Mutations Limited

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CTO of Parse.ly, a SaaS company and I run the product engineering team.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutations Limited?

We needed someone to redesign and re-architect our public website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When Mutations took on our project, they started out by supplementing the frontend team that did the initial design work on the website. Then, over time, they became our primary web development partner.

One of their core responsibilities also included managing our marketing technology (MarTech) stack, working with our development team and our marketing team. This included the marketing automation software behind our forms, funnels, and email (Marketo); content management on our blog (powered by WordPress); and organization of our knowledge base (powered by Markdown files and a third-party search provider). They even did significant work in information architecture and web performance, which made the overall site operate better, as well.

Some of the technology we’ve implemented are JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and React in terms of the framework. They also used an open-source framework called Gatsby and Heroku, a platform as a service provider (PaaS).

What is the team composition?

My main points of contact are Don (Executive Director & Co-Founder) and Liana (Managing Director). 

How did you come to work with Mutations Limited?

A product manager at Parse.ly had heard of them because they did a website redesign for a company called Patreon.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve invested about $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing partnership started in March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had our strongest revenue year after launching the website in 2020, and it has been performing optimally on every metric, such as organic traffic and engagement. The platform also loads faster and is ranking better from an SEO standpoint.

How did Mutations Limited perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re the best vendor I’ve ever worked with when it comes to project management. They’re very transparent about the build and they consistently try to meet deadlines.

We primarily work through GitHub, Slack, and a ticket tracking tool called ClickUp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed with the quality of engineers they work with, as they’re all technically-minded and diligent about the project.

I like that they’re also highly responsive and comfortable around utilizing modern tools — so I consider them a valuable extension of my development team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’m happy with the overall work Mutations Limited provides, so I don’t have any constructive criticism.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to trust their recommendations on architecture for public marketing sites. If you use one of the standard architectures they’re comfortable with, you will surely get the most out of your consulting dollars.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the product marketing manager of Patreon. It’s a membership platform for creatives.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutations Limited?

We were approached by a high-profile client who was looking for a custom solution. Our team didn’t have the resources to build it. They wanted a mobile app that’d allow their users to download and stream their videos behind a locked paywall. We pulled in Mutations Limited to help us take on this project.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The solution was a portal for our clients’ fans to gain access to exclusive behind-the-scenes video content and updates. Mutations Limited pulled content from WordPress and videos from Vimeo and bundled everything into a mobile app.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Dan (Co-Founder) and Don (Co-Founder). They handled a lot of the work themselves but also pulled in an agency to do the designs. There were also other Mutations Limited team members working behind-the-scenes.

How did you come to work with Mutations Limited?

We had worked with them in the past so we knew and trusted them. Our team had interviewed other vendors, with a big focus on time and price. Mutations Limited was one of the only vendors who confidently said they could deliver on time and within budget. Don’s confidence in his project management experience sold us because we wanted to hand off the majority of the project to the vendor.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested about $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from February–June 2020. Mutations Limited has signed a contract directly with the client to maintain the solution moving forward.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Mutations Limited flawlessly met our goals of staying within budget and launching on time. The app itself has about 62,000 users which is far more successful than we expected it to be.

How did Mutations Limited perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. There was a little bit of a delay in the beginning while they were figuring out what the technology looked like that they were working with and securing a design partner. However, they communicated that very clearly.

There was a distinct lack of experience on the client’s side in terms of building and understanding how mobile app development works and Mutations Limited was extremely accommodating to that. They made sure they were meeting on a weekly basis, if not twice, to ensure the client felt confident and up-to-speed.

They set up their own Slack channel to provide instant updates. Everything was smooth but there was one point when the client was concerned about deadlines. The client wasn’t expressing it in the clearest way, so I stepped in as a mediator to make sure the two were talking. Mutations Limited handled that perfectly.

They immediately added more time to everyone’s calendars and made sure they were sending regular executive summaries to the client so they could funnel those up internally. Their team was great at making sure everyone was happy.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They made the whole process fun. Working with a lot of product and engineering teams equates to day-to-day work feeling like a slog. Not to mention, they don’t usually treat nontechnical people as their equals. However, the Mutations Limited team has treated our team as their friends. They’ve made this an enjoyable collaborative experience, which I haven’t seen with any other vendors.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Now that they have this particular custom solution project under their belt, I feel they’ll be able to do better in the future by anticipating questions that will come up from nontechnical people. They can be more proactive in their over-communication of timelines and what is and isn't within scope. That’s the only area that could use a bit of improvement.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Come to them as prepared as possible to make sure your scope is crystal clear. Also, take the time to get to know the team and build a relationship. Having a deep connection will benefit your engagement. Their whole team is very personable and they overperform.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of operations at a private courtroom.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutations Limited?

We had an existing software that was created by an individual. However, as we started to grow, we felt that we needed a team that could dedicate more time to taking us to where we needed to go because the software is our central hub for everything that we do here in the office. 

It’s our database, it’s our scheduling tool, it runs reports for us, and it collects information. We wanted Mutations Limited to expand on what we already had.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Mutations Limited has expanded on everything that we had. When we first had the software, it was such a collection of our data; we weren’t really able to use any of it. So, the team has allowed us to actually use the software as more than just a housing for our data.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with Dan (Co-Founder, Principal) and John (Co-Founder) who do most of the programming.

How did you come to work with Mutations Limited?

Someone in our office was doing a search when they came across the company. Before we decided on them, we were looking to have a team that was located locally.

The other teams that came in already had software that we could customize, but we didn’t want to do that because we had spent time and money creating our own software. Mutations Limited was the only team we came across that seemed professional and capable.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in April 2019, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It’s been great. Our software has grown into something that we all use. Our staff needs a way to access their case information, and they can do that through the software program now, which wasn’t possible before.

Additionally, we’re able to keep track of metrics and assign work within our office. The expanded software has allowed us to grow as an organization while keeping our operations streamlined.

How did Mutations Limited perform from a project management standpoint?

Since April, I’ve been meeting with Mutations Limited once a week, and Dan and I talk every day through Slack. I’m able to give them feedback or talk to them about the issues I have, and they’re quick to respond, which is great. 

We didn’t expect them to be available around the clock, but they are. We’re in constant communication, which has allowed us to make huge leaps and bounds in our work. The team has been willing to work with us when it comes to billing.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Mutations Limited has really taken an interest in what we do. Our field is very specific — we’re not quite a law firm, we’re not quite a startup company; we’re somewhere in between. The team is interested in what we do, which has allowed them to help us make good progress with regards to our technology. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing jumps to mind. If anything, they could add more people to their team, which they are starting to do. If they grow larger, that would benefit us. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They are great. When it comes to creating software, you need to have someone who knows what you want the software to do and knows where it should be headed. 

Once you have an idea of that, the team takes a good look at everything that involves your company. The most important thing is to make sure you have a good team during the process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the head of content marketing at Patreon. We're a software company and platform for artists and creators.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutations Limited?

We engaged Mutations Limited to build out a blog product that offered a more customized experience.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When I started in my role, I recognized that the blog we had in place was a stable product, but there were still areas to grow and improve. We wanted to implement search capabilities and have a greater sense of the platform’s analytics. For instance, Mutations Limited works with our analytics team to make sure we have all of the metrics regarding newsletter subscribers or automatic sign-ups. Mutations Limited helps us determine a data-driven content strategy, which we’ve never had before. When we identify an end result that we want, Mutations Limited finds several options to determine what fits best for our company.

What is the team composition?

I work with three central points of contact.

How did you come to work with Mutations Limited?

Chris (Co-Founder, Mutations Limited) is an old colleague of our head of operations.

How much have you invested with them?

Our monthly payments vary, but we generally stick around $15,000 each month.

What is the status of this engagement?

I began working with them in May 2018, and we have many ongoing projects.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When I took over the project, I laid out my approach to content marketing and expressed my desire to have more data so that I could operate how I wanted. With their help, I now have a deeper understanding of how people interact with our platform and adopt our product. They’ve built a customizable blog portal for us, and it’s been easy for me to look at the data we collect and identify how many qualified leads I’m sending to the sales team.

How did Mutations Limited perform from a project management standpoint?

We have an hour-long phone call each week to discuss our progress, and we maintain a Slack channel so that we can message daily. In general, they’re happy to defer to us and execute on what we want, but they’re also willing to have more of a collaborative process when needed. I appreciate the transparency and the proactivity to keep me involved and in the loop using their Pivotal Tracker tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve developed a trusting and friendly relationship with each member of their team. They are supportive of our efforts and what we’re trying to accomplish. I feel like they have become an extension of our team and don’t just serve as a third party.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At one point, we needed to address the lack of clarity regarding specific timelines, but we’ve operated well since then.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’ve found it best to go to Mutations Limited with an ideal outcome. For example, I want to create an e-book and distribute it to people only after they give me an email address. I don't know how to make that happen, but Mutations Limited knows how to make that happen. I have ideas, but they're the experts. If you have ideas, they’ll work backward to determine the technical process. When you give them a runway to be the experts that they are, you get much better results.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the founder of a social travel app based in Atlanta. Our goal is to make documenting, sharing, and discovering amazing places as streamlined, informative, and authentic as possible.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Mutations Limited?

An intuitive, modern, and clean UX was a priority throughout the app's design and construction. Mutations Limited helped develop an experience that was fresh to younger Gen Y and Z travelers, but still usable and understandable to Gen X and Baby Boomer users.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted a clean UI with as few on-screen buttons and icons as possible without sacrificing a smooth UX. Because the app documents places, user content needs to be front and center in order to boost visual aesthetic and encourage longer usage times.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Although we searched for and reviewed several vendors online, we heard of Mutations Limited by word of mouth. After one phone call, it was clear they knew what they were doing. Not only did they offer a great plan at a fair price, they felt more like a part of our company than an outside vendor.

Describe the project in detail.

 We presented the design we wanted—or thought we wanted. Over subsequent video calls, they would address the pros and cons of each frame and we would challenge them, continuing to emphasize aesthetics. We would eventually agree upon a solution that offered an intuitive, understandable, and visually appealing design.

What was the team composition?

We worked directly with one of the agency founders from start to finish.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Their UX guidance was flawless. Many of the suggestions we initially rejected were later requested by users during beta testing, and so were implemented anyway. We should have just listened to Mutations Limited from the beginning!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was perfect. I work with dozens of online vendors from all over the world on a daily basis, so I appreciated their amazing accessibility and quick responses. It was as if they were in the same location.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their attention to detail was exactly what we needed. They recommended really important things we’d never even considered. They were like digital psychiatrists—they knew what our users wanted before the users even knew they wanted it.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing comes to mind. It was an overall great experience.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

01Click sells B2B, enterprise sales productivity apps. We’re generally in the CRM space. These are apps to help B2B sales reps sell. I’m the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutations Limited?

I had used a fairly inexpensive, lower-scale developer build our MVP which was enough for us to land IBM. We realized we needed to grow up and plug security holes in our app. At that point, we got connected with Phil Cohen [Co-Founder] who is part of Mutations and he provided a lot of security expertise that allowed us to satisfy IBM and win that business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our conversations product took the longest number of hours. It’s in production right now for Schneider Electric and SAP, two large accounts that we have.

They also helped build something called Top Mail from the ground up. They executed well on that project and it has achieved success in the marketplace. Teamwork Mail is another product they developed which is more of a prototype, but I do have a demo of it.

They’ve done so much. They’ve been my development team for five years. They’ve developed apps completely from scratch. They have improved and enhanced products for me. I had IBM as a customer for multiple years. I’ve landed Schneider and SAP which I wouldn’t have done without the products that Mutations Limited developed.

Chris Knific was my product designer/product manager. He did the screen designs and managed the pipeline. He uses Pivotal Tracker to manage the development. When there was a request that required a design, he produced it. Chris helped with turning customer requirements into product design, but I didn’t use them for website, branding, or outbound marketing.

Mutations excel at Ruby on Rails and whatever web server a company would require. Their default is AWS for their hosting services. They use GitHub, Travis, Keen, Pingdom, etc. They like to use New Relic, but it’s expensive. Sometimes the choice is based on my budget constraints. With me, they’ve had to use PhoneGap Cordova, which they would not choose to do, but they inherited that technology. They do some Python and JavaScript but they’re primarily Ruby experts.

What is the team dynamic?

There was a time that I had five people working on a project. Right now, we’re primarily working with Danny [Co-Founder] although Don [Co-Founder] comes in and out some too. It was very easy to integrate their team into ours. I’ve never gone outside this group of guys to hire another company. They know each other and have the same work practices. Rolling new people on and off the team has been seamless.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in Fall 2012.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We did a cumulative $5M in lifetime revenue with IBM. I wouldn’t have done that without Mutations. Our biggest metric is being able to land and keep corporate accounts.

How did Mutations Limited perform from a project management standpoint?

We use Zoom, Flowdock, and Pivotal Tracker, which work very well for us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are high-quality developers. I like working with them. They have a great portfolio of people with different strengths. Don is a former Navy machine who gets things done. Phil and Danny are extremely smart and can solve tough development problems. Chris has got a very good work process and ability to break work down, so the developers can work. He has great product management capability, which I think is valuable to companies like mine. They have such depth in Ruby that you’re not going to throw something at them that they can’t do. If you gave them something else to work on, that would probably slow them down some, but I don’t know if anyone can beat them in Ruby.

They all have good attitudes. We had used another developer who had more degrees than anyone I knew but he would not take feedback, so we fired him.

Are there any areas they could improve?

These projects are like a mining expedition. You don’t know if you will run into rock or granite. That’s the nature of the work. I don’t have a way to measure them to say they should be faster. Within the team, there are those who are more productive. Don cranks stuff out quick and he stands out versus the other guys. Time management might be one thing, but that could be the nature of the work. Faster is always better for a founder who’s paying the bills.

Do you have any advice for potential clients?

Don’t over specify or you’ll get something that’s not as good as you could get. Use their brains to solve problems. Bring them a problem, not the solution exactly the way you want it.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Gemini Duplication is a record retrieval service - a copy service for law firms. We're number two in the market in California, in terms of the volume of medical records we obtain from various facilities for worker's comp cases. I'm the Director of Technology in charge of all things software engineering. I contribute code and technical expertise to all of our projects ranging from evolving our web applications to improving our local infrastructure and moving more things to the cloud.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutations Limited?

I've worked with three of the guys, actually, John, Phil, and Don for a number of years in the past. We were working together at another consultancy and had an excellent team that enjoyed working together on the Gemini project. Fast forward years later, I ended up going in-house and working for Gemini full-time two years ago and had reconnected back with John, as he was reconnecting back with Phil and Don, then they brought on Chris and Danny; we re-established the part of that team that we really loved from the past.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

GenieDocs is a Ruby on Rails application. It's in a mature state at this point. It's been through years of prototyping and in production for a long time now. Multiple departments use it. We scaled from 40 or 50 employees back in the early days when we launched the platform in 2012 to now with 120 employees and our staff uses the application all throughout the day. Our clients do as well. We've integrated it with strategic partners and a number of various service integrations. We've been scaling our reference retrieval volume. We're having to get increasingly more efficient. By building applications to do more workflows and do more workflows more efficiently, we're able to meet both the growing needs of delivering faster turnaround on increasing volume. The Mutations team has been able to reason with the complexities of that system and build new interfaces and get us moving forward, so that it's not just limited to being a Ruby on Rails application, but encompassing the newer javascript frameworks as well. We just recently introduced React, Redux, Relay, and GraphQL, so we can get even more rich client interfaces working with the same application.

What is the team dynamic?

One of the great aspects of having Phil on the team is that he helps us adopt the right patterns to use over time. He's in an advisory capacity and able to deliver value on that scale. Don is our craftsman, he's always pushing the envelope on how we can make something better, more elegant, solve in ways we haven't thought of before. Always great to get those new ideas flowing in. John has so many things in one: he's a pragmatist, efficient, and can reason through any level of depth and complexity and find the humor in it, as well a really excellent solution. Danny, the interesting thing about him was on the very first video conference we had with him, he broke through a barrier that we had shied away from for years. Chris, from a project management and design perspective, has been amazing. For a person like me to find someone that I trust as much as myself to write user stories, requirements, and formulate decisions was huge. He's really blown me away with his ability to deliver even higher quality than I could deliver myself. In many cases of requirements, wireframes, and upfront design that would otherwise slow development teams down, he nailed it really quickly.

How much have you invested with them?

It's an ongoing project that really doesn't have an end-date. The pace we've been looking at is around the $50,000-$200,000 range.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We acquired a company recently and needed to merge and migrate systems and data. The Mutations team was able to complete that project in less than two months. Those projects allowed us to not have to take on the acquired company's systems, but rather migrate their data into ours which saved us from having to run dual system. We were able to move swiftly and not take on an additional system, but move that data into our system of record. We were able to immediately move our collections team into collecting money right out of the gate, which was really an impressive feat. Instead of having a major slowdown we ended up having a big gain.

How did Mutations Limited perform from a project management standpoint?

We were in communication multiple times per week and have oriented our development week to where we we spend the middle to the end of the week in high communication, and then the beginning of the week is lower communication and people are free to work on other projects.

For chat we use Flowdock and for video calls we use Zoom.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It's the people and the team dynamic. Having known them and worked with them in the past and knowing the quality that they put out and the learning experiences that we all gain from one another by working together. That's one of the big benefits of the team composition. Phil Cohen: we've looked to him as the legend of so many of our decisions we've made over the years because he's got this body of knowledge that astounds us every day - what he knows about web applications, frameworks, technologies, and security just blows our minds.

They’re the type of team you want to hire for complicated web-based pieces of software. The team that's going to be able to reason about the complexity of a small business or a start-up or a company with a piece of legacy software they're looking to connect or even replace. They’re an excellent team of senior engineers that really do a great job by their clients.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't see anything I would change about them. The team works so well.

Advice for potential customers?

Make it a point to work with everyone on the team. By working with each one, you're going to see where you can move your company forward more by leveraging their unique specialties.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

American Funding Innovators (or AFI) builds grant management software for colleges, cities, counties, and non-profits. I am the CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Mutations Limited?

We’re a small company always working to maximize the resources we have. Historically, we’ve outsourced much of our development efforts. While that approach has gotten us where we needed to go, it’s also led to some bad experiences and wasted time and money.  This has been the case with both onshore and offshore development.

We’re trying to make a decisive shift in terms of the core philosophy of the software. The biggest challenge most business-to-business software companies face is adoption. As is typically the case, we build for two audiences - those who consume data, and those who provide it. Our consumers are never the problem, but ensuring adoption by the providers is the key to a successful implementation. To get past that hurdle, we’re looking for ways to incorporate tools people already use on a daily basis, and glean from that interaction what we need to populate our database while minimizing the burden on the end user. Mutations initial front-end development provided a huge step in that evolution, and we’re very excited about having their skills and experience taking us further down our product roadmap.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The first priority was upgrading us from Ruby on Rails 4.0 to 5.0. This entailed a full code review, cleanup work in terms of test coverage and dependencies, making the system more flexible and better-performing. The process lasted for several months, and, once complete, we transitioned to front-end development. The front-end work included some of the big, positioning roadmap items, as well as some minor enhancements customers had been wanting, allowing us to capitalize on low-hanging fruit.

What is the team dynamic?

I believe they have a team of 5–6 people, but we’ve worked predominantly with John Dell, our primary development lead. They collaborate for code reviews and pull in specialists for GUI work as well as architectural reviews and security audits. 

How did you come to work with Mutations Limited?

After about 6 years of iterative development with multiple developers “under the hood”, we decided the best approach would be a complete system rebuild from line zero by a single team.  Finding an onshore team with the availability and the skills we needed, and within a budget we could manage was a challenge.  You quickly learn that while Rails is a phenomenal platform, truly skilled Rails developers come at a premium.  So the bulk of the rebuild was performed by an offshore company in Europe.  While they had some very skilled developers, we repeatedly faced challenges stemming from turnover, and in some cases lack of experience later in the project. Eventually, we began to see problems with quality, budget, and deadlines. 

As we were preparing to roll out 2.0 and make the transition to Rails 5.0, I was contacted by John from Mutations. I’d first worked with him several years ago when he coded for us while employed at another development house.  Since that time, I’d contracted with him off-and-on for code reviews and to assist as a local resource helping interact with the team in Europe, but John hadn’t been available as a full-time resource for us.  John let us know that he and a handful of other like-minded and experienced people were starting a new company, Mutations Limited.  In over a decade of working with both in-house and contract developers, John was by far the most talented we’d found, so of course, we signed with Mutations immediately.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have gone through periods of Mutations Limited working 40–50 hours per week for us, and periods of 4–5 hours per week, depending on what we need. Mutations Limited can be there when I need them, and not there when I don’t.  This is one of the key benefits they offer.  Hiring full-time staff to do what they do would mean committing significantly more to our development budget, and in the end, we’d never be able to compile the complete skill set that Mutations’ team brings to the table. Essentially they offer us back-end, front-end, design, security, architecture and other skills at the highest level, all rolled into one.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a dramatic improvement in multiple areas as a result of our work with Mutations. On an architectural level, our Amazon Web Services (AWS) implementation was optimized.  We had a lot of overkill in terms of backend infrastructure.  We saw a drop of 40% in monthly hosting costs, just because of Mutations’ optimization of our AWS setup. It’s not just about the code, but the architecture supporting it.  On a coding level, they’ve been able to complete equivalent projects in roughly a quarter of the time we were seeing offshore, and the code that’s presented is higher quality with far fewer bugs requiring rework. While offshore rates can be attractive, productivity and quality can definitely tilt the ROI equation back to onshore IF you can find the right team. Mutations are the first team we’ve worked with that can, in fact, make that equation work. 

How did Mutations Limited perform from a project management standpoint?

Historically, we’ve used BaseCamp for multiple purposes, including project management.  While Mutations was more than willing to work with our processes on that platform, they did make recommendations regarding an alternative system they’d used with good results.  They not only demoed the system and trained us to use it, but once we opted to make the shift, they also absorbed the cost of our usage as overhead on their part, meaning we have the option of reducing our monthly expenses even further by discontinuing our BaseCamp subscription. 

In terms of the communication as a whole, Mutations’ use of extremely detailed invoices has been a very welcome change for us. Hours are broken down into 15-minute increments, with resources committed to specific efforts called out clearly.  So far, everything makes sense, and the transparency is phenomenal. Overall, the combination of their communication efforts and the tools they provide has proven extremely effective in keeping projects on track and on budget.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve already spoken to the quality of the code and the transparency that surpasses anything we’ve experienced in the past.  Beyond that, I’m most impressed with the apparent cohesiveness of their team. While they all seem to operate at a high level with exceptional skills, it’s the way they interact with each other to deliver a complete package so seamlessly that is truly amazing. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

In the capacity we've worked with them so far, no. The transparency has me very comfortable that what I’m being billed for is both accurate and reasonable based on our scope. From a performance standpoint, the improvements they’ve made are visible on the front-end and on the back-end.  If there’s a weakness here, we haven’t seen it yet.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Only the same advice I’d give to any company outsourcing such a critical aspect of their operations. Be clear about what you need before signing with any vendor, including Mutations. Mutations is a young company, and it’s reasonable to assume they’ll go through growing pains at some point. The better the customer is able to outline and clarify what their needs and expectations are, the better Mutations will be able to determine if they can achieve it, and how. But at least with this team, I’m confident they share the skills and the integrity to give you an objective and honest analysis upon which to base your decisions.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Education of The North Carolina Arboretum

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We use gardens, exhibits and educational experiences to connect people with places and plants.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Mutations Limited to accomplish?

• Maintain the ecoexplore.net website
• Add additional features to the ecoexplore.net website

SOLUTION

How did you find Mutations Limited?

Referral

Why did you select Mutations Limited over others?

• High ratings
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Mutations Limited were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Maintain the security and stability of the ecoEXPLORE.net websites, including a staging site and a backend site created for staff and volunteers to review student work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• The website was adequately maintained throughout. 
• New features were troubleshot and reviewed. 
• Most of these worked after working out bugs.

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

Yes, were very attentive and professional.

What was your primary form of communication with Mutations Limited?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The team seemed to work very well together and knew their stuff.

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

We would have appreciated knowing the intent of Mutations to end our contract prior to the timeline provided, but it all worked out and we appreciate them!