Apollo Matrix Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of American Heritage Publishing. We’re a 70-year-old magazine and book publisher which is evolving into many more digital initiatives now. Our biggest one is leveraging the incredible archive of material we have into a major system for educating about American history and government.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Apollo Matrix?

We got a grant to go in an entirely new direction. We’ve been publishing magazines for 70 years, and we wanted to take this material and create a new educational system that allows teachers to flexibly create their own set of assignments. We have 10,000 resources in this system, including 7,000 essays our historians have written over the decades and thousands of primary documents. It was a very complex challenge to compile all these resources and then enable teachers to easily find the material and create assignments for their students.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Before we got to the development stage, I liked that they initiated a discovery process. They really put a lot of work into the frontend before making the technology and design decisions. Our teams sat down together and went through a rigorous discovery period of what our goals and resources were. They had a very good design team as well. I don’t know how many programmers they had, but it was a big job. They used Drupal to build the system, which is really cutting-edge in our field.

How did you come to work with Apollo Matrix?

I asked for recommendations from numerous CEOs of high-tech companies. I went through those recommendations with my CTO and interviewed quite a few. Apollo Matrix really listened to what we were trying to do. They had been involved in the education field, and I think they had a better understanding of our goals and how to get there. We ended up going with Apollo Matrix, and we’re pleased that we did.

How much have you invested with Apollo Matrix?

The total for the project is close to $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

They worked on our project a few years ago, for three to four months. The project is complete, as the grant money we received has run out. We’re in the process of talking to several foundations about our next steps.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

One of our partners was the Educational Testing Service (ETS), and they had created some of the content we were using. They had developed the text complexity metrics for our system. When they saw our system using their text complexity metrics for the first time, their legal counsel asked to use screen captures of the system for their patent applications. The people at ETS are top education experts in the country, and they were blown away by our system. It’s an awesome system.

This is a very complicated system with 10,000 resources, and it was a tall order. I think the end product is pretty terrific. Everyone who uses it has said it’s great. We’re using it as a demo to get another round of financing. We have a long list of teachers and schools who want to use it.

How did Apollo Matrix perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t use any specific tools, but the project management was good.

What did you find most impressive about Apollo Matrix?

I don’t have anyone else to compare them to, so I don’t know.

Are there any areas Apollo Matrix could improve?

No. I worked fine with them, and we completed the work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a large government service organization. I work for the software group that makes software products that are specialized diagramming tools for state and local governments, law enforcement, and so on. The most common case is traffic accident diagramming, so we make a variety of products that law enforcement officials use to create, store, and manage diagrams of traffic accidents.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Apollo Matrix?

We needed to create mobile versions of our products for Android and iOS devices. We didn't have the expertise in-house, so we were looking to outsource the work. The purpose of the mobile apps is to augment that experience for someone in the field. They can use the app out in the field and then transfer that to their Windows workstation and complete the documentation of the incident.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first time we worked with them, they developed our iOS apps. I wasn't involved in that project. They did all the visual design with consultation from us and then developed the app. The second phase was the Android version, which I was more involved in. We started with the design of our iOS apps. They produced visual designs of the Android apps and, after our approval, they worked on those products. We have classic Windows client tools for creating diagrams. They built the app, and then integrated the diagramming component that we had already developed. We needed some emergency graphic designer resources, and they were super helpful in doing that even though it was outside of the scope of the project.

How did you come to work with Apollo Matrix?

They were working with the company before I was hired on. The first project they did was satisfactory, so it was pretty easy to select them for future projects. We didn't get other bids because they had already worked with us.

How much have you invested with Apollo Matrix?

We spent between $10,000 and $50,000 for the Android app.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started on the Android project in October 2016, and we just finished the acceptance of the app in mid-January 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We just launched the product, and it won't really be delivered until the summer. We were happy with the work they did, and we will continue to work with them.

How did Apollo Matrix perform from a project management standpoint?

Apollo provided one project manager and probably a couple of developers, one graphic designer, and one test person. They met their deadlines, and we finished early.

What did you find most impressive about Apollo Matrix?

I've always been happy with the way they communicate. They are proactive in communicating the status of the project. They have a good process of documenting design decisions that we collaborate on so we're all clear about what the project goals are.

Are there any areas Apollo Matrix could improve?

Some parts of the QA and user acceptance process could be better. They didn't have a process for bug management and reporting that we could collaborate on easily.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a digital agency based out of Washington, D.C.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Apollo Matrix?

We needed mobile application development for a federal government agency client.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We needed an iOS developer and a creative resource. Apollo Matrix sent a couple of developers on-site to work for us. They were highly skilled mobile app developers. We also had 2 in-house resources working on this project.

How did you come to work with Apollo Matrix?

My business partner found them, but I don’t remember exactly where he found them. We worked with Apollo Matrix because they had a really good background. We contracted with them 5 years ago because they were a small, local shop that could do mobile development.

How much have you invested with Apollo Matrix?

In the past year, we’ve spent over $200,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in 2013 and the project was completed in December 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The government agency paid the money and they were happy to work with us.

How did Apollo Matrix perform from a project management standpoint?

The resources were managed by the government agency in this project. We contacted Pete [Johnson, CEO] if we had an issue. We had to replace a resource one time and that process went smoothly. There was never any complaints about the work not getting done.

What did you find most impressive about Apollo Matrix?

They’re talented and good at what they do.

Are there any areas Apollo Matrix could improve?

None.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

The company is involved in media measurement and market research.Our clients range from Fortune 500 companies, to publishers, and advertisers. We publish market research reports based on activity online.

I am responsible for building the panels that our data is presented on.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Apollo Matrix?

We were looking for a way to get feedback from panelists. We didn’t have the capabilities in-house to build apps. Apollo Matrix built an app to allow us to collect the feedback we needed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve built a couple of apps with them. We’ve done both iOS and Android. They designed the UI for the users.

How did you come to work with Apollo Matrix?

We put an RFP [request for proposal] out and searched online to find a few companies. We were pleased with Apollo’s background skills, their pricing, and time to market.

How much have you invested with Apollo Matrix?

We spent between $50,000 and $200,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The two projects each took around 3 to 6 months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

They worked with us on one very high-profile project that was very time sensitive and made sure we stayed on time.

What did you find most impressive about Apollo Matrix?

They’re very flexible and accessible. They’re accommodating and understanding of how the business environment and requirements can change.

Are there any areas Apollo Matrix could improve?

They use different teams for iOS and Android, so sometimes things weren’t standard across the platforms as I would have liked them to be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Authntk Walkaround Videos provides a mobile application and a platform for car dealerships to send personalized videos to their customers. I’m the operations manager and manage vendor relationships.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Apollo Matrix?

Our mobile application was originally designed by another firm. That relationship ended so we needed to find another company to make very specific changes and updates to our app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Right now the scope of work is maintenance and support. They support our apps for both iOS and Android and handle our backend which is a Rails based application. We’re hoping to build a new app from the ground up in 2017 using them.

How did you come to work with Apollo Matrix?

They were recommended to us by our previous mobile developers. Pete [Johnson, CEO, Apollo Matrix] and I had some conversations and I felt very comfortable that they’d be able to handle the updates that we needed to be done quickly. I enjoyed working with them on the first project and kept the relationship going.

How much have you invested with Apollo Matrix?

We’ve spent between $10,000 and $50,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the relationship in August 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We’ve been very happy with the relationship. Since the app was already in place when they started we don’t have any metrics, but when something breaks they can fix it. They make recommendations about updates we need to make. We were in danger of losing business when our previous developer wasn’t supporting us any longer.

How did Apollo Matrix perform from a project management standpoint?

Tony is our project manager and we have a great relationship. The communication is great. 

What did you find most impressive about Apollo Matrix?

They’re not a huge company so I know the developers doing the work. I met the team and they’re a fantastic team to work with. I’ve had contact with the offshore developers as well. I feel like they’re part of our team. They’re proactive with any issues that come up.

Are there any areas Apollo Matrix could improve?

I can’t think of anything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Entertainment Software Rating Board, ESRB, is known for assigning age and content rating information for video games and apps. I’m the vice president of marketing and communications.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Apollo Matrix?

Our goal is to increase rating awareness and use among parents. We engaged Apollo Matrix to help create our first rating search app back in 2009. A couple of updates have included voice and photo recognition along with barcode scanning. In addition to providing age and content rating information for video games, the rating search app exclusively provides parents with rating summaries right at the store and on the go.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In 2006, we launched on iOS and then expanded to include the Android and Windows operating systems and tablets.

How did you come to work with Apollo Matrix?

We had started work on the first app in 2009 with another developer. We had differing opinions on the UX of the app so we decided to consider other opportunities. Apollo Matrix was able to step in and complete the project and we’ve been working with them ever since.

How much have you invested with Apollo Matrix?

We do not disclose budget figures, but the consistency in the partnership has allowed us to optimize our updates and budget accordingly.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in 2009 and continue to do so.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Our downloads have remained consistent over the years. We track rating searches closely through the channels that are available to consumers. For the last number of years, we’ve averaged around 450,000 rating searches annually through our free app.

What did you find most impressive about Apollo Matrix?

They’re experts at what they do. We rely on them for insight on improving UX and we plan to update the apps this year. We follow the ideation process and try to understand from the users’ point of view where we can improve; then we complete the process to update the app. Apollo Matrix helps us through each of those steps. They’re very valuable to us.

Are there any areas Apollo Matrix could improve?

Over the years, they’ve made improvements in terms of estimating the project expense, which has been helpful.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

NetWatcher is a managed detection and response cyber security company. We let customers know when they’ve been breached, how bad it is, and what to do about it. We also let customers know what users are doing on their network. I’m the CEO of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Apollo Matrix?

I needed to augment my team with iOS developers in order to build an app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them a general idea of our specifications and the API associated with the platform. They gave us a set of design ideas that we thought were incredible. They started in an Agile cycle and started building the app. They showed us their progress once a week, and when it was finished, we submitted it to the store.

How did you come to work with Apollo Matrix?

They’re well known in our local area for mobile app development. They also have designers to bring the project to life. Because we’re a new company, we had a strict budget, but Pete [Johnson, CEO, Apollo Matrix] has done well in balancing the offshore and onshore sides to give his customers an affordable solution.

How much have you invested with Apollo Matrix?

We’ve spent $50,000 to $200,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We plan to continue working with them in the future for the Android version.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We give every customer a real-time score out of 100 of where their security profile is at any time. Apollo Matrix was able to make that score a habit for our customers to keep them updated on their status.

What did you find most impressive about Apollo Matrix?

They have some developers on their staff that are probably the best mobile developers I’ve met on the east coast. They have no problem solving complex issues. The two people we interface with there are incredible in their knowledge. Their designers are good too.

Are there any areas Apollo Matrix could improve?

No, they’re great to work with.