MentorMate

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a social benefit corporation that helps people with their processes and system failures. We have a methodology that can help identify where the system is failing and work on quality improvement, categorize and work on quality improvement projects in healthcare. We’ve recently started expanding into other industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We needed a piece of technology to build a product that would record and capture the process and, over time, help learn from failures. We worked with another vendor first, but it didn’t meet our expectations. So we asked MentorMate to help us make the product what we needed it to be.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The product itself was developed on Ruby on Rails. It’s a cloud-based product hosted on AWS. Now the project has been extended to understand compliance rules and regulation around health data privacy and move the platform to a government cloud environment.

The platform has high-security access, and entire system administration and the tool for the end-user supports workflow management and case management. In addition to that, it has analytics, reporting, some bells and whistles for communication amongst users, and some document storage for learning.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had about five people on the team. Some come and go depending on the expertise we need. We’ve worked with a project manager, a system architect, programmers, and information security expert.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We initially reached out to them for this project, and they declined to work with us because we were a startup. After working with the other vendor, we went back to MentorMate to ask them to reconsider.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $750,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in 2018 and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

 The project is ongoing, but we’ve been able to see the value of their output in a quick and iterative way.

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

We follow an agile methodology. We needed a  very flexible project management in that we needed a project manager that could ebb and flow, but yet keep track of all of that change. And so I think from a standpoint of doing change, management is an absolutely phenomenal. They’re flexible when we make changes, and they’re still able to stay organized and keep going.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate that they stay current in our space. They’re always presenting me with options and they do challenge me. Sometimes I think I have the right solution, but they’re able to help me if there’s a more modern solution.

They’re truly invested in our project, so we call them our partners. They believe in what we’re trying to accomplish. We’re in a challenging industry during COVID-19, and they’re always there to work with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There isn’t a whole lot. They continue to improve their understanding of security features.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They don’t just dump into the technical. We always explain our thought process, which has made it a seamless relationship. They’re willing to listen, and that prevents thing from going wrong.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of blackriver.cc. It’s a digital cycling platform aimed at riders, bicycle retailers, bicycle suppliers, and corporate partners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

I’ve worked with MentorMate on a variety of engagements.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MentorMate worked on the first major version of our web application. They also created both iOS and Android mobile applications, which are native. We also used their services on a couple of longer engagements to produce the core of all our technology.

They’re currently working in an ongoing engineering capacity. Their team does maintenance, upkeep, and small projects in between these larger sprints. They work with .NET and Java primarily. Their team does soup to nuts technology for us.

What is the team composition?

During our first engagement, our team included about 15 people. The next engagement involved a smaller team of 10–12 people. Our current engagement involves five people in total.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

A colleague recommended MentorMate.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started our engagement in 2017. In between our larger engagements, we had a 4–5-month gap when we weren’t working on anything. After the second engagement, we’ve stayed working together through their continuation engineering program.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I essentially license the software to the bicycle industry. If we say success is the ability to continue growing your business and adding high-value clients, then it’s been a successful partnership. We’re a strong, growing platform. We’re continuing to grow users and customers.  

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management’s one of MentorMate's strengths. At the beginning of the engagement, they said that we could be as involved as we wanted to be. They prefer the customer to be involved with their team directly.

I’m a hands-on person, so I’m on the phone with the project manager and the team a couple of times a week. I also communicate with the project manager one-on-one.

My project manager has always been based in the U.S. and the development team’s in Bulgaria. That communication chain has been strong. The projects have run on time and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

MentorMate’s been able to quote work accurately from the beginning. They built a team to make sure that we got the expected work done. I worked with another provider that gave estimates that weren’t realistic and overly aggressive. Ultimately, we had a hard time getting tasks done within the budget. It’s not common to have the kind of success that I’ve had getting complicated projects done on time and on budget with MentorMate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

To be honest, I don’t have anything substantial for them to improve.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure that they have a chance to dig in on the project management structure to make sure that it’s comfortable for them. I describe success with them and a large part of that is because I’ve been engaged with their team. It’s important for whoever’s making the decisions to understand the time requirements and commitments MentorMate asks them to make. Stick with the project and work as a team.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of a company that develops a flexible module for automation of farm equipment.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We hired MentorMate to assist us in the development of a mobile app for iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MentorMate works closely with our onsite development team to build the product. Their team helped to develop the app’s UI and functions. They created an interface with our cloud backend and linked the product with our electromechanical controller. Their team also provided assistance with the development of our website’s UI.

What is the team composition?

The number of teammates from MentorMate who support us varies. We’ve worked with up to 15 people. Lately, around 5–6 people from MentorMate are assigned to our project.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We found MentorMate through a referral. We liked their thoughts on the app’s direction and UI. We engaged them with a longer-term development contract.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we’ve spent probably $700,000 with MentorMate.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration started in 2017, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We track sales and user feedback to measure their team’s success. So far, the user feedback’s positive. Sales continue to go up month over month.

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

MentorMate works following Agile methodology. Their team uses tools that allow them to collaborate with our onsite team successfully. They document and communicate the scope well. They interacted with our team effectively to define an executable schedule. They look forward, so the engagement’s fantastic overall.

What did you find most impressive about them?

MentorMate provides better communication than other agencies. As well, they’re more flexible when working with an integrated team. Other providers prefer to have a completely separate scope rather than working with our engineers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could increase their team’s skill sets. We would expand our use if they had engineers with more backend infrastructure capabilities or regional support.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go through their ideation session and define their requirements upfront. The more time that you put in to bring the MentorMate team up to speed and set the sprints forward, the faster their team will work and the better the outcome will be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re an online education provider that caters primarily to the K-12 market. We provide a variety of educational products for the use of schools as well as a fully accredited online academy. I’m the VP of development services, so I work closely with our software development teams. My group is responsible for QA, product continuation, Scrum Masters, and everything that supports the direct development of the product. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

Primarily, we used them for software development and QA purposes.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We embed them directly on our existing sprint teams rather than packaging work that specifically for them. They’re participating directly with our team members. We’re dabbling in using their skills for product ownership as well. They’re mostly handling custom software development. 

What is the team composition?

We’re working with a group of 13 developers and QA teammates. 

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

Our current CEO worked with them previously in a prior role of his. We had worked with them on a one-off project several years ago as well, but they had really expanded their abilities with custom offshore development. We started off with just a couple of developers to see how our collaboration would work, and our team was impressed. We decided to keep them on and work them into our sprints.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested about $2,000,000 on their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at the start of 2018 and are continuing our collaboration.  

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our internal team has always been very impressed with the work that they do. They’re closely tied to their operations and have consistently favorable responses to it. 

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

Because we have them embedded in our workflow and operations, we’re handling much of the project management. However, the team member have performed well and up to our standards. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their team members has really impressed us. They’re technically proficient, creative, and able to work both independently and on teams. We would hire any of them on a permanent capacity based on their skill level.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The demand in this market is very high, so it can be difficult to find people when we need them. But, they bent over backward to help us find the right people. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Embed them directly into your team and treat them as such. They’re great at working both independently and on teams. They can take your requirements and figure out solutions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the president of Modulist, a media service company. We specialize in processing paid content for local media, including obituaries, weddings, engagement notices, birthdays, and more. The client builds the ad themselves and we process it and send it out to our various newspaper and digital clients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

Our online portion of our business was a piece of our accounting software and didn’t have the functionality we needed. We needed someone to build us a new digital portal.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MentorMate developed the software for an online portal from scratch. After our first initial meeting, we spent two days scoping out what the project would be. They gave us a projection of what the infrastructure would look like and what the cost would be. Their team was responsible for front- and backend development. 

The client can create an account, choose from different templates, and create an app. MentorMate ensured that clients could customize their add, including uploading photos, adding graphics, and editing text. Once the ad is created, it is submitted to our team for proofreading and we then pass it to local media. 

What is the team composition?

The team we work with is varied in size depending on the stage of the project. Initially, there were seven people we worked with, including a project manager and four developers. Periodically the upper administration of MentorMate might sit in on a stand-up or reach out to me directly to see how things were going. Within the last six or seven months, we scaled down to four members of the team. 

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We found MentorMate through mutual business contacts. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with MentorMate began in January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The time it takes for us to process our orders from the old system to the new system has been cut in half. We used to estimate it would take us around 10 minutes to process an order. Now we do it in five. Our volume on our team has increased. 

Our fixed clients tell us that it’s the best paid content software on the market that they’ve used, so we take that as a good sign. MentorMate has done such a great job that I can’t imagine working with another software vendor at this point. From the beginning of the project, they’ve invested themselves, not just their resources but their talents. 

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet with their team on a daily basis through Google Hangouts, usually for around 15 minutes. In addition to these daily stand-ups, the project manager would meet with me one on one a couple of times a week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

MentorMate takes their project’s personally in a good way. They take ownership of the product. From early on, they bought into the concept of what we were trying to do and wanted us to be successful. It feels like every person on their team is invested in us. To see the knowledge they’ve gained about our specific niche business has been really assuring. It’s not just another project for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing off the top of my head. It’s been a great relationship.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

One of the things that has made us extremely successful is that we trusted their developers. We would come to them with a new issue or feature and our teams would talk about it out loud. They would come back to us with a couple of ways to achieve it and give their recommendation.

MentorMate is very upfront and honest. They would present the cost of each option but tell us when it was worth it to spend more. Their team is good at spending your resources wisely. Trust them and their process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the COO of a subsidiary of an insurance and financial services company. I run an innovation lab that creates brand new products and builds new businesses.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We wanted to execute a rapid launch for our first web product—a tough goal for the insurance industry. We hired MentorMate to function as part of our lean startup team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MentorMate developed the website. They built the marketing side, UI, purchase flow, and backend data repository. The team also designed the site.

This build enabled us to present the product to the consumer, have them purchase it, and then set up the policy documents in our system. Our team would then service the policy and pay claims.

What is the team composition?

The 10-person team included one architect and nine developers. One of our resources was a liaison between the business and development teams.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

An employee in our main company referred MentorMate after they had worked with the team.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent roughly $500,000.  

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2016 and the website launched that June. MentorMate continues to do maintenance and make changes. They’re also helping us build other products.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our team assessed progress on existing functionalities and the consumer’s reaction to them. We built the minimum functionality and got continual input from consumers while tracking acceptance testing. In an iterative process, MentorMate capably revised the app based on user feedback and achieved a working system.

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

They did an outstanding job.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since a corporate entity owns us, most providers didn’t know how to approach us as a startup. Several couldn’t prove their capacity to follow our preference for collaboration and iterative workflows. But MentorMate embraced our startup team and adjusted to our specific approach.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be communicative and provide specific guidelines at the start. MentorMate has their own methodology, but readily followed ours. Likewise, clients should decide what kind of partnership they want. The relationship can be collaborative, or MentorMate can execute the work independently with their preferred workflows. Either way, everyone needs to understand their role and expectations clearly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the acting executive director of the Great Northern, a winter celebration in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota that began in 2017.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We launched our original website very quickly on Squarespace, but we needed to really expand our functionality. We bring together several different partners throughout the Twin Cities area and really wanted to find a more compelling and visual way to showcase all our different events.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MentorMate planned, designed, built, tested, and launched a custom responsive website for us. When we originally went into conversations with MentorMate we were pretty focused on building a mobile app, but after conversations and reflection, we decided to focus our investment on a responsive website. They used a scrum development process that allowed us the flexibility we needed to make course corrections and build a platform that we could grow for years to come.

We worked with a creative design partner here in Minneapolis that helped identify the look and feel of the site based on our brand guidelines, and MentorMate then made all the wireframes. The site showcases the schedule of events in a visually compelling and easy to navigate way that allows users to discover and share with family and friends. They also created a custom CMS system allowing for internal administrative control of our content, including a system that puts a spotlight on signature events on our home page.

What is the team composition?

We had around 10 people working on the project divided between the main team here and a development team in Sofia, Bulgaria.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We had originally approached a bigger agency in Minneapolis but found they were cost prohibitive for us to work with. This agency really felt passionate about what we were doing, so they recommended MentorMate as an alternative. At the same time, one of our board members was involved in his own personal technology business that had worked with MentorMate and had a really great experience with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of the engagement?

The entire project lasted from October 2017–January 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Before we began working with MentorMate, our Squarespace site generated just over 31,000-page views for the entirety of 2017. Then, in January and February 2018 alone we had over 53,000-page views. That is a 68% increase in just two months.

Overall the website is easy to use and has great visuals. MentorMate was very professional and thorough in debugging the site. As far as I know, we never had a crash, and they really thought through worst-case scenarios to have plans to address any issues in advance.

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. We had daily stand up meetings on Google Hangouts and used Jiro to keep track of each sprint.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really felt that MentorMate never lost focus of our business objectives and found creative solutions to keep us on schedule and on budget. We took a very long time to make a decision about whether we were going do a mobile app or a responsive website, and that put a lot of pressure on MentorMate. We did this project in less than three months, and to be able to develop this custom build in that timeframe was unbelievable. I think it speaks to the passion and dedication of their team. Originally I had some reservations about having a split team here in Minneapolis and overseas, but I was so pleased with how connected the team was. Plus, it actually helped us expand the workday because the team in Bulgaria had already started work before we were even awake.

They also had a really creative approach in tackling something that seems as simple as a schedule of events, but quite honestly was very challenging due to all of the variables. They were very clever about doing a two-phased approach that allowed us to spotlight different partners at different times all on the backend so that I wasn't worried about switching over content manually. It was a huge timesaver and a very positive experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were wonderful and I have nothing negative to say about the experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I lead the shared services area at a national real estate network, which includes technology work. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

At the time, we needed to revamp and upgrade our site’s entire backend. We hired MentorMate to mitigate internal capability limitations and expedite the timeframe. We could have acquired or executed the requisite support in-house but had to prioritize our existing responsibilities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MentorMate assessed the initial scope of rebuilding our current platform on a new stack. They led the entire analysis and design effort in conjunction with our internal teams. Specifically, they developed both the platform and payment processing arm for our program's membership option. They revamped the payment portal's UX/UI to make it more accessible. The backend is built on a PHP Laravel platform and the frontend website uses WordPress tools.

Potential customers often find our company through online marketing channels. They generally use our program to buy, sell, or refinance a home. MentorMate helped us create an assignment algorithm to match new users with one of the thousands of realtors in our network. While they don't provide traditional marketing services, they designed our site to produce increased conversions.

What is the team composition?

MentorMate contributed 12-15 resources including architects, engineers, and testers. Their teams always include a project manager to facilitate engineering tasks and monitor performance. We've scaled down to two or three support personnel since the post-conversion period of June 2017 plus 60 days.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

We found MentorMate through word-of-mouth. A member of our board might have recommended them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We first started working with MentorMate in March 2016. They completed the bulk of the project in July 2017. From a production support standpoint, they’ve worked as an extension of our internal tech team and provided ongoing maintenance ever since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our partnership has worked extremely well. They seamlessly collaborate with our internal teams. MentorMate contributed an expansive skill set that helped us deliver more efficiently. A reliable and hardworking partner, they’ve met us halfway through every challenge we've faced. Their dedication was especially apparent during the conversion phase.

Notably, the site has yet to crash since it launched. We've only had to resolve minor bugs along the way. Throughout the support stage, they’ve accurately implemented all our requests on the first try (with maybe one exception). That's a significant qualitative metric from my perspective.

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

Their resources are easy to work with and flexibly accommodate a fluctuating volume of responsibility. Our two project managers were effective and disciplined. Their headquarters are also located in Minneapolis, which we found appealing.

We mainly stayed in contact via email. Since we're not co-located, we also used the Google suite of tools, including Hangouts and Chat. The majority of development is done in conjunction with their offshore team in Bulgaria. Despite some misunderstandings, those resources exhibited phenomenal responsiveness and availability.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their greatest asset is disciplined project management. Past vendors often had to try multiple project managers before finding a functional dynamic. MentorMate’s two management resources excelled at their roles from the very start.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We experienced communication challenges with the offshore engineers. They’re amazingly talented but tend to take directions at face value rather than fully thinking them through. We’ve learned to take a broader perspective when laying out requirements and requests.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Before hiring a contractor, any client organization should know what they need both broadly and explicitly. Don't expect them to help define your objectives. That's never a fair expectation for a vendor.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of deltPRO. We’re creating a recruiting tool to help employers identify the working style of potential employees prior to the interview. We have an objective, technology-based assessment grounded in psychology to give employers that data point early in the hiring process.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We're a startup and needed to build our web tool. With a background in finance, I needed reliable technology experts to help guide me through the development process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with a six-week rapid ideation session to determine the necessary functionalities and produce wireframes. I paused the project at this point to gauge interest among potential clients. Once I was ready, we began work on a beta version.

They created an inward-facing version of our tool that allows me and my team to administer the program for our customers. MentorMate is currently developing a customer-facing version so clients can self-administer the assessment. This model will include an e-commerce function for online purchase.

What is the team composition?

There are between six and eight people and I communicate with the whole team directly, including a project manager, the Minneapolis-based staff, and the developers in Bulgaria.

MentorMate does a good job of recognizing the workload and adjusting the team size accordingly. We changed the scope to include a mobile component, for instance, and they added a quality assurance person to ensure the deadline wasn’t affected.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

They have an excellent reputation in the Minneapolis area, so I was already aware of them. The company I worked for previously hired them to develop a custom web tool, so I contacted them and a number of other firms after deciding to start my own business.

Unlike their competitors, MentorMate really understands the needs of startup, so it was a no-brainer. Their process is designed to complete projects efficiently while keeping costs down. The small price point offered me the flexibility to start and stop the project as needed, allowing me to keep my options open.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent around $75,000 so far, though this includes a rapid ideation session for a separate business idea.

What is the status of this engagement?

I contacted them in June 2017 and our relationship is ongoing. We started beta development in November and they’re currently developing the customer-facing version.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We only have a handful of customers at this time, but the tool works exactly as designed. I’ve received positive feedback about the intuitiveness of the consumer-facing component of our current model.

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

They use Jira to coordinate the project. I had no familiarity with this tool, but it helps me keep track of items I need to approve and monitor the developers’ progress. We also have daily, 15-minute phone calls to go over any questions they have or concerns on my end, and they’re flexible enough to work around my schedule.

I was worried that I would be unable to articulate my technical needs to their Bulgarian team, but this has never been an issue. They communicate effectively and provide more than mere development, offering proactive suggestions for improvement.

MentorMate also helped me with documentation, writing detailed business requirements based on our meetings. As a startup, this saved me a ton of time and ensured that the requirements were written correctly.

They produced deliverables on time, even after a significant scope change.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have an incredible team. As a startup, I handle most of the work related to my business, so it’s helpful knowing that I can depend on MentorMate. They’re an extension of my team and go out of their way to help improve the product and create the best solutions for my business. Most consulting partners only try to bill as many hours as possible, but I plan to remain loyal to MentorMate because they take affordability into consideration and provide a good value.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m not tech-oriented, so I felt they could have done a better job of explaining certain components so that we could make early decisions together. The mobile solution, for example, was added mid-project because they assumed I wasn’t interested in it. We had to go back in and make our encryption more robust for a similar reason. We could have avoided these problems by talking through the development more thoroughly.

Still, they were highly receptive when I raised these concerns and have demonstrated an effort to improve their process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work as the director of product at a loyalty rewards platform designed for people who want to make some extra cash for doing various online activities like taking surveys, trying new products, watching videos, etc.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MentorMate?

We already had a desktop website and a mobile website but didn’t yet have an app. We were interviewing various consulting companies to help us develop our initial mobile app presence for iOS and Android.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did this project from scratch. MentorMate's team is responsible for all of the programming and most of the QA for the development of our iOS and Android apps, from version one through to today, and over the course of 100 different versions of the app.

They don't develop our internal server logic, our database, or our application layer, but they do build the apps themselves, which is a pretty substantial contribution. Both the Android and iOS apps are native.

They assisted in strategy and design, but we lead those fields. They helped us with the app store process. Whether they facilitate the release independently or we will participate in the release, is up to us. They will take that process as far as we request them to go.

A key feature that they've helped us to develop over the years is a video product which rewards members for watching video content, monetized with video advertising and display advertising. It required MentorMate to get a better understanding of advertising technology, specifically related to video ad tech.

What is the team dynamic?

They essentially are our iOS and Android development team, and we work with them in that capacity. Although the development team of MentorMate is based in Bulgaria off-site and is a consulting company, we work very closely with them and consider them an external extension of our team. 

We communicate directly with the developers. The outsourced Bulgaria team usually consists of six individuals, two iOS developers, two Android developers, and two QA engineers. We also worked with two local Minneapolis-based individuals, one project manager, and one solutions architect. In general, we usually work with eight people.

How did you come to work with MentorMate?

Through networking and word-of-mouth within the Twin Cities. Our decision to go with MentorMate primarily came down to a combination of two different things. Firstly, their pricing is competitive, especially because they outsource the development to Bulgaria. Secondly, they were interested in partnering with us and working closely. We got the impression that they took our project seriously and wanted to work with us long-term, not just for the initial release of the app. We felt like we could work with them for many years and, subsequently, we have.

How much have you invested with them?

We pay them $30,000–31,000 a month.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We've had well over one million downloads on each platform and maintained a rating of over four stars on both app stores during that period of time. That speaks to the quality of the work fairly well.

The quality of the work is high. On occasions where there are issues or bugs, they are very quick to help us resolve them. We can usually minimize the impact of those bugs substantially. If we find an issue, we can probably have it resolved within one or two business days, which is pretty quick with app releases. That's the most important thing from my perspective because mistakes are almost always going to be made.

Our company moves fairly quickly, and our strategy shifts fairly quickly. We do push MentorMate's team to get changes out quickly. What's most important to us is that they can very quickly respond, whether it’s to bugs or strategy changes.

How did MentorMate perform from a project management standpoint?

Over the last two years, they've been using JIRA for project management. Before that, they used a tool called Pivotal Tracker, but they've moved away from Pivotal to JIRA. 

We work with two different individuals: a project manager and a solutions architect. We work very closely with the solutions architect. They actually come on site to our office roughly every other week, and sometimes weekly. Having that one-on-one, in-person contact really helped facilitate good communication between us and the team at MentorMate.

The project manager mostly works behind the scenes. Other than two phone calls a week, we don't really work directly together. He manages the team of six individuals, making sure that they're on task for the expected timeline and objectives.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility and willingness to partner with us long-term. As things change, I can always communicate to them and explain what has changed for our business. They're always readily available to accommodate those changes. They've been there long-term. We have an established long-term relationship with them and they definitely see it that way too, which is much appreciated.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have anything at this time.