Speed & Function

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the VP of Engineering of Wikimedia

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Develops and manages websites based on wiki software a global audience

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Speed and Function to accomplish?

• Develop a new service to support a new B2B product

SOLUTION

How did you find Speed and Function?

Referral

Why did you select Speed and Function over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Speed and Function were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

A new service that exports the content of an entire site for processing by ML activities. It contained page histories, authorship, and other metadata. it was for high volume use by FAANG customers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

A delivered project, successful new product launch with partners, signed agreements with real revenue.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management happened internally with with S&F. Their communication about the deliverables was great. S&F support was never the cause of scheduling delays.

What was your primary form of communication with Speed and Function?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Ability to work in an organization with lots of public and internal scrutiny. Able to work with ambiguity as we were executing organizational changes within the organization.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Speed and Function could have done differently?

Not really… we had retrospectives and gave feedback regularly. We used continuous improvement practices to make sure our relationship was smooth.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Digital Account Manager of eCity Interactive

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

A research-driven creative team that specializes in user research, web design, digital marketing, and strategic consulting services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Speed and Function to accomplish?

• Provide technical architecture recommendations
• Develop seamless page designs in chosen CMS
• Lead content editor trainings

SOLUTION

How did you find Speed and Function?

• Referral
• Existing Partner

Why did you select Speed and Function over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Collaborated Previously

How many teammates from Speed and Function were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

In collaboration with Speed and Function, we completed a comprehensive website redesign for a University in the Philadelphia area The scope of work included:

1. Strategy and Design: Extensive research and analysis to validate robust strategy. Analysis of design mocks to align with branding and user experience.
2. Front-End Development: Transformation of design mocks into functional web pages using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Responsive design for optimal user experience across devices.
3. Back-End Development and WordPress Integration: Implementation of a user-friendly WordPress CMS. Customized admin panel for easy content management.
4. Testing and Quality Assurance: Thorough testing to ensure functionality and performance. Bug fixing and compatibility checks.
5. Deployment and Launch Support: Deployment to production server and server configuration. Ongoing support during the website launch phase. The collaboration resulted in a visually appealing, user-friendly, and fully functional website that effectively represents the department's mission and objectives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The website redesign project achieved measurable outcomes that demonstrate progress and success: 1. Increased User Engagement: Improved user metrics like page views, time on site, and low bounce rates showed increased user engagement. 2. Improved Conversion Rates: Optimized user experience led to higher conversion rates, resulting in more desired user actions and reduced directory submissions. 3. Enhanced Search Engine Visibility: Implementing SEO best practices improved organic search rankings, leading to increased organic traffic and broader online reach. 4. Streamlined Content Management: The user-friendly WordPress CMS facilitated efficient content management, reducing administrative overhead, improving productivity, and establishing user hierarchy. 5. Positive User Feedback: Users, client project team, and University colleagues, expressed high satisfaction with the website's aesthetics, navigation, and overall experience, validating its success. These outcomes demonstrate the project's progress and success in achieving its goals.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Speed and Function exhibited excellent project management throughout the collaboration. They consistently delivered items on time, ensuring that the project stayed on schedule and met the established milestones we had. Their commitment to timely delivery was evident in their ability to meet deadlines for key deliverables, including front-end and back-end development, the required integrations as well as quality assurance testing - all without forfeiting the quality of their work.

Moreover, Speed and Function colleagues were highly responsive to our needs throughout the project. They maintained open lines of communication via slack, actively listened to our requirements on calls, and promptly addressed any questions or concerns that arose on our Project Management Tool [Monday.com]. Their team demonstrated a proactive and collaborative approach, working closely with us, and the client, to understand our vision and ensure that it was effectively translated into the final product.

In addition, Speed and Function displayed flexibility and adaptability when it came to accommodating changes or iterations during the development process - specifically as new items were discovered or added to the queue. They were receptive to feedback and implemented necessary revisions promptly, allowing for an iterative and collaborative approach with the client.

Overall, their project management was commendable, with a strong focus on timely delivery and responsive communication. Their ability to understand and respond to our needs played a significant role in the successful execution of the project.

What was your primary form of communication with Speed and Function?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

One of the most impressive and unique aspects of Speed and Function is their ability to seamlessly integrate their technical expertise into our team. Their team possesses a rare combination of skills that allows them to understand and execute both the functional and aesthetic aspects of web development as a seamless extension of ours.

Their technical proficiency in areas such as front-end and back-end development, WordPress integration, and quality assurance testing ensures that the websites they build are robust, high-performing, and user-friendly. They leverage the latest technologies and best practices to deliver websites that meet industry standards and provide an excellent user experience - no matter the industry.

They have a keen eye for aesthetics, understanding the importance of visually appealing and engaging design and translating that to the development files; Their ability to transform design mocks into fully functional web pages demonstrates their attention to detail and commitment to delivering visually stunning websites that align with the client's brand identity.

Another impressive aspect of Speed and Function is their emphasis on collaboration and client satisfaction. They actively engage with their clients, seeking to understand their unique needs and goals. They listen attentively, provide valuable insights, and ensure that the final product exceeds expectations. Their commitment to responsive communication, prompt feedback, and flexibility throughout the project contributes to a positive and collaborative working relationship that we continue to have.

In summary, what makes Speed and Function truly remarkable is their ability to seamlessly integrate technical expertise, their commitment to client satisfaction, and their emphasis on collaboration. This unique combination sets them apart and makes them a valuable partner for any web development project.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Speed and Function could have done differently?

While Speed and Function performed well overall, there are a few areas for potential improvement: 

• Documentation and Project Tracking: Proactive documentation and project tracking methods, though this could be resolved by our team using their PM tools rather than the other way around.
• Iterative Design Process: Incorporating more frequent feedback checkpoints.
• Post-Launch Support: Considering extended support after the website launch can address any unforeseen issues and ensure a seamless transition.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Business Officer of The Developmental Edge

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

The Developmental Edge provides scaled leadership development and culture transformation services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Speed and Function to accomplish?

• Develop custom SaaS platform in service of our core services

SOLUTION

How did you find Speed and Function?

They reached out to us

Why did you select Speed and Function over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Speed and Function were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Speed & Function provided start-to-finish development for our web application. Some key deliverables include: 

• Implementing 11 different languages in 3 customized software platforms 
• Built data analysis capabilities to create our SaaS platform
• Ongoing tech support and IT troubleshooting 
• Proactively suggesting new features for implementations that have improved our applications 
• Efficiently implementing our requests on any new features 
• Web design & upkeep 
• They have an agile approach to working with us. 
• They always have a group of 4-6 software engineers and project leads ready to work with us in an agile way
• Feels like having our own "in-house" software development team 
• Weekly standing project meetings since 2019 to address service issues and continually develop our platforms

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• We now have over 15,000 users for the application that they have developed for us.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They are very responsive to our needs and are proactive about managing our work together. On most occasions, they either deliver on time or early. Anytime we've had urgent needs, they responded quickly to develop our platforms. They've been adaptive under tight deadlines and ambiguous demands.

What was your primary form of communication with Speed and Function?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They are willing to invest in the development and improvement of their own people. Their CEO, Nick, leads by example in this regard. Working with Speed & Function feels like you have your own in-house software development team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Speed and Function could have done differently?

Being more clear in communicating with clients for people who are not as savvy with software-related language.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

My company builds technology solutions for First Responders. I'm a co-founder.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Speed and Function, and what were your goals?

Our goal was to create a demo application to showcase the vision for our technology and how it would work in practice. We decided to build it for browser using react native.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Speed and Function understood our needs as a startup and was exceptional about communicating what was possible in the time and resources we had to devote to the project.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Speed and Function conducted a solution design based on UI screens we had already developed. We dictated specific functionalities that were required & worked together to prioritize each. They focused on Front-End development, while our internal team focused on back-end server-side development and hardware integration.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

One project manager, one senior full-stack developer, and one junior-level front-end engineer.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We were ultimately able to successfully demonstrate the technology on schedule to potential investors & strategics interested in partnering with our company to advance the technology to a more commercial ready state.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Their project management style was flexible to the needs of our team. We have certain skillsets where we can devote internal resources to tasks, while S&F had skillsets that we simply didn't have. We were able to work together to let each team contribute their unique value in order to maximize productivity and make as much progress with the resources allocated to the project.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

S&F's team is very dedicated, understanding, and flexible to the needs of a young startup. Not to say this is their only specialty - we're just one example of a startup that had a great experience with their company.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Through no fault of Speed & Function, admittedly we were a little early to invest the capital we did in development. We should have spent more time understanding the market and the needs of the customer to know what to build and how to prioritize features better. Ultimately we were able to overcome this challenge together.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m project manager director at Mangos, a brand marketing agency. We do anything from traditional print and web design.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Speed and Function?

We had an in-house developer, but we had more work. We needed a team of frontend developers and producers for some of the work we were doing.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Speed and Function does all our HTML development on our frontend projects. We initially subcontracted them to handle two of our clients and their development needs.

What is the team composition?

We go back and forth with the project manager and build relationships which whoever is the developer on our emails. We’re directly engaged with them.

For larger projects, we’ve been on teams with at least five people: a project manager, a procured, the head developer, backend infrastructure people, and more developers. It depends on the project we’re doing.

How did you come to work with Speed and Function?

This wasn’t my first relationship with them. I met Speed and Function almost ten years ago through a UX company that was my partner. We got to a point where we no longer needed a UX firm, so we subcontracted Speed and Function for their development capabilities, and they did maintenance and everything for the website.

How much have you invested with them?

It’s been about $150,000 over the last two years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2019, and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The best thing about Speed and Function is that they’re a true partner. They act as an extension of my marketing department, and they help us figure out things and come to us with better options or strategies around what we need. They’re genuinely engaged in the outcome of our projects and want us to be successful.

How did Speed and Function perform from a project management standpoint?

We never have to wait on them when we need something. Our project manager is always there, but if they aren’t, one of the developers will jump in and answer our questions. They have a home-grown solution for tickets and the managing process.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Besides the partnership, they really stand out for their continuous process improvement. They’ve brought and immersed us into their process, and we’ve come out of it better organized and more successful. Moreover, Speed and Functions always looks for constructive feedback, and they’re honest with us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have any criticism. We’ve run into problems, but they never hide from anything. They come to us right away to solve any issue together.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Give them the opportunity and see how they work out for you. We haven’t been disappointed.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a museum. We’re a nonprofit cultural organization, and I’m in charge of maintaining and redesigning our website.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Speed and Function?

We needed help with website development for our business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Speed and Function have been our backend development support on our Drupal 8 content management system — our website is focused on providing visitors with information to plan their visit. They’ve also been helping us augment our team’s resources and skills right before we launched our revamped website. Since then, they also provide dev-ops maintenance and content migration into different content management systems.

In terms of functionalities to our platform, they added the ability to build new pages more efficiently within our content management system. They’ve also helped us with a good amount of security breaches that we’ve had by improving our security features.

Regarding technologies, we use a Drupal 8 content management system, a React frontend, and API calls between us to deliver content.

How did you come to work with Speed and Function?

They were referred to us by someone who already knew them and their work.

How much have you invested with them?

I estimate that we’ve spent $40,000–$50,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2019, and the engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Speed and Function have been instrumental in the launch of our redesigned website. They brought us back from several security breaches in the last months. In addition to that, the cost savings from working with them have been significant.

How did Speed and Function perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve been great; their proactiveness, organization, and availability are excellent. They respond fast to our questions and calls. In terms of tools and communication, we usually use Slack and email with them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their responsiveness, despite the time zone difference, is outstanding. They come back to us quickly whenever we have an emergency, and they’re available every time we need work done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could translate the technical language to non-tech people; although we get quick answers and demos of the products, we’d like to make those technical conversations more straightforward.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am a Manager of Open Supply Hub

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Identify, deduplicate, and map retail supply chain facilities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Speed and Function to accomplish?

• Migrate / harden system from legacy architecture.
• Provide additional engineering resources and expertise.

SOLUTION

How did you find Speed and Function?

Referral

Why did you select Speed and Function over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Speed and Function were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

AWS migration, API development, Deduplication algorithm, and Microservices architecture.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Cost savings w/ AWS solution, improved development/release cadence, engineering team capacity

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They deliver on time and communicate when issues arise. We use slack and google meets to keep in touch. We have a daily scrum and risk management and planning meetings every other week.

What was your primary form of communication with Speed and Function?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Responsiveness, range of skillsets (what they refer to as elastic delivery), proactive nature - they find bugs we didn't know about and fix them when they're small / don't need to be worked into a larger plan.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Speed and Function could have done differently?

n/a

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Impilo

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Help healthcare customers use connected devices.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Speed and Function to accomplish?

Get support on engineering projects

SOLUTION

How did you find Speed and Function?

Referral

Why did you select Speed and Function over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Speed and Function were assigned to this project?

1 Employee

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

• Embedded within our team 
• Built both front end and back end features 
• Did full stack dev work

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Completing of Tasks

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

We handled that.

What was your primary form of communication with Speed and Function?

Virtual Meeting

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Good communication. They were always willing to work with our team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Speed and Function could have done differently?

There's nothing they need to improve on.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CSO of an information technology company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a digital product agency, providing Strategy, Design & Development as well as Digital Marketing Services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Speed and Function to accomplish?

• Website Redesign

SOLUTION

How did you find Speed and Function?

Referral

Why did you select Speed and Function over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Speed and Function were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Speed and Function provided excellent development services including: 

• Technical Architechture 
• Agile Sofware Delivery  
• Website Development 
• QA 
• Launch 
• Ongoing Technical Operations

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Project launched on time, highly performant application, on budget.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Project management was excellent. Timelines clearly communicated, very fluid updates from the team, real-time (remote) collaboration.

What was your primary form of communication with Speed and Function?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Love their "get it done" attitude. They always focused on what mattered the most.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Speed and Function could have done differently?

Nothing in particular. Our weekly update calls were fantastic, and we should have made sure to include the full team from the start!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Managing Partner of a legal company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Law Firm

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Speed and Function to accomplish?

• To build an internal tracking system for franchise compliance
• To have the system be visible to clients

SOLUTION

How did you find Speed and Function?

Referral

Why did you select Speed and Function over others?

• Good value for cost
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Speed and Function were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Speed & Function helped us build and internal application to control and have visibility into the hundreds of regulatory filings we do on behalf of clients in multiple locations throughout the United States. The second stage of the project was building an interface for our clients to have full transparency into the state of their regulatory filings.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The system allowed our team members to handle more clients.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Yes.They were very engaged and setup a good cadence of communication throughout the entire project.

What was your primary form of communication with Speed and Function?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

They spent time to understand our business.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Speed and Function could have done differently?

none