Honeycomb Softwares

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Program Manager for Software at Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Honeycomb Softwares, and what were your goals?

We were managing a 5000 item bank of assessment items for large scale test publishing mostly manually and needed an automated system. Honeycomb Softwares started the project from scratch according to our business requirements and SQL Server database model. We needed a web based app that could be accessed easily and securely by our employees across the United States.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We worked with Honeycomb earlier on a smaller project and were satisfied that they had the appropriate skills and professional attitude to take on a larger project.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The system has been based from the beginning on a SQL Server backend which originally used a Silverlight frontend until Microsoft discontinued Slverlight. Honeycomb subsequently upgraded the frontend to use Angular. The Item Bank is one of the backbones of our business so it is continually growing and expanding in functionality.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

There have been two senior engineers from Honeycomb working on the system.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The Item Bank is an essential tool that enables us to manage and build all of our assessment instruments. It has increased our productivity 5 fold and continues to accrue new features that keeps us competitive in our industry.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

The team is small and has worked closely with our programmers so that communication via email is sufficient almost all of the time. Nowadays Zoom meetings are used, when necessary.

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

The team has been consistent and loyal over the years. In the rare case that a new team member came onboard, we didn't even have to train them to join us!

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

No, we've been happy with the results and relationship.

BACKGROUND

The Petroleum Data Library (PDL) was established in 1970 as a non-profit organization to collect, preserve, and provide data to professionals in the energy industry. The library's primary area of coverage includes Districts 5 and 6 of East Texas, in addition to limited coverage for District 3, Northern Louisiana, and Southern Arkansas.

We provide hard-to-find historical resources in our facilities centrally located in Tyler, Texas. Our members use our website to find logs of interest, check them out online, or download the image 24/7 wherever they are.

I serve as a technology consultant to PDL. I have over 25 years in IT, including owning a development company for 11 years. I now work fulltime in a management position as an internal consultant for a large global company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Honeycomb Softwares, and what were your goals?

We hired Honeycomb Softwares to develop an online portal that would allow our members to interact with us digitally. Our primary goal was to enable members to easily perform multifactored searches to find and procure energy resource information contained in our library.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

We had worked with a well-respected local development company for over a year trying to launch a site before finally canceling the contract. We then proceeded to post the project on a popular website that allowed businesses and individuals to bid on the project.

We received over 100 responses, to which I selected the top five to do a formal interview with. Honeycomb stood head and shoulders above the rest in knowledge, communication, and ability to understand our requirements.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

• Content Management - allow PDL employees to post articles and events to the site for members to see.
• User Management - Create and disposition users utilizing multiple roles in both a customer and library employee context. Track interactions with the portal. Limit number of digital downloads within a given time period.
• Digital Asset Management - Create and disposition energy resources, upload digital assets associated with each. Ensure that users and site visitors are unable to bypass controls allowing them to mass download assets.
• Order Management - Allow users to search the library, select what assets they want and how they want them delivered. Users can choose to download them directly, have them placed on CD and sent, or check out the physical copy from the library. Workflows for managing the order process for PDL employees including management of physical logs checked out.

We broke the project up into three key deliverables:

• Content/User Management
• Digital Asset & Order Management PDL Context
• Digital Asset & Order Management Customer Context

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I primarily worked with the owner through the selection process and project manager through the development process. On occasion I would work directly with other resources, but it was generally indirectly.

I would say in total it was probably six or seven other resources including developers, UX designer, DBA, and testers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

The project was a huge success for PDL. We saw a significant increase in membership from local prospects due to the improved efficiency and effectiveness. Furthermore, it enabled us to attract new members who were geographically too distant to utilize resources that required them to come onsite.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

This is what sets Honeycomb apart from other development companies I have worked with in the past. They are successful outcome focused and delivery driven.

Their style is to ensure everyone is aligned on the expected outcome of the deliverable before development starts. I was really impressed with the attention to detail and types of questions they asked to uncover hidden requirements as we went through the process.

We communicated through multiple channels and communication as well as time zone differences were never an issue.

• Timeliness - They set very reasonable timelines and then they hit them. Throughout the development process and over the past seven years since supporting us they hit every key date. 

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

You have probably heard the saying "We can deliver quickly, affordably, and high quality. Choose two." Over the past seven years Honeycomb Softwares has continued to deliver all three on a consistent basis.

I have worked with numerous onshore and offshore development companies in my career, but none come close to delivering the value that Honeycomb Softwares does.

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

While I believe there is always room for improvement in any system or process, there isn't anything I would change significant enough to put here.