RoleModel Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior product manager for an international nonprofit organization and manage our team's technology solutions and development partner relationships. Our team manages a global volunteer base working across eight languages in nine countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We were on our fourth version of an internally built platform to manage our volunteer base. Unfortunately, this platform was only working across two of our eight languages and had limited flexibility. We engaged RoleModel to build us a custom software platform after a thorough evaluation of many off-the-shelf solutions and various custom software development companies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To jumpstart the project, we put together a requirements document and gave it to RoleModel to let them know what we were hoping to achieve. Then, they started working on the platform. The team mainly focused on development, but they also brought in a couple of UX designers and facilitated the design process with our team. 

At present, we continue to engage with them for additional iteration-focused development on top of their ongoing support for the platform. 

For more background, one of the platform’s main features is multilingual and multi-regional support. As a result, the entire UI of the platform has been built to be fully translatable across any language including RTL languages. The platform also has customizable automations, which provide us the flexibility to visually configure the business logic occurring behind the scenes based on defined triggers.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with 10 members of the RoleModel team throughout the project. The active project team ranged from 5-7 team members and others where pulled in when needed. The core team consisted of a project manager, a lead software craftsman, developers, and UI/UX designers.

How did you come to work with  RoleModel Software?

I met RoleModel’s CEO at a technology conference. We reached out to them after evaluating several custom software development groups and receiving a competitor's quote that was more than double the cost. The competitor’s quote was also for modifications to an existing system, while RoleModel’s proposal allowed us to build a fully customized platform from the ground up. As a result, we decided to hire RoleModel.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $400,000 on the initial build of the platform.

What is the status of this engagement?

The primary development phase of the platform lasted from October 2020 through May 2021. We are also engaging RoleModel on an additional development iteration to build out specific features above and beyond the continued support they are providing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For the first time, we have all of our volunteers across eight languages in nine countries on a single platform. With this new platform, we are able to build customized reports that give us visibility on data that we haven't previously been able to see.

Based on the configurability of the automations and the reports within the platform, we estimate that the platform will save our team hundreds of man-hours per week. On top of that, the built-in customization of the platform will let us expand our work more quickly than what would have been previously possible.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

RoleModel’s project management skills and practices are superb. They’re always on time and organized, and they communicate clearly. In terms of tools, we use Trello to manage the project, and they use Slack for communication.

Moreover, they’ve done a wonderful job of ushering our team into the agile software development process. Their team leads our two-week iterations with daily stand-ups, bi-weekly demos of the working software, and regular retrospectives. Overall, these practices have given us full confidence that the RoleModel team always works on our highest-priority tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RoleModel is committed to continually learning and improving. Because of this and their valuable retrospective practices, any areas for improvement (and there were very few) were transparently raised to the team's awareness and improved upon throughout the project. They continue to be one of our most valued development partners.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. That’s because RoleModel is committed to continuous learning and improvement. Because of their retrospective practices, any areas of improvement we’ve seen throughout the project have been raised to the team’s awareness and improved upon quickly. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To maximize your project's success, ensure that you have a dedicated project manager internally to work with their team and that the necessary internal stakeholders are involved to make decisions and test solutions promptly. Their development team works rapidly and quickly navigates around any blocked tasks. As a result, delays in product decisions or internal dependencies will be the primary delayers of progress.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of technology and services for C12, a peer advisory group for CEOs and business owners. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We had been using four separate systems to run our franchise organization, and we needed to build proprietary software to narrow the number down. Initially, we engaged a different company, but they failed when they tried to customize off-the-shelf software for us. Ultimately, we walked away with nothing except user stories. As a result, we reached out to RoleModel to build the platform for us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we used the user stories we collected from the previous developer and gave them to RoleModel. The team then built the system using Ruby on Rails to help us calculate and collect revenue data. The system also helped us maintain a community for both our franchise owners and end customers. On top of that, it had a meeting management feature. The team then connected that system to a CRM. 

The software has recently been launched to franchise owners and members. However, we continue to work with RoleModel to further develop the platform and make changes to it.

What is the team composition?

Around 6–8 people have been assigned to the development process. The team consists of a lead craftsman, an assistant lead, and two developers and designers. 

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

I worked with Caleb (CEO) in the past at a different company, and I contacted him for this project. We started talking and then formalized the engagement to build the software. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $220,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The official engagement started in March 2021, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve successfully launched the software to 120 franchise owners in June 2021 and then to all of our 3,000 members in August 2021. We haven’t tracked any specific success metrics, but we’ve accomplished a little more than our original scope of launch. Overall, we’ve had great customer satisfaction. 

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re strong in terms of project management. Our primary communication is through Slack. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

RoleModel works closely with us as they develop the software at a rapid pace. Our team has had a branding refresh to avoid doing the software design twice, and we’ve used that to push their team to produce software quickly. They’ve done an amazing job at that, and the experience has been great. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

One area of improvement for them involves coaching clients around change management. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Lean in and connect with the RoleModel team. They have great members that are truly a joy to work with; they’re high-quality people.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior technical program manager at a university.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We hired RoleModel Software for a research project that we were working on last year at our laboratory.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement? 

RoleModel has helped us develop the UI for our data labeling project as well as the backend work for the system. It’s full stack software development. The main deliverable has been the software code.

What is the team composition? 

I’ve worked with 8–9 people, which includes the company leadership, contracted people, and software developers.

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

My program had already identified RoleModel Software as our vendor before I came to work on the project.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent approximately $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in June 2020, and we’re continuing to work with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve had great success incorporating their software in the UI, and it’s been in use as a product for quite a bit, now. There haven’t been any problems with it.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They were always on time.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. They were really good to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have any concerns or questions, just through them their way. RoleModel Software is very eager to communicate, respond, and work with you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

My organization develops medical software, and I’m a product manager for a group that creates a platform for creating clinical decision supports. My role also covers content development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

One of the issues we had was a lack of availability in our market of excellent developers to work on the product. Our product was a fairly advanced design and we were having trouble filling the roles that we needed. I had worked with RoleModel in the past, and they consistently provided me with highly-trained developers. We went to them again to try and get the project staffed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RoleModel provides us with web-based app development. We first provided the conceptual design and the functionalities that needed to be implemented, and they recommended a front- and backend stack that can be used to develop the product in a reasonable amount of time.

As of right now, we’re still in development. They’re building the website and designing the UI in addition to the app that runs on it.

What is the team composition?

The partnership has been running for two years and we’ve had a little bit of rotation — the maximum we’ve had are three developers. One is a tech lead for the team, and the others are mid-level developers.

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

The initial contact we had with RoleModel was through my boss. He worked with them on and off for more than 10 years.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve probably invested more than $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

My ongoing engagement with them started in June 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve worked with a lot of software development teams and the tech lead from RoleModel is exceptional — one of the best I’ve ever worked with. Their knowledge is very broad, as we’ve had several changes of direction they’ve accommodate quite readily.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

The tech lead understands the concepts and is very good at transmitting that down to the rest of the team. They also understand the implications of changes to the direction. We’re communicating through Microsoft Teams now.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve worked with other contracting companies who’ve been quite good, but I think RoleModel Software’s depth of expertise is quite impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

To be perfectly honest, they’ve done everything I expected and more. I really don’t have any suggestions as to what they can improve. Without a minimal amount of direction, they accomplish the task at hand.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise you to include them at all levels of your project because, in addition to being able to execute tasks very well, they’re also good at making suggestions to enhance your project. They have a depth of expertise you can utilize to get to your goals faster, and actually improve your development process.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and owner of FieldX Inc. In 2002, we started as part of a different company, and then we spun off as FieldX in 2014.

Our software is a record-keeping platform that agricultural consultants use. Growers hire these consultants to manage their field, check for nutrient and irrigation problems, and find any insect or disease in the crops. The consultants record their observations in the field, and then they’ll generate an output report for their customers. Our software helps them record all of the information and generate the report.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

When we started, the first version of the software was desktop-only with an access database in the backend. Over the years, we’ve developed a loyal customer base, but people wanted to exchange info back and forth as the years went on. They also had more people working for them.

We needed to set up a cloud system for that syncing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RoleModel Software developed the cloud-based repository and software for us. With our current customers, they had collected years of data, which we didn’t want to lose. While converting to the cloud system, we needed a path to migrate that data.

RoleModel Software took our desktop program, spending time figuring out how it worked. We have hundreds of different data properties, so they had to understand what we needed in a system. After that, they created the cloud-based system to match that and encapsulate that in APIs that would exchange the same information we were collecting before.

After a year, we had a beta version for our customers. When we made that transition, all information now syncs through the cloud, and all of the information is available.

Before launching to the public, the team added additional features and created an iPad app.

What is the team composition?

Over the years, we worked with about six people.

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

We approached them because of their reputation. I’ve heard of the owner, and they’re also a local company. I wanted to work with someone close by that we could work through things together. I did check around with some other companies, but they seemed to be the right fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

Over the three-year period, we spent between $500,000–$1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

The entire project took about three years. We worked together from spring 2012 to spring 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

RoleModel Software helped us grow our company. We’ve continued to develop the system and app. Every month, we’re requesting new enhancements and updates. We wanted to make sure that we retained all of our customers, which was our main criteria for RoleModel Software.

The new app put us in the position to gain new customers. It gave us an advantage over the competitions since a lot of people in the agriculture industry weren’t switching over to apps yet. It was very robust and collected the exact same data as our web version.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

All of the work items were captured in project management software. All of our communication and enhancements were tracked through Trello. They did have another software internally, but that wasn’t for our side.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RoleModel Software wanted to meet our needs. They looked out for our best interests, constantly thinking out solutions and working on our product. They asked questions, posing different scenarios to ensure they could meet our needs and understand our customers. Their team isn’t coding blindly – which is the difference between certain programmers.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I can’t think of anything here. They’ve always been very responsive. If something work-related came up, they worked well with us. They continue being a supportive partner.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear understanding of what your needs are. Walkthrough what you need to accomplish, and they will take it from there.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m part owner of a manufacturing company. We do plastic profile tubing and specialty pipe extrusion. I’ve been in business for about 35 years.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We had an old antiquated quoting system that wasn’t accessible to the salespeople on the road. We really wanted to update the system and put it in the cloud so it can be accessed anywhere that anyone had an internet connection.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed our custom software and have continued to make improvements since then. The system is now on the cloud so it's accessible to our remote team.

The bulk of the project took 6-7 months to get something up and working. If the budget allowed, we went back and made enhancements and improvements, including additional functionality.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project coordinator and lead developer.  Then we spoke with different specialists depending on what we were working on. We spoke to someone about design and layout, programming, and security. I felt we always had a point person who was overall in charge of the project and go to work with lots of different team members. 

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

We tried different local companies that did web development or custom software but they weren't a good fit. I then did a Google search and looked for companies that were domestic. I reached out to six custom software companies via their website.

RoleModel Software was the most responsive. One of their principals actually flew out to our plant to meet with us personally. We decided to work with them at that point.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $50,000–$199,999.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They really came through for us, They’ve been a great partner. Every time we ask for a quote on an enhancement or idea we have, they take their part very seriously and ensure quality work.

Anytime we noticed a bug in the system, they usually fix it the same day. If they didn’t think they can fix it the same day, they communicated very clearly how long they think it’s going to take to fix it. At a minimum, they keep us up and running.

At a few points throughout the project, they presented some observations and ideas that were even better than our ideas. Their perspective really made the software better than we could have imagined. They’re very bright folks.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very good and very organized. They set up an online hub where we could log in to see how the project was progressing. They delivered on time and were transparent. We never felt in the dark.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We contacted a lot of different companies and tried to communicate what we were looking for, which was difficult because we aren't programmers. RoleModel Software understood what we were trying to do and were the most responsive. They really took the time to listen to what we wanted and figured out a way to make it happen.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Overall, I’ve been very satisfied. Sometimes the billing is a little confusing, but it's easy to straighten it out when we call accounting. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. They’re honest, have a lot of integrity, and they genuinely want to make sure they have a satisfied customer. 

If you know what you want and are able to take the time to communicate that accurately and get it documented, they can make it happen.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the COO of a dental market company which provides digital based solutions and services, to oral surgeons and specialized dentists.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We needed a way to digitally design and create our surgical guide devices and appliances.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They created a unique customized software program from scratch. We utilize the software to digitally design our surgical guides and appliances, which we then 3D print.

What is the team composition?

Phil (Project Management Director) and John (Software Craftsman) are the two primary contacts, but there were about seven people working with us throughout the project.

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

After a lot of online research, we narrowed the consideration to four companies. We chose RoleModel Software based on their iteration approach, location, and initial budgeting estimates. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $500,000–$750,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together around September 2019, and the project is being wrapped up currently, with an expected end date of October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a significant improvement in efficiency and productivity. There has been an approximately 50–75% improvement in the labor productivity for the designing of the various guides and appliances, therefore significantly lowering our cost while greatly improving our overall capacity limit.

We also wanted it to be scalable as a commercial product that we can license to other organizations in need of similar software. That has also been accomplished.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Going into it with realistic expectations, everything has been on par with what they said they could and would do. They've exceeded my expectations in several areas, even though there have been the usual software development project setbacks. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re more than just a software company – they understand business, and work well within this realm. They excel in translating technical conversations into layperson’s terms. They also helped us figure out our cost-benefit ratio as we decided which path to go down throughout the process. They’re customer-goal focused.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, no.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Do your research about software development because it’s a huge undertaking. Communication is imperative; be clear and precise regarding the goals you wish to achieve. Make sure that the decisions you make along the way align with your ultimate business goals, and your ROI goals. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Our company is a Contract Development and Manufacturing biotechnology company that produces Active Pharmacuetical Ingredients.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

To convert a business process from manual utilization of multiple excel spreadsheets to a one source of truth software application.

What were your goals for this project?

To eliminate waste, reduce timeline of process, and eliminate the use of multiple spreadsheets.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Vendor came highly receommended. Also conducted an interview with the company.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

RoleModel engaged the company's scientists throughout the software development process, encouraging them to trial the software using data from their actual projects. This engagement led to a highly collaborative and iterative development process, during which the scientists identified many refinements to make the software more valuable and during which RoleModel’s developers became knowledgeable enough of the scientific processes to be fluent in much of the scientists’ terminology, thereby improving all communications.

What was the team composition?

The project team had 3 people from RoleModel and a PM. We had a PM and a group of subject matter experts of about 7 people.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

We needed to replace its use of spreadsheets with an application that better supported collaboration, version control, and its complex process definition and manufacturing processes. Lead time for identifying materials was reduced by 12 weeks.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was very good. It assured full engagement by the overall team. There were daily standups along with iteration reviews. Role Model also assigned a Project Manager that worked clsoely with our Project Manager with routine touchpoints to assure the project was being executed to our needs.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

They were able to take a complex scientific process and learn very quickly how to enable it to develop a solution that not only met our requirements but exceeded them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not really

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm a program manager for NC State University, working in a unit that supports technology research, development, and transition to our partner organizations. The opinions expressed here are mine personally, and should not be taken to represent the position of my employer or any of our partners.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We brought on RoleModel to develop a more production-ready version of an initial in-house software prototype. This was a web application for data labeling for supervised machine learning applications, with a focus on ease of deployment and use, and addressing some specific compliance requirements.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to have software that could be used quickly and easily, either locally by a data scientist, or after being deployed to a server by a sysadmin. And we wanted to have a framework for the application built according to best practices, so that a new developer could if necessary extend the application to support additional use cases without having to wrestle with much existing technical debt.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

RoleModel stood out in our selection process because of their development methodology. They come out of the XP (extreme programming) tradition, and we very much appreciated their depth of experience and the ways in which they've evolved this approach over the years.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

RoleModel developed a clean software implementation with functionality based on an initial prototype application that we provided.

What was the team composition?

We worked primarily with two developers, with smaller contributions from others at RoleModel as well. It's worth highlighting the additional contributions from a third, trainee developer in RoleModel's apprenticeship program - this program seems like a great way to develop a future workforce, and was extremely cost-effective for us as the customer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The solution developed by RoleModel is now in use at one of our partner organizations, and is being adopted and extended at a second. One of our main goals as a unit of NC State is to help enable successful technology transitions such as this one.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was handled through a brief daily standup conference call, along with a shared Slack channel. We benefited greatly from frequent interactions and heavy engagement with the RoleModel team.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We have been impressed with their thoughtfulness and dedication to software craftsmanship as a profession. We are ourselves a fairly technical organization, and we recognize and appreciate the standards to which RoleModel holds themselves, along with their clear communication and flexibility to change course when necessary.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Few, if any.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a software company that provides a takeoff tool for landscaping irrigation contractors.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We needed help to develop our platform.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RoleModel Software consulted us on the business challenge that we wanted to solve with our platform. Their team helped to refine my idea and create a business model. Then, their team developed our cloud-based software. They built the product from design to development and implementation. 

After our kickoff meeting, their team generated a prototype. From there, they made wireframes to give us an idea of the product. Then, their team started the development process. We released a beta version and spent that year refining an MVP based on customer feedback. Their team continues to maintain and support the software. We’re planning another round of development to execute our first major set of revisions.

Their team also provided market research and planned marketing efforts for our business in our early stages. I gathered customer research previously and provided those artifacts to them. They did additional research into the effectiveness of digital paid ads and identifying our ideal customer. From there, we formulated a marketing plan for the first phases of the business. We created an ideal funnel and decided where our time and money would be best spent for our particular industry.

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people from RoleModel Software. On the development side, their team includes three individuals. On the marketing side, we work with two people.

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

I found them via a Google search. I read their website where I noted that we aligned in our core values both in business and personally. I reached out to them and that’s how the engagement started.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the exploration in July 2017 and released a beta version in 2018. Our engagement's ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our system works better than other software programs in the market. Their team tested the product thoroughly to deliver a product with only a few bugs. They’re about more than returning a codebase. Their team thinks through the steps and processes to make sure that we solve any problems properly and sustainably.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We meet every morning during active development to make sure that everyone’s on the same page. Their team considers schedules seriously and places communication at the forefront of our engagement. They do a great job managing projects.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m a big fan of RoleModel Software. Their team cares about the individual and the idea behind a product. They care about a project’s goals and want to achieve a high level of success. Unlike other companies that write the code asked of them whether it’s correct or not, RoleModel Software gives feedback across the board. Their team thinks through how to best solve a problem. They care about the project—not just building what’s asked of them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, but as a business owner, the hardest part of any project’s managing the budget. It can be hard to get clarity on costs when there are factors that need exploration. Their team’s conservative with costs and stayed under budget for most of the initiatives. They continue to improve their communication and budget management. That’s always a challenge with a dynamic project such as building software but there are never any surprises with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Don’t be afraid to be involved in the process. RoleModel Software’s happy to include you in the process. Spend the time to be involved in the project and connected with their team.