Launchcode

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of Masterpiece Care Corporation. We provide assistive care living services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We wanted to create a platform to improve our internal culture through staffing improvements.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launchcode broke the plan to create our platform, a mobile app, into different phases. The team delivered a platform that gives our employees the ability to control their own shift pattern, exchange shifts, report sick days, and plan vacation well in advance. From an employers’ standpoint, we can stabilize rotation, maintain a consistent staffing pattern, cut down on overtime, and increase efficiency and staff morale overall.

There’s also a scheduling aspect, where we can input parameters and the system creates a schedule, so employees can see who they’re working with and when. Their control over their shifts depends on seniority and other factors, all of which are identified within the app. The app is compatible with both iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of about 10–12 people, working with different members during different phases of the project. We interfaced with Joel (Full Stack Developer), several writers, and marketing representatives. 

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

Alberio (CEO) is a friend of mine. He was expanding Launchcode, and I thought we would be a good fit as a project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from July 2018–September 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before Launchcode’s solution, our entire staffing process was done manually. It was time-intensive and errors occurred frequently, which then added more time as management had to sort out inaccuracies. The app has greatly improved efficiency as well as staff morale, which were two main areas we were concerned with. Overtime has been reduced, employee retention has increased, and we can track sick time easily. 

It’s also been an invaluable resource during COVID-19, as we have a risk-free way of organizing staffing. No one has to share pens or come into close contact with one another.

Currently, the app is available in both the App Store and Google Play.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We met each week for nine months during the sprint. We were always well-aligned in terms of communication. Additionally, Joel was a genius in writing the script. He was really able to understand our business, and gave us an incredibly impressive product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were incredibly amenable to understanding our business and what our requirements were. Launchcode took extra steps to help us be successful that other companies wouldn’t have. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were excellent.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time, I worked for Razor Energy Corp. I was the manager of information systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We hired them to help us with data acquisition and data management. We had a lot of legacy assets and information that wasn’t accessible. There were a lot of disparate systems that were fairly outdated by modern standards. This didn’t allow for a lot of data management, data access, or consolidation between systems. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed and built a data warehousing program that was broken into three phases: data acquisition, data manipulation, and data presentation. 

It was a collaboration where I gave them an overall framework of where I’d like to get to. We went back-and-forth on the designs; my internal team contains subject matter experts who helped provide guidance to Launchcode. But, they did the majority of the custom development. If we developed a specific component internally, they developed them more extensively than we were able to do inhouse.

The data acquisition phase of the project was done in the native backend languages of any of the systems we needed to acquire. The central data warehouse was an SQL server using SQL language. The data presentation side was building plugins to BI programs such as Power BI or analysis programs such as Excel.

What is the team composition?

I discovered them through their CRO. We’ve had a standing business relationship for a number of years, going back to a previous role he’d held. We were having coffee one day, and he said he had moved onto a new company.  We chatted a bit about my company’s goals, and it went from there. We did farm out the ideas to a few different companies for quotes. In the end, we decided to go with Launchcode because of their personal, collaborative nature and one-on-one strategy. 

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

Our direct contact with the team was limited to their project managers. I dealt with Greg (Head of Engineering), Robbie (Chief Revenue Officer), and one other employee. Greg was my primary day-to-day contact, and there were also a number of folks behind the scenes. 

How much have you invested with them?

When I left the company, the investment was around $150,000. I know the project has continued with that company, so I’m not sure what their current spend to date is.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in April of 2018, and it ended in May of 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were focusing on the user base and user acceptance for success metrics; it was quite extensive and quite useful. 

When we began the project, we had no transparency between departments or divisions within the company. By the time I left the company, we had cross-platform modeling that was displayed on dashboards around the office. It rolled up data from multiple sources, divisions, and departments. Anyone in the company could pop into Excel or any of the servers and generate a report that would tell them everything they needed to know about other division’s work. 

In data sciences, the majority of people spend 80% of their time wrangling data and 20% of their time analyzing it. By the time we left, we were pretty close to having flipped that almost completely.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

They got better with time. With a little bit of training and guidance about my world, they got very good at it. Over time, I become quite confident that things were getting done. At this point, they really know their stuff.

We communicated via weekly phone calls or in-person meetings. They operate on sprints. They would come down every few weeks for their big sprint. They also set up a support email in their domain for us, so we were able to pop them emails whenever we needed something. For the most part, phone calls were picked up right away. They always showed up for sprints, and emails were responded to within 24 hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve never encountered custom developers who were so flexible for this price. The flexibility of their approach stood out. With Launchcode, it was a collaborative exercise that was more success-oriented. If the end goal changed over the course of the project, they were very flexible and ready to adapt. They’d say, “Ok great, a new end goal means a change to the project and a change to the strategy.” These changes never seemed disruptive to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Over time, they’ve worked a lot on their project management. When they first started out, they were a much smaller firm that was still learning how to do the custom development at the scale we were asking for. As they go forward, they’ll get even better at that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should have a flexible notion of your end goal. Have an idea of what you’re trying to accomplish at a broad scale, and then be ready to work collaboratively. In terms of working with them, just make sure you’re communicating. Make sure they’re understanding what you need from them. They’re technical programmers, but they’re generalists. They need the guidance of subject matter experts to be successful at what they’re trying to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an IT lead at a private school.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We approached Launchcode to build an online platform integrating various school related workflows specific to admission, re-enrollment, field trips, documentation, and contact information.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launchcode met with us to gather information, drafted a statement of work, timelined the delivery of multiple features, presented us mockups and examples at bi-weekly meetings, adapted to feedback and made improvements until each feature was completed.

What is the team composition?

We have a main point of contact. We’ve probably worked with eight different people over the scope of the project.

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

Our main point of contact previously worked for a different company that we’d engaged with, so he already had a fair bit of knowledge about our needs coming into this process. Once he moved over to Launchcode, he reached out to me saying that unlike the previous company, Launchcode had the internal business skills, development skills, and coding to execute the solution we were looking for. We went from there.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in August 2018 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Launchcode helped unify our processes, automate our workflow, and bring a variety of processes online.  This has simplified and streamlined our functions.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

There was a learning curve on both sides of this relationship that was not without complications, but overall they did a good job keeping the project on track. 

In regards to methods, we communicate via email with the developers. For our main point of contact, it’s phone calls and emails. We also have weekly and biweekly meetings. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Throughout the project communication shifted away from the project managers to the developers, which complicated cohesive communication and consistent knowledge between all parties.  This was part of the learning curve in this partnership.

Any advice for potential customers?

Be as clear and detailed as you can, and document everything.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a brand activation executive at a tobacco company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We needed a clear and concise education tool for our retail partners.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We briefed them on the scope of what we wanted to do and explored different avenues to reach our target audience. We decided on a simplified way to proceed through using a URL program we developed. We developed an online quiz for our retailers to participate in. It was a QR code and very simple to access.

What is the team composition?

I work with two people from their team.

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

A colleague of mine had worked with them on a project prior to this. It went very well.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in January 2020, and we went live in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The participation rate at stores was really high and it was very easy to use. There were numerous people in each store that participated. They were able to provide numerous reports for my KPIs. It was a new way of working for us, but they provided everything we needed.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. We communicated via phone, email, and text message. They were always available whenever I needed anything.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're a very fun, dynamic, group. They encourage a lot of ideas and were very open. I really liked working with them in that regard.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

We are an Industrial Waste Management company, that prides itself in repurposing waste into usable products. Terrapure has 70+ locations across North America. I am the Vice President of Information Technology, responsibile for all IT systems and infrastructure.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Launchcode?

With locations over vast geography, we struggled to compile an accurate and real-time inventory of computers, servers, printers, network equipment, and mobile devices in a central repository. There are many off-the-shelf solutions specializing in specific endpoints, but no catch-all software without plenty of customization effort. Launchcode was tasked with developing custom software, that could speak to multiple internal platforms, compile and sort the data so that it was queryable, and provide reports in one system.

What were your goals for this project?

Goals / Critical Success Factors for this solution included: web-enabled software, secure authentication through active directory credentials, real-time access to live data on all databases, and queries/reports specific to hardware types and our locations.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Launchcode was compared against two other solution providers. We received the recommendation for Launchcode via word-of-mouth, and made initial contact. They did a fantastic job of capturing our requirements, and producing a straw-dog prototype. They produced competitive pricing and timelines. These reasons won them the work.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Launchcode provide project management closely aligned with the Agile methodology. Weekly meetings occurred to provide status updates and a collaborative approach was used between us and them.

What was the team composition?

The team had varying numbers of resources throughout the different phases of the project. The right resources were always available, and we kept them honest with strict timelines. We weren't ever caught waiting for a specific skillset.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I have real-time access to my entire IT asset inventory, complete with specific details regarding patch level, who it is assigned to, and its location. I can make M&A decisions in short-order for specific locations, quickly assess security situations based on patch levels, and conduct quick cost-saving exercises if I need to repurpose assets. The ROI was less than 12 months.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project Management was led by Launchcode and it was extremely effective. I always knew what the status of the project was, and thanks to the transparency of Lanchcode staff, we were quick to address "bumps in the road" as they popped up. It was a two-way street throughout the entire project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their speed to adjust on the fly was impressive, the simple yet effective approach to all deliverables which began during the RFP stage, and the quality deliverable in the end.

Are there any areas for improvement?

It never became an issue, but there is a timezone difference of 2 hours between where I am located and Launchcode's offices. My preference is always to use partners located locally. Launchcode gave me the confidence to not worry about this.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of client experience with Olympia Trust Company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We wanted to enhance our client web portal and give our client base better access to their account-specific information, such as their investment details, distribution, transactions, things like that.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We broke the project into phases. The first phase included enhancing the platform and adding a mobile app feature so clients could access their information on an iOS/Android app. We converted the platform into a new web platform and corresponding mobile app. In the second phase, we added in the ability to perform transactions. Clients could now do things themselves such as open account fees, make contributions, upload documents, and submit transfer requests.

What is the team composition?

I’ve dealt with Robbie (CRO), Alberio (Co-Founder & CEO), and I worked with some developers on a daily basis.

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

Our president and VP considered several candidates and selected Launchcode.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from April 2018–October 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The quality of the work is exceptional. From the design to the API, everything they do is very nice. They exceeded expectations. We released it in phases, and we tracked its usage. Then, we began tracking how clients used each feature, and we found that it was very successful.

One feature, in particular, has taken off. On top of that, it has created more efficiency internally, so we don’t have to process any paperwork. In a few months, we saw a huge spike in the number of client deposits via the web portal and mobile app.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We worked very closely with them. They came into our offices and we worked face-to-face. If We were really hands-on and our teams worked very well together.  They really cared about the project. If they were working in their office, they sent me quick snapshots and mock-ups to ask me what I thought about it. We had a lot of phone calls and emails, but I loved that we could get together.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What we produced exceeded my expectations. They wanted us to be happy with the project, so they came to us with solutions that we needed. The product speaks for itself.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I like a lot of communication, and sometimes we weren’t on the same page. It wasn’t a one-sided issue, meaning it wasn’t entirely their fault, but there were three teams involved and there was a disconnect. It became clear that we needed to better document our discussions.  

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the operations manager of Peak Scaffold Ltd.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We wanted to put together both a testing and a foreman’s app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project took place in two phases. The first phase involved developing an estimating program, where we implemented a number of calculations onto one web-based platform. From there, we broke it down into segments based on jobs.

With the foreman’s app, Launchcode helped us integrate and automate our services onto an iOS-compatible mobile application. The automation included safety forms, drawings, and other related paperwork and materials.

Before each development phase, we collaborated about the design and created wireframes.

What is the team composition?

Robbie (CRO) was my main point of contact, though we worked with several other members of the team throughout the project.

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

I know a member of their team personally, and he approached me about executing the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $70,000–$80,000 on the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from March–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before the program, a typical quote could take between three and four hours. The programs Launchcode built drops that timeframe down to about half an hour. The consolidation and process automation features built into the system have made our daily workflow exceptionally more efficient.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Launchcode performed really well. If a problem ever came up, the team was on it within minutes. They were always accommodating to everything we ever needed throughout the project, no matter how small. We kept in touch via a WhatsApp group chat, and communication was always there.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The service they provide is the best I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never come across a provider that responds as quickly to issues as they did with such a positive attitude. No matter how busy the team was, they could always implement what we wanted right away. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Everything worked; if it didn’t they fixed it. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Business/IT Consultant that helps companies streamline their operations by leveraging technology solutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Launchcode to help build a recruiting and placement tool that interacts with business customers and tradespeople to source and place them for short or long-term work.

SOLUTION

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

I have worked with the Launchcode team in the past and have a great working relationship with their management and team. Past engagements were very successful.

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

LaunchCode helped us design a web-based application that matches up trades personnel to job postings from employer partners that are partners in the system. The system is also the main communication tool with the trades personnel for their travel and accommodations booking, along with onboarding documentation.

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

There were 6 keys players from Launchcode. Project Manager Product Owner Developers Designers Chief Revenue Officer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were able to release the application within our project timelines to have employer partners join the platform and post jobs. Potential trades candidates join the platform and start matching them up with job postings and go through the booking and on-baording processes.

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

The project management style was very collaborative, regularly scheduled meetings and progress updates along with access to development dashboards. Team meetings were held via MS Teams with session recordings to review when needed.

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

Access to the entire team throughout the project. They've talked through and understood our business processes. They've brought ideas to the table to help streamline processes using the technology available.

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

Nothing of note throughout the project.