MW2 Consulting

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering for Stella & Dot. I run a small tech team that operates in an agile environment to create an e-commerce platform for independent business owners and customers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MW2 Consulting?

When we first created our new e-commerce platform, we were looking for folks with experience in micro service architecture. When they were starting to develop the platform, they came on and played a huge role in growing the platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MW2 Consulting was crucial in those early days. They added additional functionality to the service layer and supporting frontend execution, B2B and consumer-facing portals, and more. Since then, they’ve been key players in supporting and keeping new functionality to keep the system healthy.

We field all sorts of requests for additional functionality from small UI changes to massive new functions like a referral program that issues credits based on a seller’s activity and how many people they can recruit. In that project, they added pretty complex rules in the backend in addition to frontend development. They take all sorts of business and tech driven projects. MW2 Consulting has been there the whole way supporting us.

Our system is Ruby on Rails. We recently decided to switch to vue.js, and they were essential in making that happen. They also explored switching to Angular.js.

What is the team composition?

We currently have two contractors. At one point we had six or seven. Uwe (VP Consulting Services) is my main point of contact.

How did you come to work with MW2 Consulting?

The relationship started before I came. I don’t know how they found them, but I’m happy they did because they’re a great teammate.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been well over $500,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe the contract started in April 2015. The relationship is ongoing, although currently we’re unfortunately possibly ending the contract because of COVID-19.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’m personally very satisfied with them. They report directly to me. They’re great teammates, very supportive of their team, and are always eager to take on new challenges.

A great example is that neither had any experience working in vue.js. Once our company decided to make the transition, they spent their own time studying the technology, working on it and learning it. They showed great enthusiasm, and because of that, they’ve remained a vital part of our team. They have a great attitude and are fantastic to work with.

How did MW2 Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very good. We meet daily to get status updates and they’re very clear and forthcoming with any issues. They’re also incredibly self-managed and know how to get things done with minimal oversight. We have a great relationship and communication has never been an issue.

What did you find most impressive about them?

What makes them so unique is their ownership for their work and for the platform. They show a lot of pride in their work — constantly reevaluating and suggesting improvements. I feel like they’re a part of our team. I can’t say enough good things about them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing I can think of.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a senior systems analyst and project manager at a consumer goods kitchenware business.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MW2 Consulting?

We partnered with them to create a replacement for our existing Salesforce order entry system. This is the web system that our consultants use to enter all of their orders for their customers. Our current system is over 20 years old so it's archaic and antiquated. We wanted the new system to be modern, user-friendly, mobile-friendly — everything our old system wasn’t. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them some very rough wireframes and they built a brand new, custom web application from the ground up, doing so in a mobile-friendly manner. They have expertise in Magento, which they used to build the platform, and they incorporated order entry, custom part modules, and rules functionalities.

The project was a mixture of both of our teams collaborating on the design — we contributed our knowledge of the features and functionalities of our Salesforce system, and they provided their feedback and design perspective. The team also helped to manage the project, and they give us a lot of advice about how to accomplish our goals using the Magento platform. 

What is the team composition?

The team composition varied at different stages of the project. We typically worked with between 3–4 or 6–8 teammates.

How did you come to work with MW2 Consulting?

One of my peers attended a Magento conference a couple of years ago and met MW2 Consulting there. Following that conference, we had a few discussions with them along with other businesses. In the end, MW2 Consulting was the more economic option, and their representatives were much more knowledgeable in the areas of interest. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $700,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in May 2017 and our engagement is currently ongoing. The project will officially be complete at the end of March 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

MW2 Consulting has been a great partner in this effort, and I don’t use the word “partner” lightly. They help us meet our goals and work with us to achieve them even when it means making sacrifices on their end. We’ve had experiences with other companies where it just felt like a business transaction. So far, they’ve provided us with a system that seems to be much stronger than the one we were previously using. 

How did MW2 Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They did well. However, about a year into our engagement, we transitioned from their project management to our own. Nevertheless, the team is organized and we’re always able to communicate with and contact them when needed. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

The development and QA have been quite impressive so far. Neither our business nor our business model is typical, but the team still does well in terms of identifying areas that they think will be problematic for us down the line. This has helped us avoid a lot of rework and has saved us a lot of time. Additionally, they always have good ideas about how we can achieve our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were a few aspects that weren't considered during the requirements definition stage, neither by us nor by them. So, it’s an area that we both need to improve. In the middle of the development stage, we realized that there were other unforeseen tasks that should’ve been completed prior. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

In the design and requirements phase, take extra time if needed to make sure that you plan out as much of the minor details as possible.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive director of IT at a publisher that produces entertainment, kids, food, and lifestyle books as well as other forms of content such as journals and note cards.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MW2 Consulting?

We needed a partner to support and enhance our Magento website. At the time, we wanted to replace our existing provider who was no longer providing us with great resources and return on investment.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

MW2 Consulting provides technical expertise, managing small tickets to support our Magento website. They’ve helped us follow best practices when resolving our website’s technical and functional issues. We went about communicating in a weekly Skype call or Zoom meeting.

What is the team composition?

We’ve collaborated with an onshore sales representative as well as an offshore developer.

How did you come to work with MW2 Consulting?

MW2 Consulting reached out through a cold call. They worked on a couple of smaller tasks before we gave them our full support contract.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little less than $50,000 in support.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in early 2018 and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

MW2 Consulting has supported an all-around positive experience. My team and business users have been very happy with their expertise. We’ve been satisfied with the quality of resources they’ve provided as well as the turnaround times for solving issues.

How did MW2 Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

MW2 Consulting has performed well. If their team gives a date, they will meet it unless there’s a specific roadblock. Because these tasks are small in nature, there’s not a lot of project management involved.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The value they provide has been impressive. They’re an excellent resource and offer a good rate. For a small to medium-sized company like ours, MW2 Consulting has been a good fit.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you’re clear about your requirements and be involved in weekly meetings. Stay on top of communication, manage a quick turnaround and testing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the VP of e-commerce for James Free Jewelers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MW2 Consulting?

I was working in the same industry but for a different organization when I first engaged with MW2 Consulting. I needed to find a Magento development company that was certified with Magento 2 and had plenty of experience with the enterprise edition of it, as well as Amazon Web Services hosting.

I will be taking MW2 through the same process for James Free Jewelers. We’re working on an upgrade project, getting ready for the particular conversion.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In my previous project with them, we were taking Magento 1.9 Community Edition and moving it to an enterprise edition of Magento 2.0, or whatever the latest release was. MW2 Consulting was in charge of a full data migration and completely revamping the style of the site, changing much of its UX to make it more mobile-friendly.

There was a high level of complexity with that particular project, and MW2 delivered well on the development side, following the aesthetic guidelines as well as making a seamless data migration.

With the current project at James Free Jewelers, MW2 is taking us from Magento 1.7 in a shared environment and migrating it to our own hosting domain while upgrading to Magento 1.9, in addition to performing some extension upgrades and customizations to improve the user experience.

One of the big goals we have with this upgrade is to improve the site’s navigation, making it easier to find products and improving overall load time, which needed to be reduced by 80%. MW2 is also implementing various enhancements within the cart in order to make payment and checkout much easier.

There’s some design revamping that needs to be done as well, which they will end up getting involved with later on.

What is the team dynamic?

I worked with nine people from MW2 on the previous project. We have communicated through email, phone, JIRA, and Zoom for meetings or shared screen experiences.

How did you come to work with MW2 Consulting?

For the first organization, I interviewed 15 different Magento development companies, looking for groups either in the U.S. or Canada. I had previously only worked with groups in this region, as opposed to outsourcing out of the country. With MW2, I found a nice balance from a cost standpoint; not only did they have the advantage of offshore development, but are also located in the core of where Magento code is being developed.

MW2 brought in people from the development team in Minsk, Belarus. They were involved not just during weekly calls but also spent five days face-to-face with us, working on defining the scope of the project. By the time we got the work going, I was comforted by the idea that our project manager was stateside while the coders were in the Minsk offices.

How much have you invested with them?

Between the two projects, when all is said and done, it will definitely be six figures.

What is the status of this engagement?

I started the initial conversation with MW2 in March 2017 and launched the project in April. They have an ongoing relationship with the company I left, and I’m still involving them with the current project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I left the previous organization prior to the launch, so I don’t have information of that. We’re currently still working on development with MW2 at James Free Jewelers. I’m very confident that the work they’ve done so far will yield the results we’re looking for.

How did MW2 Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve performed well in making sure that processes continue to move forward and at communicating. Like any client, once we decided to go ahead and do something, we wanted it done fast whether it was feasible or not. MW2 has done well with handling tight deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The thing that stands out the most to me is their focus within Magento; they’ve been on the cutting-edge in terms of application development for large corporations. When looking at them as a vendor, one of our concerns was that we’re not Apple or HP—we’re a small-to-midsized business. However, the attention they paid to our projects, the level of service, and the deliverables we’ve gotten from them have matched those of any Fortune 500 companies they’ve worked with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They should work on managing our expectations earlier into the project, in terms of setting up a timeline and determining what’s feasible and what’s not. They haven’t been bad at meeting deadlines and usually deliver within a week of when things are due. Sitting back, evaluating the whole scope from the beginning, and allowing themselves to exceed on timing expectations would be an improvement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

PCA Skin is a skin care company. I was the COO. I’m in a different industry now, but I continue to use and refer MW2 since leaving there.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with MW2?

They developed an e-commerce site for us, which was new for our company. We’d always used a call center to handle order placements, but this wasn’t as efficient for our customers as it could’ve been. It meant they had to wait until we were open or they were between appointments. An e-commerce site would allow them to place orders when convenient for them, and it would enable us to be much more supportive and responsive.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We used the Magento platform and they did all of implementation and customizations. We worked together to develop the scope of the project, and we relied on their expertise to determine how to deploy Magento’s capabilities to provide the best solution for our customers. We only provided the design and the APIs for full integration into our system.

One of the functionalities we really needed was a way to connect people through multiple customer accounts. Our customers were often associated with more than one business. For example, an aesthetician at a medical practice might have a side business of their own but use the same account number for both practices. They needed to order under either capacity at any given time. We wanted to track that and integrate order placement, processing, and our accounting system. They developed a solution for this seemingly unsolvable problem.

What is the team dynamic?

I think there was a total of five on the team including the project manager and head engineer.

How did you come to work with MW2?

We started off with a basic internet search. We were looking for strong developers with good e-commerce experience, and we ultimately found them through a LinkedIn search.

How much have you invested with them?

I know that our initial investment was $250,000. For the second phase, I think it was another $300,000 or $400,000. I’m not sure what it is currently.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in spring 2012. We began a second phase in early 2014 to transition the site from serving our customer base only to selling directly to consumers.

I spoke with the person leading the consumer side a month ago, and she said the project is ongoing as the site evolves and they implement new features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Customers loved the flexibility the site provided and really appreciated how much easier it made their lives. This proved to be an incredibly lucrative move for us. Customers that started ordering online instead of by phone increased overall revenue by about $1 million a year. It was a huge win.

How did MW2 perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management is one of their true strengths—they’re masters at it. They come in and guide the project along expertly. I learned a lot about project management from them and actually apply it in my current work.

They were incredibly responsive when we had issues with the website or the Magento backend. It didn’t matter what time of day or day of the week it was, even on holidays: They were available.

We communicated a lot via email and phone with the project manager and had weekly status calls via Skype.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really appreciated their breadth of their experience. They offered solutions and options that we wouldn’t have considered but that truly met our specific business needs.

The fact that they’ve enjoyed such a long, positive relationship with PCA Skin speaks to the quality of the work they’ve done from the beginning. The consumer lead I spoke with mentioned how pleased they are with the progress they’ve made together.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issue, which is a challenge no matter what, was translating the nature of our business for them. We had to do a lot of educating at times about the nuances of the business: why a given solution wouldn’t work in our particular situation. While this is somewhat of a complaint, I recognize that it just comes with the territory.

That said, whenever we addressed such obstacles over the course of the project, they quickly fixed things and moved on. They were willing to learn from our feedback and make improvements right away, which is one reason the relationship continues five years later.