Cheesecake Labs

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Knapsack

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Knapsack is a privacy-first AI platform that helps regulated professionals in financial services, healthcare, and legal work more efficiently while keeping sensitive data secure.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Cheesecake Labs to accomplish?

• Scale engineering capacity to accelerate product delivery
• Build secure, compliance-ready infrastructure (SOC 2, HIPAA)
• Full-stack development of our AI platform for regulated industries

SOLUTION

How did you find Cheesecake Labs?

Referral

Why did you select Cheesecake Labs over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Cheesecake Labs were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Cheesecake Labs provides full-stack development for our AI platform, Knapsack. Their team handles both frontend (React/Next.js) and backend development, working as an embedded extension of our engineering team. Key deliverables include building our web application (app.knapsack.ai), developing AI agent infrastructure, implementing secure data pipelines compliant with SOC 2 Type 2 and HIPAA requirements, and creating our marketing site and documentation portal. They manage multiple concurrent workstreams across our product, from core platform features to DevOps and deployment infrastructure on Vercel.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Cheesecake Labs has been instrumental in helping us ship product consistently and at high quality. We successfully launched our platform (app.knapsack.ai) and achieved SOC 2 Type 2 and HIPAA compliance. Our user base has grown steadily, and we have been able to onboard enterprise clients in financial services and healthcare. Their development velocity has allowed us to iterate quickly on AI features and stay ahead in a competitive market. The team consistently delivers on sprint commitments and communicates proactively.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their project management is excellent. Cheesecake Labs runs well-organized sprints with clear deliverables and regular standups. They consistently hit deadlines and are transparent when scope changes affect timelines. Communication is proactive — we never have to chase them for updates. Their team lead, Marcello, is deeply engaged and ensures alignment between our product vision and their execution. They adapt quickly to shifting priorities, which is critical for a startup moving as fast as we are.

What was your primary form of communication with Cheesecake Labs?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What sets Cheesecake Labs apart is their ability to operate as a true engineering partner, not just a vendor. They take ownership of problems rather than just executing tickets. Their engineers are genuinely curious and bring ideas to the table — they have pushed us to make better architectural decisions multiple times. The cultural fit has been remarkable; they feel like part of our team despite being based in Brazil. Their technical depth across both frontend and backend, combined with strong communication skills, is rare to find in a dev shop.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Cheesecake Labs could have done differently?

The timezone difference between California and Brazil can occasionally slow down real-time collaboration, but they mitigate this well with overlapping hours and async communication practices. It would also be helpful to have more documentation around their internal processes for onboarding new team members to our codebase.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Clip Collective, a startup in the wedding industry. We take video content from guests at weddings and create vertically oriented highlight reels for the couple, aimed to be posted on TikTok, Instagram, and other Gen Z-friendly platforms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We needed support in developing our web app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cheesecake Labs developed a progressive web app and a backend admin portal through Retool. The team provided us with a comprehensive tech stack recommendation, including native and Swift solutions. We began with a discovery phase, and then we moved quickly into development, as per our request, because we wanted to launch in November 2025.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 7–8 teammates from Cheesecake Labs, including Stewart, Ohana, and Amanda. 

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

We found them through ChatGPT, which did a deep research project for me and recommended Cheesecake Labs based on our needs. I submitted a contact form on their website, and they promptly responded. Stewart was our initial business contact, and he scheduled a meeting with us to get to know the project and set our expectations if we were to engage in a partnership.

We had a call with Cheesecake Labs and were immediately impressed by their relatability in a business sense and how comfortable they made us feel engaging in a project of this scale and magnitude with them. After that meeting, we chatted with two other developers, and Cheesecake Labs was far and away the best one we had interviewed with.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $175,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The engagement lasted from April–November 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were very happy with the software and stacks that Cheesecake Labs recommended to us. I had no development knowledge, so I’d say we saved a lot of time because I would have had to learn how to code or hire developers onto the team and get them aligned with the process. Speed was a huge thing for us, and I couldn’t quantify the actual gains we had there.

With any development project, we encountered a couple of major bugs with the system. However, Cheesecake Labs was very proactive and quick about finding fixes to those issues. Overall, they built an incredible product for us, and we were just finalizing all the bugs.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Cheesecake Labs delivered on time and on budget. They were very clear with us going into development that there was a margin of error. They initially quoted us $150,000 for the actual development, and we ultimately spent around $160,000. We went $10,000 over budget, but they had set our expectations upfront that this might happen.

We used Google Meet and Slack for communication. We had weekly syncs through Google Meet and daily communication through Slack. We also used Figma for mockups and wireframes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

One of Cheesecake Labs’ main strengths was their speed. Everything they did was fast and effective. Another strength was that even without me being hands-on on the backend, they were able to build everything while I was focused on everything else within the company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there weren’t any. Overall, we were very pleased with the experience.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Trust the process. Cheesecake Labs has an incredible flywheel of business leads and project leads, and it’s a really well-functioning organization. As long as you trust that they know what they’re doing, you’ll be very happy with the product.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the System Development Manager of Primum

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Grupo Primum Educacional is a Brazilian education holding company focused primarily on training and continuing education for healthcare professionals, with a special focus on training doctors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Cheesecake Labs to accomplish?

• Codebase Unification
• Consistent UX

SOLUTION

How did you find Cheesecake Labs?

Online Search

Why did you select Cheesecake Labs over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget

How many teammates from Cheesecake Labs were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

The work involves rewriting the existing application in React JS to Flutter, covering all components and functionality. This includes migrating 100% of the current web application components to Flutter, rewriting 90% of the UI components as reusable widgets, and ensuring that the resulting application works across multiple platforms (web and mobile).
The project also covers performance objectives, such as maintaining a fast initial load time and ensuring an optimized initial bundle size. In addition, there are user experience objectives, such as maintaining or increasing customer satisfaction and ensuring that critical user flows are completed successfully.

Summary of key deliverables:

Complete migration of the web application from React JS to Flutter.
Unified codebase for web and mobile.
Consistent user experience across all platforms.
Reusable UI components in Flutter.
Improved application performance
Reduced total cost of ownership of the platform.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Technical and Delivery Results

100% of the codebase and components were migrated to Flutter.

• On-time Delivery

Percentage of project milestones delivered on schedule.
Application Performance Results
Metric: Time in seconds to first display of content.

• Operational and Team Efficiency Results

Average time (in days or hours) to develop and launch a new cross-platform feature.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The project management was effective, disciplined and proactive. The project started with a detailed plan, where the scope was clearly defined (“what” would be done) and the schedule was drawn up realistically, with well-established milestones and intermediate deadlines.

The necessary resources (people, tools, budget) were allocated correctly from the beginning, avoiding bottlenecks during execution.

The management team not only created a plan, but followed and monitored it closely. Progress was continuously monitored against the schedule.

There was clear task management, where each team member knew exactly what they needed to do and by when, avoiding overlaps or gaps in responsibility.

What was your primary form of communication with Cheesecake Labs?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The synergy we had with the Cheesecake development team. The fit with our team was perfect.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Cheesecake Labs could have done differently?

The work carried out by Cheesecake is so consistent that I do not identify any areas for improvement. The partnership exceeded all expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of Bem Mais Health, a digital health platform in Brazil.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We were trying to build our digital platform, so we contracted Cheesecake Labs to do the initial platform modeling in order to identify customer journeys and the features that should be developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cheesecake Labs worked with me to clarify to ideate my company's digital platform. During this discovery phase, we determined the main features and structure needed to build the platform. Moreover, the team created a document that specified all the features that should be built on the platform. They also helped us with UX/UI design using Figma.

What is the team composition?

We had 4–5 people working with me, including a QA person, a project manager, two analysts that worked on defining customer journeys, and Marcelo, Cheesecake Lab's CEO.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

I found them through a friend with a startup that also worked with Cheesecake Labs. This friend referred them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $12,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from November–December 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Cheesecake Labs successfully delivered a very detailed report about all the features the platform should have. This will be the base point from which we’ll build the platform later with the development team. The team's documentation was a crucial element for our development.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Cheesecake Labs' project management was very good. They were very supportive and on time, and the deliveries were made according to the agreed-upon schedule. We communicated using Slack and Google Meet. I was super happy with this.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Marcelo was very supportive, always available, and willing to listen to his clients. Besides, Ohana, the project manager, was very positive about her job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cheesecake Labs worked very fast. I didn’t have to push them at any part of the job. They were always swift, responsive, and committed to the delivery dates. Overall, the whole team was great.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there wasn’t anything they could improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Given my good experience, I would tell anyone to go for it. Cheesecake Labs is a great company.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of an educational company. We have a personal development program for teenagers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

I needed a mobile app developer. I teach young people and want to give them the tools they need to live the life they want, so I had the idea to create an app that underlined my teachings.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cheesecake Labs helped me ideate a mobile app. The team did the discovery phase of this project; a morning routine app that could help my students. We discussed my idea and concept and challenged it to develop more practical ideas. The app was for both iOS and Android. Moreover, the team also designed and built a website for the app.

What is the team composition?

I was in contact with 8–9 teammates from Cheesecake Labs. I had two main points of contact: one for the technical part and another for the administrative part.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

I found Cheesecake Labs through Clutch. I did some research on ChatGPT and Google and validated the information I found. I chose Cheesecake Labs based on their reviews, spending information, and Clutch profile.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $14,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2024 to January 2025.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Cheesecake Labs did a great job of scrutinizing my idea and concept. For me, the success of the project was the documentation I received from the discovery phase, which I could present to investors.

Overall, the team brought my ideas in a very structured way. The team definitely did a good job.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Cheesecake Labs delivered on time and stayed on budget. The team adapted to my time zone and always managed to schedule meetings at a time that was great for me. They made a clear plan of what was happening and stuck to it from beginning to end. We also communicated via email, Slack, and Google Meet.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I want to give a shout-out to Yago, the product designer. He stood out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I liked how Cheesecake Labs committed to my project. They were enthusiastic and excited about it. The team contributed all their experience and provided clear and honest communication. I found all their teammates brilliant. This performance motivated me to select them for mobile app development.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn't like using Slack; I found it too challenging. I'd rather communicate using another tool. Apart from this, Cheesecake Labs had nothing to improve. I could trust their word.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Put everything on the table in the beginning. Give them all the information and communicate your worries and expectations. If you're clear with Cheesecake Labs about how you want the process to be, they will be honest and positively critical. Trust them; communication is the key.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of product at Vibrant, a subsidiary of the Stellar Development Foundation. We’re a digital wallet that helps people hold digital dollars. Most of our users are in Argentina and Brazil.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We were looking for engineering talent to help us build our wallet.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cheesecake Labs has helped us build our mobile app. We have our own in-house design team, so they haven't been involved in the UI design. However, they’ve been responsible for the API development and technical architecture. We've mainly had help on our backend, which is written in Go. The team has also been familiar with Go, AWS, microservices and with the Stellar blockchain.
We've also had a team member that has done React Native development for us, he's been building our iOS and Android apps in React Native. 

We've worked with them on several projects. One of them has been related to virtual US bank accounts. We wanted to offer a virtual US bank account in our app. The team has first built the backend and then the frontend.

We've also worked with them on the Vibrant Campaign Manager. We wanted a way to easily configure and change in-app marketing based on the user's activity in the app and reward them for certain types of actions, like spending money on some specific item or adding funds to the app. We've had two team members on the backend building that out.
Then the last, we've had someone who's part-time who does DevOps for our team because we were short on DevOps.

What is the team composition?

We've had a rotating cast of people. We currently work with two backend developers, a part-time DevOps engineer, and a frontend mobile engineer.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

We were looking for a team in Brazil, and Cheesecake Labs was there. We decided to work with them because they had the talent we needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent over $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2022, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They’ve been able to build the app quickly, and we’ve seen great results. They’ve been very quick and adept at taking on the challenges. We've been very impressed with their work.

They’ve also been able to improve the app's performance. I've been underwhelmed with the app's loading time and responsiveness. However, once we brought on the Cheesecake Labs team, they have gone hands-deep into improving a lot of that for us. I don't have concrete metrics around app performance, but they’ve definitely made it a lot better.

Moreover, they’ve been very instrumental in increasing our transaction volume. One of the projects they’ve launched has accounted for 30% of our total app volume for the quarter. Transaction volume is a very important metric for a financial app.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

The team is extremely proactive. They're very communicative about what they think they can take on in the sprints that we have. We run a regular agile process of allocating more tasks for the team every three weeks.

They’re always very communicative and upfront about what they can do. If anything needs to slide, they're very direct and transparent with me. I've been extremely impressed with how they're able to move projects along. I don't need to be super involved with them; they’re very self-starters.

We use Slack for communication, Google Meet for regular meetings, Google Calendar and Google Workspace, and Notion for documentation. The team has been very involved in adding technical documentation for us. We also use GitHub for monitoring errors and PagerDuty for on-call. They offer an additional on-call service, which has been helpful for us because we don't have that many backend engineers. Asana has also been involved, but we've recently moved to Linear.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I want to give a shout-out to Caio, Gabe, Alan, and other team members, they have all been absolutely fabulous. We've been so grateful for their help. They've done an amazing job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The speed at which they crank out high-quality features is very impressive. They have very few bugs, and they’re extremely easy to work with. They have a very can-do attitude, are proactive, and are very eager to help out. We've been pleased with those aspects of them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would be awesome if they could get a staff that could also speak Spanish. However, that’s not a hard requirement on our side. They’ve always provided us with extremely high-quality people.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend working with them because their team is awesome, and I’ve only had great experiences.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of blockchain innovations at a financial services company. We're a global remittance company, and my team focuses on innovation and new product development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We were looking to build a new mobile app that could allow customers in certain countries who are receivers where we don't have a digital presence to hold USPC.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we hired Cheesecake Labs to do a proof of concept (POC) and eventually move forward with the mobile app development. Our product is unique because our users may not be familiar with cryptocurrency, so we needed an intuitive and simple product to remove the complexities of trying to understand cryptocurrencies. The team has built the mobile app for iOS and Android, leveraging Stellar blockchain and React Native. Cheesecake Labs has created the product's technical design, but we've done the rest of the app's design in-house. 

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a product owner, a project manager, front- and backend developers, and 1–2 DevOps engineers.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

The CEO of Stellar referred us to Cheesecake Labs. We chose Cheesecake Labs because they're experts in Stellar blockchain and have built wallets for other companies. We wanted to leverage the team's expertise to build a product that could work for our customers.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Cheesecake Labs in May 2023, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our app is now live in the US, Brazil,  and Mexico, and we've had almost 1,000 downloads with very little marketing. 

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Cheesecake Labs has met our timelines and key goals regarding launching dates. We've worked together in Miro during discovery to define the project's roadmap, and it has been easy for us to have a shared space between our two organizations. Cheesecake Labs has done a fantastic job of laying out exactly when tasks will be delivered and prioritizing the most important work.
Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Fernanda and Gabriela have partnered well with my product manager and project manager. The four teammates have done a fantastic job keeping work on track and quickly pivoting when issues arise to ensure we have a good core product for the first launch.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Cheesecake Labs is great to work with. The team is very open, and when we’ve had challenges, they've worked through them with us. We feel like we're one team instead of working with a different company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We've struggled with Cheesecake Labs' designer, so we've decided to bring the design in-house to help speed up the process. We have a clear vision of what we want, and it’s been easier and faster for us to do the product design ourselves.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I suggest having dedicated internal team members when working with Cheesecake Labs. The key internal team members have been our project manager, product manager, designer, and development lead, who helps with knowledge transfer about our systems. With those teammates plus whoever Cheesecake Labs has in leadership, the project has worked really well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of innovation and new business for a large university in South Brazil. We have 30,000 students in many knowledge areas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We were focusing on improving the customer experience for our students.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cheesecake Labs developed an application. They created a student journey map with their experiences, needs, and expectations. We initially provided official documentation about the institution, research about the students, and market research about our competitors.

What is the team composition?

We worked with five people, including a tech lead, a customer success manager, and a project management officer (PMO).

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

We used a hybrid system. We mainly searched online, but we also had two meetings here.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $18,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from February–May 2024.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had the opportunity to map the gaps in the student journey and improve some technologies and solutions for them.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Cheesecake Labs always respected the time and budget. They provided many status reports about the research and work schedule.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their work was excellent and very affordable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything was okay.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

No, I don’t have any advice for them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a senior engineering manager at a blockchain nonprofit. My team has built some products, including an anchor platform and a disbursement platform, which is part of our aid-assist project.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Cheesecake Labs?

We needed help with custom software development. We partnered with the UN in a project to use our disbursement platform to send aid to Ukrainians.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Cheesecake Labs has built our disbursement platform, which is used for global humanitarian aid to send disbursements or bulk payments to refugees and other beneficiaries. We initially provided them with technical resources, such as our corporate laptops, to handle secure connections. We also had meetings to help them understand how to use the tools. Additionally, we gave them some documentation and initial tasks to start working on the project. We then paired with them to help them ramp up.

The project primarily uses Go. We also use infrastructure as code like Terraform, CI/CD tooling and technology for deployment, and other infrastructure services like Apache Kafka. Cheesecake Labs has built some of our modules for this project, like authorization and event management for events being sent between different microservices. They work on a wide variety of backend and frontend engineering tasks.

What is the team composition?

We work with two senior engineers.

How did you come to work with Cheesecake Labs?

They were a referral. Cheesecake Labs had worked with other departments and companies related to our work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in July 2022, and our engagement is ongoing. We’ve just released the major version and are now focusing on improvements.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Cheesecake Labs has helped us save time because we had a very tight delivery schedule. They’ve been responsible for some major features, so they’ve helped us get our deliverables out on time, which has resulted in getting aid to beneficiaries. We’ve delivered over $2.2 million in assistance since the product has been in production.

Additionally, our product has received multiple awards. We got the Best Impact Blockchain award in 2023 and recently won the People’s Choice Award for best use of Web3 technology. Cheesecake Labs was pivotal in helping us reach those milestones. Working with them is always a pleasure; they feel like an extension of our team.

How did Cheesecake Labs perform from a project management standpoint?

Cheesecake Labs reaches out when they’re blocked and really contributes to the project. Moreover, they’re available, proactive, and transparent about their work. They deliver on time and often take on more tasks because they finish their work ahead of schedule. We use an agile methodology, sprints, story points, and backlog grooming for project management.

The team is super productive and great to work with. We have clear, regular communication through Slack, design docs, and one-on-one meetings, including stand-up meetings twice a week. Overall, Cheesecake Labs works into our flow and helps us scope tasks, define stories, plan sprints, and execute those sprints.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

Caio (Software Engineer) has stood out; he’s been on the project the longest. The project has undergone multiple phases; the initial version was on Python, and then we rewrote it in Go. In the initial version, Caio worked on some backend infrastructure components, and then he helped us write the core product for the second version.

Overall, he’s an amazing engineer. I definitely want to give him a shout-out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They provide high-quality code and pay attention to unit and integration tests. Moreover, they’re good at handling ambiguity. If a task isn’t clearly defined, they’re very engaging and dedicated to flushing out all the details to use their problem-solving skills and develop a creative solution.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Cheesecake Labs consistently meets and often exceeds expectations; it’s hard to pinpoint any improvement areas.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear definition of your project goals, what skills and programming languages you need, and what the role of Cheesecake Labs’ engineers will be. You should set up for success by having a good onboarding plan and a good plan for managing and executing remote work, which includes regular communication, engagement, and solid engineering best practices.