SEP

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Chief Technology & Risk Officer for a credit union in Central Indiana. We serve over 160,000 members throughout the state.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire SEP?

We have partnered with SEP for many years for projects related to our online banking application. For the past several years, they have been our primary partner for mobile app development. The current project is a rewrite of the native mobile apps into Xamarin.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to lower long-term cost of ownership by getting the mobile apps into a single code base. The new application will also provide a better framework for future feature enhancements.

SOLUTION

How did you select SEP?

We first met SEP over 10 years ago when the application was more web based and needed to be updated to better support mobile app development. They were originally hired to help us scope the entire application. We then hired them to assist with the project.

During the first major project, they did approximately 50% of the work, and we did the rest with internal staff. Since that initial project, they have done several additional projects.

Some years, they have helped with major enhancement initiatives, other years, they have just helped with bug fixes, and required updates due to various frameworks in use.

Since they have been such long-term partners, they know our operation and application very well and it makes them easy to pick when scoping additional work.

Describe the project in detail.

In the current project, we are taking native Android and iOS apps, and rewriting them into a single Xamarin based app. We are updating some their party interfaces, and adding a small amount of functionality along the way.

What was the team composition?

There is a team of six SEP consultants working on the project. There are four people on our side working the project on a near full-time basis. The SEP team is made up of a Project Manager and Team Lead for development purposes.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is approximately halfway done. We see a weekly demo of the work completed so far, and it appears that it will meet our goals.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The technical part of the project started soon after the COVID pandemic hit, but our long-term relationship with SEP allowed us to quickly transition to online meetings. I speak with the Project Manager at least once a week, and have a good understanding of the status.

Technical communication happens regularly between the dev teams and there is a formal weekly check-in for the full team. There is mutual respect from all parties, and any problems that pop up are resolved quickly and effectively.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The sense of ownership that they display when working on a large project. They know our goals, they know our products, and they work hard to ensure that we get what we want. There is a true partnership when working with SEP.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Forecasting such a huge project is always a challenge, especially when dealing with relatively new technologies. The current one will push a month or two beyond the initial plan, but given the amount of work, and the unknowns when scoping it, the final timeline is more than acceptable.

We also realize that there is a trade-off between spending time scoping and beginning the work. The transparent communication helps us find a "good enough" scope, delivery timeline, and budget to get started. The regular communication throughout helps avoid surprises.