Launch Theory

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of communications and marketing at The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University (Friedman School).

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launch Theory?

Our web developer left, and I was looking for someone to help us with Drupal maintenance. We needed someone on call to provide support for our website. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launch Theory provides us with web development services using Drupal. We have an hourly maintenance contract with them, where they provide on-demand website updates, feature builds or enhancements, and fixes. 

Our internal team asked for reports, new columns, and new ways to create reports, so Launch Theory has developed reporting features for our submission portal. The team has also helped us with a migration project. They’ve migrated our site, done maintenance work, and upgraded the backend. Overall, Launch Theory ensures that our website is secure and working as we want it to.

Additionally, we’ve hired them for a website project that will end soon. Launch Theory has also ported an additional website from one system to another and launched it. 

What is the team composition?

Initially, we worked with Greg (Founder), who handled the management, and another team member. Since then, we’ve added a third teammate from Launch Theory who has helped us with the website porting project. 

How did you come to work with Launch Theory?

I don’t recall exactly how we got in touch; I believe Greg may have contacted me directly, or I was in touch with a friend who worked at a company Greg previously worked at. We hired Launch Theory because they had a reasonable hourly rate compared to some of their competitors. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $150,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around December 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launch Theory has done good work; I trust them to handle our website and make sure it’s running. Moreover, Greg is great to work with and responsive. 

How did  Launch Theory perform from a project management standpoint?

Any issues with project management have been on our side with decision-making or changes. When we’ve gone over budget, it hasn’t been due to Launch Theory.

Sometimes, work goes a bit slower due to my time availability and not theirs. Over time, I’ve been less able to oversee projects. Launch Theory has offered project management services for an extra fee, which could work in the future. We communicate through email, and I use Jira a bit. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since Launch Theory is a smaller company, there’s not a lot of overhead, allowing them to be reasonably priced, which is great. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Since I use Jira, it would be good if Launch Theory could increase their use of it and make it part of the workflow. They could also offer an a-la-carte project management option or a ticketing system to track tasks a bit better. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that you have a good idea of what you want, who the decision-makers are, and where the pain points are. That way, you can be realistic about how long tasks might take. Moreover, sometimes delayed decisions are out of Launch Theory’s and your control. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director, Digital Services of Tufts University

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Tufts University is a world-class private research university in Greater Boston that provides an education like no other.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Launch Theory to accomplish?

• Drupal and Salesforce

SOLUTION

How did you find Launch Theory?

Online Search

Why did you select Launch Theory over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Launch Theory were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Support the Tufts Digital Marketing team from strategy to implementation. The scope of work included coding front-end and back-end website components for Drupal websites like tufts.edu in addition to 60+ WordPress websites (platform development as well as strategy support for the move from on-prem to cloud hosting).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Successful launch of Drupal and WordPress websites.

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

Launch Theory managed projects exceptionally. They showed a high degree of responsiveness and professionalism.

What was your primary form of communication with Launch Theory?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

I managed a digital team at Tufts University for five and a half years, and Launch Theory played a major role in the success of our Drupal and Salesforce initiatives. At both a strategic and tactical level, members of the team were surpassingly intelligent, professional, and knowledgeable. They were highly responsive (on Slack, Zoom, email, etc.) and, to a degree that's unusual for a vendor, they were committed to getting the job done. 

They cared about the work they did. They were also cost-effective. In one instance, after some dev work required more hours than estimated, Greg said he would credit us for the overage (which happened b/c the work was time-sensitive). Launch Theory felt much more like an extension of our team as opposed to being an outside vendor. Highly recommended!

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

Launch Theory was an excellent, cost-effective vendor for Tufts. After their success with the Marketing team that I managed, word started getting around about them. They are not working for the IT team at Tufts, as well as for several schools.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of design and digital solutions at a university.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launch Theory?

We support a large portfolio of sites and we needed Launch Theory to provide Drupal development resources to assist our in-house design team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launch Theory has provided staff augmentation services including custom development to extend the functionality of our website. In addition, they help with a variety of smaller projects.

With each project, we begin with a discovery call that results in a statement of work. We follow up with internal meetings with the team and our project manager, and when appropriate, we include university stakeholders. We work closely with our designers and other members of the team to scope out the work. We also work with our deployment team to launch the new features being built.

What is the team composition?

We currently work with three resources from Launch Theory.

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

The frontend developer is amazing. He’s been terrific to work with. He produces consistent, high-quality work.

How did you come to work with Launch Theory?

We needed a team with Drupal expertise and related software languages including PHP, MySQL, and JavaScript. Launch Theory was recommended by a colleague for the excellent work they’d done for another university.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2023 and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launch Theory delivers consistent, high-quality work. Working with them has allowed us to do more in less time. Our collaboration with Launch Theory has been seamless which is why we’ve hired them for additional work. They’re very knowledgeable and easy to work with.

How did Launch Theory perform from a project management standpoint?

The Launch Theory team works remotely, but some resources are hybrid. They hit the ground running quickly. They deliver on time and within our budget. We use Jira, Zoom, and email to manage the project. Their communication is very good. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their Drupal development is impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there is nothing that needs to be improved. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I don’t have any advice for potential customers.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the IT Service Delivery Manager of Tufts University

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a Research 1 institution of Higher Education

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Launch Theory to accomplish?

• Simplify a drupal middleware
• Increase support for our end users

SOLUTION

How did you find Launch Theory?

Referral

Why did you select Launch Theory over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit

How many teammates from Launch Theory were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Launch Theory was hired to enhance the support of our drupal middleware, the ux to that middleware and other projects as assigned. Launch Theory will designate a project manager to serve as a consistent point of contact and strategic advisor for planning, prioritization, and execution of work items

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launch Theory has been extremely responsive to Tufts needs. Our Drupal site has been well maintained and patched as needed. In addition to the ongoing support, Launch Theory implemented a data flow solution that allowed our data to be readily available to end users where the previous contractor inadvertently built in a significant time lag.

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

Again, Launch Theory is highly responsive and they have delivered on all deliverables in a timely manner. Launch Theory often exceeds expectations.

What was your primary form of communication with Launch Theory?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Launch Theory is extremely professional, personable, and approachable.

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

I think Launch Theory is great and encourage them to keep doing what they are doing!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Event Center Manager of ER Montgomery Event Center

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The E.R. Montgomery Event Center of the American Legion Post #81, is a non-profit facility which provides a spacious, safe, and beautiful gathering space for our members (military veterans), their families, and members of our local and neighboring communities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Launch Theory to accomplish?

• To assist in the design and implementation of a website for promoting awareness of the existence and economical features of renting the ER Montgomery Event Center for any type of family or community event.

SOLUTION

How did you find Launch Theory?

• Referral
• Other

Why did you select Launch Theory over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Launch Theory were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The Launch Theory team first assisted the Event Center Manager in selecting a reputable hosting company. The Event Center Manger then produced an initial PowerPoint mock-up of the desired website content which Launch Theory developers translated into a Word Press presentation. 

They suggested layouts that would be laptop and mobile app friendly and created information capture units allowing potential clients to request more information from the Event Manger via email. The developers also educated the Event Manager ( a website developer from the 90's) on current tools available from Google, example Google Workspace and Google Calendars, for running a simple nonprofit business.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. The web site was launched in January 

2. The Event Manager was given enough instruction to be able to make changes and additions to content

3. The Event Manager has received emails and phone calls based on information received from the web site which have led to function hall rentals.

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

The Launch Theory management and development personnel responded quickly to every question. The originally submitted design materials were studied and translated into usable web formats with fast turnaround. The tutorial provided on how to interpret Word Press layouts to enable modifications was invaluable.

What was your primary form of communication with Launch Theory?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The willingness to work one-on-one with me (the Event Center Manager) until every aspect I needed for functionality was up and running. I was also impressed by the reasonable price they requested, since the owner is committed to serving the community; which is also one of the goals of our ER Montgomery Event Center.

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

None that I can think of!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of web development at Tufts University’s technology services department.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launch Theory?

We manage about 190 websites, and my team can’t do the web development on all of them, so we hired Launch Theory to help us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launch Theory provides custom web development services for us. They also help us with some tickets, project management, prototyping, and other services within the web world. On some projects, they do all the development work. 

For each project, we write a technical spec, and Launch Theory provides a quote based on that document. The team uses PHP, Python, Node.js, Drupal, and WordPress for the project.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with three teammates at Launch Theory, including Greg (Founder) and a developer. 

How did you come to work with Launch Theory?

We found Launch Theory because they’ve done similar work for another team within our university.  

How much have you invested with them?

We invest about $100,000 per year with Launch Theory. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2021, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Working with Launch Theory allows us to speed up some of our development and offer services we wouldn’t otherwise provide. Greg does a great job as a manager, and our developer is extremely qualified. 

How did Launch Theory perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a fantastic job of being on time and within the budget. If any task becomes more complex than anticipated, Launch Theory communicates that very well. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Launch Theory offers incredible customer service and communication. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for them to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend Launch Theory. Having a relationship with the team you work with and building trust from a development perspective and Launch Theory is wonderful.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former CEO & co-founder of Topos Labs, a natural language processing (NLP) technology company. Our company was acquired.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launch Theory?

We were a software startup seeking a partnership with someone who could bring strong website development capabilities and incorporate aspects like web advertising and software development expertise. Overall, we needed a wide range of skills that were hard to find in a single company.

At the time, we had engaged with an end client and had the technology but not the professional service skills to take on the project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launch Theory provided web development, online advertising, and custom software development services. On our first project, we provided Launch Theory with baseline information about our situation to see if there was a cultural and technical fit. We explained what our end client needed, the skills we lacked, and other process attributes. 

Launch Theory worked on our end client’s legacy system using Ruby on Rails, Python, and HTML. The team brought in some database expertise to work on a SQL database. Additionally, they provided digital advertising services to our end client. Our end client also needed senior-level strategic support and consulting, and Launch Theory provided these services. 

After that project, Launch Theory provided us with continuous support for various projects. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 1–3 teammates from Launch Theory at different stages, depending on which skills we needed. Greg (Founder) was our key point of contact. 

How did you come to work with Launch Theory?

We found them through a recommendation from another company I worked with. After a quick conversation with Launch Theory, we recognized that we had strong synergies, so hiring them was a quick decision, and we were off and running within a couple of weeks.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $200,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from December 2019–September 2021. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Launch Theory, we were able to get market validation and traction. We brought one of our first customers because of Launch Theory's responsiveness. 

How did Launch Theory perform from a project management standpoint?

They delivered on time and within the budget and often came in under budget. Launch Theory recognized when we asked for things we didn't need and worked proficiently. As a result, their project management was one of the strong points of this engagement.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Launch Theory's versatility and professionalism were remarkable. We needed a partner that wore many different hats, and there were many specialists in the world. Greg had a versatile skill set and could find people with particular qualities and bring them together. I appreciated Launch Theory's ability to get multiple skill sets under one small company that was easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Early in our engagement, Launch Theory was just starting, so it took some time to get invoices from them. However, this was a minor issue that happened early on. Overall, there wasn't anything they needed to improve. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be as open and transparent about the requirements as possible from the start. Launch Theory has a lot of integrity and is upfront when they can't provide a service. Therefore, giving them a good understanding of what you want is important. 

However, if you need help getting started, you can count on Launch Theory to help you think that through. Don't hesitate to get a conversation going because you don't have all the answers. One of Launch Theory's best values is their consultative nature; they'll help guide you through key decisions. Bring them as much information as you have, and they'll help you sort it out.