Monsoon Consulting

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We’re an insurance provider, based in Dublin, Ireland, and we provide various insurance products. Our largest product is car insurance, and we also provide home insurance, pet insurance, and travel insurance. We’re an online business where customers can deal with most of their insurance procurements.

What is your position?

I’m an IT project manager.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you first approached Iterate?

We had a resource issue; we had an internal web developer on our side that used to deal with most of our CMS systems, which handle all the content on our site. We had intended to put a new rebrand of our site by the last quarter of this year. Unfortunately, our developer left us, so we were looking an additional resource more than anything, and that’s why we went out to find a technology partner.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

They predominantly worked on functional development and architecture. We have another team internally here that creates the design collateral, and we had already established the scope of what we wanted to do with them. So it was mostly development, and then towards the end they helped us with training.

How did you select Iterate as your partner?

We went through a vendor selection process for our work. We reached out to three other development companies that were supporting Drupal, because that’s the technology that we use for our site. There are only a couple of firms here in Ireland that provides that level and type of service, and all three of those agreed to tender for the process. We conducted phone interviews and reviewed the proposals submitted by each firm. We felt like Iterate was the best option for us given our needs, and we felt comfortable with their approach, so we went with them. We’ve been pleased with that decision.

When was the project completed?

The project was completed on October 14, 2014.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

We use Google Analytics quite a bit to see improvements and they’ve been considerable, but I don’t have exact figures off the top of my head. I know that traffic is up and support tickets have really dropped since the launch. Those are fairly good indicators of an effective site. They went over and above, really trying to get us deliverables for the exact dates that we wanted them, so we were really happy with their performance.

When working with Iterate, is there anything that you’d consider special about their strategic approach or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

They worked an additional three weekends in a row to get the work done, which was great to see. It really demonstrated their commitment to customer satisfaction. They recommended better approaches that we could use internally, as opposed to just getting the basics done. Even though they were pushed for time, they still wanted us to know how to do things better, or better approaches to the solutions that we had. Process improvement was a core role of theirs that they really assumed.

In retrospect, are there any areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

We would detail exact devices that we would expect to be supported and browser versions, too. We had a few issues that cropped up in our user acceptance testing, whereby certain functionalities weren’t working in browser versions or mobile devices. They were able to resolve that, but it was just that we were hoping they would have all of that tested before we even got to test it on our side. From a quality assurance standpoint, that could have been better.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

The South Dublin County Council is the third-largest local government authority in the Republic of Ireland. We provide a range of public services to our local residents. 

What is your position?

I'm a systems analyst. I head up the Web and applications development teams.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenge that you were attempting to address when you first approached Iterate?

At the time, we had 13 independent microsites, which offered an inconsistent and fragmented user experience. We wanted to consolidate all of those properties into a single website, which would be easier to maintain and scale. Drupal has already been selected as the platform of choice, so we knew we needed to find a partner that had experience using it. We simply didn't have the internal resources to make the transition by ourselves. 

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

Most of what they did was custom development, data preparation, systems integration, and testing. We managed the project and dealt with most of the visual elements of the site. They also modified and implemented some different modules after we launched the site. 

How long did this deployment last?

In total, from conception to deployment, it took about 12 months. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

I can't share any specific metrics or stats, but I can say that the overall deployment was a success. We transitioned to our new Drupal site without issue. The new designs and functionalities were implemented as specified. We were impressed with the rollout. Feedback has remained very positive, too. 

When working with Iterate, is there anything you'd consider unique about their approach or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

They take a very collaborative approach to development. They really look to incorporate the client's perspective. They're not afraid to make suggestions when and where it counts, even if it might not be the way the client would have approached the problem. They're very thoughtful in that regard. 

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your organization?

We’re a public library service, and we operate seven branch libraries with a staff of a little more than 90 people. It’s a typical public library service. We offer book lending, DVDs, CDs, public access computers, events supporting literacy and numeracy, and all the rest.

What is your position?

I’m the acting county librarian right now. Prior to that I was looking after ICT [information and communications technology] and services development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you first approached Iterate?

We were previously associated with the county council’s website, and the county council website wasn’t really a very fit place for us because it highlighted an awful lot of the council services. It was overwhelming and confusing for a lot of our users. The library side of things is a little bit different than the typical housing, communities, arts, water and sewage, and all of those things the council goes on with. We made the case to the head of IT [information technology] to have our own separate website developed, and he totally agreed with us. We basically wanted to put out news and events, to make online material available, to have our brochures and polices available, and things of that nature. That was basically what we wanted to do, and we wanted to tie in with our online catalog. We didn’t have the resources or capabilities necessary to make this happen, so we went looking for a vendor.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail?

They were mainly responsible for technical development, working with custom code, systems integration and configuration, testing and training. They’ve also worked on the design, very much so on the user interface side. We are due to upgrade, and we’re at Drupal 6 at the minute. We’re waiting for Drupal 8 before we move on. They also gave us training for staff in how to operate the CMS [content management system] effectively and manage our workflows. That was one of the things we really wanted done. We wanted a single point of entry for all our staff.

We also got Iterate to develop custom reports, which we use for our county council meetings. We can pull out the particular events for different areas for those meetings. So, once the branch puts it in, we don’t have to go looking for the reports. We also have an XML feed to our digital screens in the branches, so the appropriate news and events are pulled down for each branch. They developed all the custom code for that functionality.

How did you select Iterate as your solution partner?

They had done some work for the council, and they were very satisfied with it. We went with them on the recommendation of IT department and the council members.

Could you provide a general cost estimate for this particular project?

The initial cost was somewhere in the region of €10,000 (approximately $12,000).

When was this project completed?

The project was finalized about a year and a half ago, but the work is still ongoing. We’ve added several custom features since launch. We also have them for ongoing maintenance and support for the site as well as ad hoc little bits and pieces.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback that would demonstrate the quality of their performance?

The site was built initially on the basis of user feedback. We went to users and asked what they wanted to see. Once the site was developed, we brought in users for testing. As a result, the UI [user interface] was tweaked to suit end-users. Since then, we haven’t gone looking for customer feedback, but we haven’t had any negative feedback about it, either. We built the platform with the customer in mind, so the final site represents what customers were looking for.

The staff members that put up the material tend to be very happy with it. It does the job well, and I’ve heard no complaints from anybody about it. I’m very satisfied with Iterate and the work they’ve done. They’ve been extremely reliable. If they promise to do something, it’s done. If there’s ever an issue, they solve it very quickly.

When working with Iterate, is there anything you’d consider unique about their strategic approach or development methodology that distinguish them from other vendors?

They’re an awful lot quicker than the in-house Drupal developers, and an awful lot more competent. Their range of skills is very good. We’ve interacted with both their developers directly, and their project managers. It’s clear that their specialization with Drupal has paid off because they’re extremely creative and knowledgeable when it comes to enhancements and fixes.