Parthenon Software Group

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a project manager for Krispy Krunchy Foods. We are a branded store concept and currently are in over 2,300 locations in the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Parthenon Software Group?

We needed to maintain one database system that would work in the field for all our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

My original idea was a platform that indicated which stores offer our products. Initially, this project was limited to tracking, graphics, and equipment jobs to send staff onsite. We gave them wireframes and sketches to indicate what we needed the platform to accomplish. They built the platform from scratch, and helped design several aspects. This mobile app is downloaded to our company iPads. It's used internally by our staff, and also houses a training video program for our end user operators.

Currently, we’re creating the platform our sales and marketing teams will use to order equipment and sign up new locations. All that information feeds into our corporate system, which allows users to type in a zip code to find the nearest Krispy Krunchy items for sale. These entirely different platforms have the built-in ability to communicate with each other. The team also provides maintenance and support for our website. We’re continuing to build new aspects to enhance the functionality.

What is the team composition?

6-7 resources from Parthenon Software Group were involved in our project. We worked directly with Andy Schmitt, the owner.

How did you come to work with Parthenon Software Group?

We started the project with a different development team, who decided that it was not within their realm of expertise. They referred us to Parthenon Software Group.

How much have you invested with them?

By the end of all our projects, we're going to be in the $250,000 to just under a million range.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2016, and launched the first phase of our mobile app and web platform in November 2016. We're continuing to launch different aspects, and our next release will be in March 2018. We have more projects after that they'll continue to work on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Parthenon Software Group has ultimately created a database that works as a one stop shop for every aspect of our company. Our internal team and end users love the platform and iPad application. It's very user friendly, and has helped our operators manage staff turnover. Convenience stores have roughly a 66% percent turnover radius, so the people we initially train may no longer work there within just three to six weeks. Now, they can simply watch our training videos. The program includes a test at the end that requires an 83% or higher score to pass. It's helped us, since we no longer need to hold continuous training programs in store, and has supported managers with hiring new employees.

How did Parthenon Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. We communicated mostly through phone and e-mail, and they also used ChiliProject, which is a ticketing process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're amazing to work with, and have been very on point with everything. The ticketing process allows us to send screenshots if we notice any issues or bugs in the system. Their turnaround time is immediate. Work is always done within 12 to 24 hours. The team is very responsive to our needs. I can call Andy at any time, and he'll answer questions and assist me with any issues I'm having.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Synergistic Creations, which is a health platform that connects patients and providers by pulling from aggregate data and storing it in a HIPAA-compliant database.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Parthenon Software Group?

We hired Parthenon to develop a number of web-based technologies and apps to further our mission: to bring in daily data to both patients and providers, and facilitate better target care in a more convenient, timely manner.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

So far, they’ve built us an encrypted cloud database, a provider portal, and a website landing page for that portal. They’ve also built us two Android and iOS hybrid mobile apps that pull information from the website and cloud database. They continue to provide ongoing support for the software they’ve built for us and remain available for any additional functionalities, features and platforms we’re looking to build.

When Parthenon is working on a project for us, we generally provide them with either verbal directions or wireframes to guide their development. They sometimes assist with the design work, but generally their work is limited to development.

What is the team composition? 

Typically, we work with a core team of three or four, but there can be up to 10 people working on a project, including two project managers.

How did you come to work with Parthenon Software Group?

We were interested in local firms to be a single-source development provider to ensure high security for our intellectual property and privacy for our secure database. I researched a number of providers in our local area and vetted a few of them for three months. We decided to work with Parthenon because of their honesty in comparison to some of the other firms we were considering. They didn’t oversell — they simply said they could do what we wanted at high quality and an affordable price.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested between $500,000 and $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in October 2014. We soft-launched our platform in the summer of 2015. After we got feedback from our beta testers and made the necessary changes, we hard-launched in January 2016.

We continued to work with them on platform updates and additional development features. We intend to continue our partnership with them for a long time – we’re probably one of their most long-term clients.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our beta testers said that our platform is much-needed, highly unique, and easy to use. Internally, we find the platforms to be very easy to scale; we are able to quickly and comfortably add features to the foundation we created with Parthenon to meet the needs of our market.

How did Parthenon Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They have done phenomenally well. I’ve never had an issue getting ahold of them. I keep track of their day-to-day operations of the platform on the server side, and I never have had any complaints about how things are handled.

They’re amenable to any type of communication I choose, whether I show up at their office announced or unannounced, speak with them via email, or call them on the phone. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

It doesn’t matter what I ask of them — even if it’s something that isn’t currently on the market or doable with our technology, Parthenon never tells me no. We brainstorm and find the best solution to ensure they can do what I ask.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No; nothing comes to mind. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Parthenon is the company that comes in and cleans up other developers’ bad work. Go talk to them first before you speak with somebody else, or make sure you get a second opinion from them before you move forward anywhere else. Tech work can cost millions of dollars, but Parthenon does a fantastic job at an affordable rate.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm co-founder and chief technology officer of LCVista, a learning management and compliance-tracking platform for public accounting firms.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Parthenon Software Group?

We needed help building out features for our existing compliance-tracking application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We contracted with Parthenon to augment development resources from another firm. They helped us build out a range of features related to sending emails, processing compliance credits, and implementing learning management features. We used them for both backend Python and Django development as well as React and JavaScript on the frontend. They helped us with some of our AWS architecture as well.

Parthenon’s engineers had a lot of input on the way the UI [user interface] might look or the way the backend should function with the features they worked on. If they were working on a larger feature, we would put together a wireframe. Otherwise, we basically gave them a user story and asked them to help us implement it. The team had a lot of freedom in determining how the UI was going to work and interact with the backend.

What is the team composition?

There were two engineers on our project at the beginning and then we scaled up our statement of work to 4–5 engineers.

How did you come to work with Parthenon Software Group?

We came across them while searching for firms with Python, Django, and React expertise. We interviewed around five firms and decided to go with Parthenon. I had confidence they were a good fit from the way they spoke about the project.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from April 2017 until October of 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We scaled up our statement of work because Parthenon was able to seamlessly integrate into our team. They attended our daily stand-ups and even met with our business team as needed.

How did Parthenon Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

Because this was a staff augmentation, we didn't ask a lot of them from a project management perspective. Their engineers joined the daily stand-ups to report on what they were doing and provide updates on timelines. We went down to their office to meet with them once but communication was primarily over video (i.e., Google Hangout) and some phone calls. It was really nice that we could scale up or scale down our statement of work as our needs changed or as revenue allowed.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They brought an open approach to the engagement. Compared to other firms, I felt that Parthenon really listened to us and was honest about what they could accomplish and what it would cost. That openness and willingness to listen is why we continued to work with them over multiple statements of work. Parthenon also helped me frame the conversation with my business team to make sure they understood the project.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Not off the top of my head. They met my expectations because we were very specific in what we needed. They're also very transparent with their invoicing.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s crucial to meet with your account representatives and have an open conversation. The hardest part of these projects is getting clarity and making sure both sides can come to an agreement on expectations.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

InFocus makes collaborative visualization solutions such as projectors and interactive touchscreen displays. I’m the marketing director in charge of the website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Parthenon Software Group?

We’d partnered with a design firm to create new layouts in order to redesign our website, but no one had the technical skills needed to build the site.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It's a multi-stage project that began about two years ago when we acquired another company. We wanted to shut down their website and bring all of their product and company information over to our site. At the same time, we decided to redesign our corporate site which had been built on a homemade CMS. So it was a bit of a mess that Parthenon needed to untangle and rebuild for us.

In Phase 1, we kept half of the old site on the existing server and just reskinned it. Using the wireframes created by the design firm, Parthenon built a new frontend. The content primarily came from the old site and we wrote some new content in order to talk more about the company and the different kinds of solutions we offer. Then, about a year ago, we finally decided to shut down the old server and finish the redesign.

In Phase 2, there were no wireframes so I told them how I wanted it to look and they created the design. They moved all our product pages, assets, and collateral over to the new site. Parthenon built a new library and set us up on Craft CMS to manage the content. They helped us with frontend, UI [user interface], and UX [user experience] design. There was a lot of re-coding needed on the backend to make sure that the new site worked with our other business systems (e.g., product inventory and repairs). We’re about to launch Phase 3 with them, which will integrate our online store with the corporate site.

What is the team composition?

I work with 3–4 people on a regular basis and 6–7 including developers and UX/UI guys.

How did you come to work with Parthenon Software Group?

They were recommended by a friend of our CEO. We did a review of their work and they were the best fit for us. It just felt like the right match.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably spent about $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started Phase 1 in April 2016 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We got a lot of feedback after Phase 2 that the site has improved navigation, is user-friendly, and it’s easier to find products that go together.

How did Parthenon Software Group perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great because I needed a lot of guidance as I have never done a web redesign before. They were very good at laying out timelines and telling me when they needed the deliverables from our side in order to stay on track. Any time they encountered a delay or something unexpected, they were very upfront and always had a plan for how they would make it up in another area.

We met in person a few times but mostly communicated via email and phone and used their ticketing system to flag any issues. They've basically been my IT support for everything website-related.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Parthenon is able to explain things in a way that I understand and can communicate back to my team.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There were times they had to move part of the project from one team member to another because it got more complicated than expected. Some of that was on us for not giving them enough information upfront. They recognized the issue right away and addressed it, so I can't really say anything negative.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Take the time to sit down with them and lay out everything you know about the project in advance. They’re really good at coming back with questions and filling in the gaps. Once everyone's on board with the scope, they just take it and run with it.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the webmaster for a regional professional theater company in Portland. We are a nonprofit organization and a member of the League of Resident Theatres, producing 10–12 plays each year.

In addition to acting as our in-house web developer and designer, I also manage projects that require outside consulting. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Parthenon Software?

Parthenon helped with our website’s content management system (CMS), Expression Engine, which was many years out of date. Our CMS had been unexpectedly disabled by our web host due to security issues, and we urgently needed to upgrade to a new CMS.

What were your goals for this project?

First and foremost, we needed to get a functioning CMS version of our website back online as soon as possible. (We had a temporary static copy of the site I was maintaining since our CMS had been disabled.) Second, we wanted a modern CMS that would grow with us and be easy to use, maintain, and scale in the future. 

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Parthenon had sent us an introductory email several weeks before our urgent need arose. Based on that email, I had already researched their company and seen some of their work samples. They had experience with Expression Engine, so I knew they would be well-versed in our existing system. I reached out to them, and they clearly understood our needs based on the first phone call and were willing to provide help immediately.

Describe the project in detail.

Parthenon built a new site using Craft CMS (which they recommended as an improvement over Expression Engine). They converted our existing site's templates to be compatible with Craft. They installed plugins, updated legacy code, and configured the site to replicate and improve necessary features.

They set up a static archive of our older content, so that content could continue to be reached by previously published URLs. Both newer and long-term content were imported into the new site's CMS. Finally, Parthenon trained me to administer the Craft CMS and manage our content creators.

What was the team composition?

One developer handled most tasks and worked more closely with me as needed. Parthenon’s co-founder also managed some initial work and later training; he was always willing to guide me through my learning curve with the new site. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What outcomes or results can you share that demonstrate progress and/or success?

We had a new CMS-driven site up and running in under two months, which was a quick turnaround for such a large project. The finished site really outshines what we had before. It's easy for me to maintain and build on and performs excellently. We have retained Parthenon for ongoing support, and they are always responsive and helpful.

How effective was the project management?

Parthenon communicated directly and personally during the most active phase of development. Emails, phone calls, and in-person consulting were used appropriately when needed. At some point, we moved project management/collaboration to ChiliProject (now Redmine), which has worked well, especially now that our needs are less urgent.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their ability to understand our needs and knowledge of the right solutions had the biggest impact.

What tips or recommendations do you have?

I was not familiar with the ChiliProject/Redmine collaboration software, and I probably should have asked for more guidance when using it. But, after some trial and error, I became more comfortable.