. Our old system was governed by between 50–100 Goggle Sheets that operated independently from one another. That caused tons of double-entry and inefficiency. They recognized that who system, consolidating it to streamline our processes. 

What is the team composition?

There’s been a minimum of 2–4 people on the project at any point in time, depending on where we’ve been in the price process. The team has included a project manager, lead coder, and the CEO, who helped with implementation. 

How did you come to work with 20spokes?

One of my trusted friends in the private equity space recommended them to me because of his experience with emerging IT firms. He felt that we’d benefit from a smaller partner. Because he knew their CEO, he was also confident that we had the potential to work and grow well together.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent between $125,000–$175,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We officially started working with them in late December 2018. While we’re still working with them now, we completed the main development by May 2019. Because our IT manager left our company in February 2019, we decided to keep them on a retainer arrangement to continue monitoring and enhancing our system.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were able to deliver an instructor portal while seamlessly transitioning into the former IT manager’s role. Additionally, before working with 20spokes, we had a multitude of IT-related headaches and system inefficiencies. Those haven’t completely been eliminated with the partnership, but they’re about 80% less prevalent now. The headache reduction factor has been key. 

How did 20spokes perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve had a few people leave the team, one who used to be our project manager. She was not a great fit for us, so the CEO stepped in on her behalf. That’s been amazing. We speak weekly to discuss progress, and I couldn’t ask for more in terms of his performance.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were quick to understand the nuances of our business. When our IT person left the company, they understood enough to take on his workload, making that transition easy. They’re really smart people. There’s also something to be said for their size relative to ours. They’re accessible and able to adapt to the size and quirkiness of my organization.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not really, they’ve been right for our organization. If I had to say something, we rely heavily on digital communications. I would’ve liked even just one more face-to-face visit. They did visit about three times over the course of our work together.

But, because they’re in our area, I feel that another on-site visit would’ve aided my team in fully trusting theirs with concerns and questions. We have plenty of video conferences, so this doesn’t bother me too much, especially because they’ve gone the extra mile for us in other ways. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would recommend having several milestones set for early in the project. That will build trust and confidence between teams. It would give the illusion that more progress is being made sooner. But, I’m comfortable with the overall time frame and product.