Simple Thread

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CEO & founder of MajorClarity. We provide career exploration and academic planning software to schools and community colleges.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Simple Thread?

After our founding CTO departed the company, we hired Simple Thread to provide interim technology leadership as well as software development.

What were your goals for this project?

We wanted to optimize the functionality of our platform by increasing security and load capacity as well as adding grander features.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

I met with a variety of software development providers in Virginia and checked their references.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Justin (Co-Founder, Simple Thread) provided interim CTO services to guide our technological leadership. Their team built new features, worked on the platform’s optimization and infrastructure, and fixed any bugs or client issues.

What was the team composition?

We work with Justin and two senior-level software engineers. We also employ one of their team members that specialize in business development and account management.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

User load capacity increased five times over. We’re catching up on our product pipeline. Simple Thread is now helping us build an internal team of developers while continuing to provide supplemental software development and maintenance.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is a collaborative partnership. Our COO works with their director of business development. We set up weekly calls with a standard mid-week check-in. We’ve established a feature and bug tracking system through Trello.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Simple Thread is committed to our success and partnership. I appreciate their ability to balance top-level software development standards with pragmatic solutions.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There wasn’t a management system at the beginning. Our teams worked together to try and figure that out.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the COO of a healthcare IT company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Thread?

We engaged Simple Thread to develop a software for our billing model that integrated our medical records.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Simple Thread developed a web-based platform, integrating medical records and patient data. As we worked through requirements closely with their team, we held daily standup meetings and talked through development before each sprint.

What is the team composition?

We worked with about four designers on their team, as well as a project manager/scrum master on our end.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from June–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Simple Thread built a phenomenal platform that's been well received across the board. They were extremely detail-oriented throughout the process and we'd work with them again in a heartbeat.

How did Simple Thread perform from a project management standpoint?

We communicated constantly over Slack on a daily basis in addition to holding standup meetings and sprint reviews. They worked very closely with our team throughout the entire process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're honest, reliable, and highly skilled in their field of work. They also genuinely care about the work they produce and are very thorough.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything worth mentioning.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Keep lines of communication open, because they're very responsive to client needs and quick to make any fixes as needed. I'd also suggest taking advantage of the input they offer to help improve product outcomes rather than just providing them with strict instructions.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO for Strategic Risk Associates. We provide the financial services and insurance industries with software to track and manage risk in organizations. We also have a consulting side that assists banks and other financial institutions with various projects.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Simple Thread?

The risk management software had existed as a prototype idea in Excel spreadsheets. We hired Simple Thread because we didn’t have in-house development resources.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Simple Thread was responsible for the build’s technical side. The team architected and designed the software. We provided the Excel documents as a substitute for wireframes or mockups. They worked with internal business stakeholders to validate processes and ensure compliance with our vision. Simple Thread then developed the software from scratch using Ruby on Rails and PostgreSQL for the database.

The project is ongoing because the software evolves with our business. Simple Thread implemented the initial version in late 2016 and we now use the second iteration. They host the software on AWS.

What is the team composition?

We work with one of the co-founders and three developers on a regular basis.

How did you come to work with Simple Thread?

Our founder reached out to a developer he had worked with on a past project. However, the developer was busy and recommended Simple Thread because he thought highly of them. We invited Simple Thread to the office and chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in July 2015 and the partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

This is the best software development situation I’ve had in 20 years. We’re experiencing continual growth because users love the software. We gain three or four customers every month and have lost only one account when another bank acquired a client. Some users are hard to please, but even those find little to complain about. I’ve never seen such high levels of customer approval and happiness.

How did Simple Thread perform from a project management standpoint?

They handled project management capably before I came on board; I’ve since assumed that responsibility. The team consistently meets our dates within tight, yet realistic, timeframes. We communicate via Slack and weekly in-person meetings at their local office. The arrangement works well for our business stakeholders and product owner.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Since the co-founders are software developers, they know how to onboard the right resources for this project. Each resource has been amazing because Simple Thread does not rush to hire developers; they wait for the right person.

Also, the risk management software has the lowest defect rate I’ve seen in my career. Developers spend only a few hours per week on bug fixes because the build is such high quality. Consequently, our team can focus exclusively on features and functionalities, which maximizes our competitive edge in the market. Our leadership, which has extensive development experience, appreciates Simple Thread’s remarkable performance.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, the software is functional and the team is a joy to work with. They have minimal turnover and reasonable costs. We have no complaints.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to Simple Thread’s suggestions. Clients that are closed-minded do themselves a disservice. The team doesn’t speak up about everything, but pay attention to them when they do.