TXI

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I am the CEO of a company, called Sprout San Francisco. We have five physical stores and an online E-commerce site. We sell organic and natural baby products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with TableXI?

We have a baby registry so people can select what they want their friends to buy them for a baby shower. We wanted a solution for people to be able to scan products in the store, ideally using their iPhone and those products are added to their registry online. For this specific idea, we came to TableXI directly, but we have used many different technology providers through different aspects of our website and E-commerce build and point of sale and all the different things that we’ve had to use technology for. So I do have a very good point of comparison; the way companies do things.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We introduced our idea to TableXI and told them what we’d like to happen. After taking in all of the information and what our goals were, they sketched out a plan, design-wise, and also function wise. They came up with a lot of ideas that they thought would be interesting to add to the app, and we ended up using them. They had to coordinate with me and other members of my team who help with the website, as well as my outside web developers who help with my E-commerce site and make all of the pieces work together.

They had both a developer who did the actual work and a point person who could translate all of the information and keep us informed and on schedule.

As for the app, you can use the camera on your phone to scan a bar code in our store and then it will give you information on the product. Then, you can choose to add it to your registry and it syncs up with the backend of our website. We went through a number of iterations of that. They really worked with us on how to display those items to the customer and categorize them correctly.

There were also some tricky things. For instance, we have items in our store that are not available on our website. As a result, we had to come up with a creative solution for what would be displayed to the customer when they added that item to their registry. We wanted the customer to still be able to add it, but also make sure they know that this an in-store only item. Table XI came up with a notification, and then a way to add the item to the backend even though it wasn't online. 

How did you come to work with TableXI?

For this specific idea, we came to TableXI directly, but we have used many different technology providers for different aspects of our website in the past. 

I actually went to college with Mark [CEO, TableXI], but they don’t work on Magento, which is our E-commerce software. So while building my site over the years, I never did any work with them, but I knew about the firm. When I was looking to build an app, I was just so unhappy with my current developers that I asked Mark if it was something that they did and he said yes. I met with the team and discussed the app. I was impressed by their professionalism and their immediate understanding of what I needed to happen and how to make that happen. I find that I have to repeat myself multiple times with other developers to make things happen. In contrast, TableXI immediately seemed to be listening, understanding, and interpreting what I wanted. They put together a proposal in a very professional way. It really impressed me.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We have spent between $10,000 and $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in November 2012 until February 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We’re getting four times as many registries per month than we did before. That’s a huge part of our business. 

They did a great job of capturing and interpreting our brand. They effectively thought through the customer experience and then designed the app based on that, rather than making it as I had envisioned it, which didn't take the user into account. Both the functionality and the design were executed really well, and I don’t often find people who can do both well.

How did TableXI perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything on the technology side turned out great, but I’d say the number one thing that impressed me was their project management. Communicating with them on a personal basis was very pleasant. They were never defensive when there was a mistake; they always fixed it right away. They kept everything on time and kept us in the loop of what was happening constantly.

I just really enjoyed working with them, which I find rare when it comes to developers. Most of our communication was by phone, Skype, and email, and we used Slack a lot. We had weekly check-ins scheduled and they were always happy to pick up the phone if something came up during the week.

What distinguishes TableXI from other providers?

They keep things on time. They weren’t ever condescending, always listening to our needs and explaining things in a helpful way. They worked with us to get the desired outcome on all sides; on the customer experience, on the design, and on the technology and usability. They didn't just do exactly want we asked, but rather, came up with their own ideas and put the extra effort in. Overall, they thought critically about the end goal and helped us to make it happen.

They provided a lot of suggestions in terms of what they thought would be unique or efficient. It ended up working very well. Whenever there was a problem, during A/B testing for instance, they made sure to fix it immediately.

They were also really cost conscious. I had a pretty tight budget and they were able to prioritize things in order for it to be less expensive. I really appreciated that TableXI was very patient and took the time to explain things.

Is there anything TableXI could have improved or done differently?

No. I wish they had more of a scope of developers. I would have moved all of my business to them if they had people with the various skills that I need.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of user experience design of Participate, an international education company. I work with one of the platform product teams. We provide a broad range of services to K-20 institutions, including recruitment and placement of international teachers. We provide whole school programming around global education and language immersion education. We also provide an online platform where teachers can take professional learning courses and collaborate with other educators. The company has approximately 65 employees. Aside from our location in North Carolina, we also have an office in Costa Rica.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Table XI?

The overarching goal was to bring clarity to our platform by improving the product development process. This included mentoring for people on that team, including the product owner and myself as the UX designer. We’re a very small team, so we also needed additional manpower to meet different project deadlines.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

When Table XI began working with us, we did not have any functional user experience process for product development. One of their deliverables was to help us implement that process. Table XI started with a UX audit. They sent a senior UX designer and a developer to our office in North Carolina. They went through a 2-day workshop with our product team to understand our business and our history. They also looked at our problems, our context, and our goals. We went through a couple of exercises in that time together.

After that initial audit meeting, they sent us a recap document and their recommended scope of work. From there, I worked with the senior UX designer to run a user research sprint on our platform. She initiated and ran the user testing sessions. Since I had less experience, she trained me on the skill sets needed to run that type of interview. In the process, we documented how successful different aspects of the platform were. This provided the foundation for attacking a critical UX issue and figuring out how to create more value in our product.

From there, the product team went to the Table XI office in Chicago. Their senior UX designer facilitated a 2-day product design studio for us. We went through exercises to understand our business and product goals. We also shared the outcomes from the previous research sprint with the rest of the team. Based on the research, we decided to focus on redesigning a specific feature.

In the next phase, we developed personas as a team and did some competitive analysis. We looked at user goals and then prioritized feature ideas. We even did some hands-on sketching with a team of developers, which was pretty funny. From those outcomes, Table XI’s senior UX designer and I planned Agile design sprints. We created wireframes and testable prototypes, followed by user testing. We would learn from those findings, iterate on our design, and then move to the next level. While we were doing that work for this specific feature, Table XI’s developer was integrated into our development team. He worked with them on another project that had a more immediate deadline. Then we all came back together to deliver the work on the redesigned feature.

As we wrapped up the work, Table XI’s senior UX designer focused more on coaching me individually. Currently, this involves 1 ½ hours each week where I’m able to share the challenges I’m facing. I could also ask for pointers about my role as the team leader — answering questions from developers, handling customer-facing meetings, and navigating the world of UX design. She points me to resources to learn more and shown me how to do things effectively. Her input has given me space to learn a lot and grow.  

How did you come to work with Table XI?

Our development team included 2 former Table XI employees. These 2 developers were very experienced and saw problems more quickly than the rest of us did. Our choice to work with Table XI was definitely influenced by the fact that they had worked there. They could really vouch for their approach and reliability. We weren’t actually looking at any other companies to fill this need.

We had an initial phone call with Table XI. After we discussed our goals, Table XI felt like a good fit in terms of culture and leadership. There were clearly a lot of gaps on our team that they could help us with.

What is the status of this engagement?

We have been working together since March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have seen a 20% increase in meaningful engagement with the redesigned feature, and an initial bump in user sign ups of 185%. We are also seeing a sustained increase in user sign ups at around 58%. Finally, our MAU is continuing a steady incline, with a 43% increase from prior to feature re-design. 

The design process introduced by Table XI transformed our product and our team. The components that went into the new feature now help us build better components across the team platform. We have a solid UX research and design process, whereas before, we had nothing. Our developers now trust the UX process a lot more. We also have strategies in place for tackling problems together.

Table XI provides mentorship on Agile development processes, which is really valuable for our team. Before we started working with Table XI, our team had a broken process for projects. We did not have the regular cadence of Agile development such as retrospectives and stand-ups. We certainly weren’t having any UX-to-development transition meetings because we didn’t have any UX work at that point.

How did Table XI perform from a project management standpoint?

Table XI has been modeling outstanding communication and project management to us. At this point, they continue to bring value by teaching the Agile approach to others in our organization. It’s certainly a very strategic approach to work.

Right now, we have a weekly stand-up via video call. We also use Slack and email as standard communication tools. The senior UX designer and I still communicate using video twice a week.

What did you find most impressive about Table XI?

Table XI is a company that really works side by side with you to solve problems. They’re not just spewing off strategies from an ivory tower or giving you documentation of approaches or things that may work. They’re going to give you materials, but they’re also going to get down side by side with you to help. They really want to understand and become a part of your organization. I noticed really early on that they often use “we” and “us” when describing the project. They want a deep understanding of who we are as a client and what we’re trying to accomplish. When we are successful, they are successful with us.

Are there any areas Table XI could improve?

It would be nice to have a tighter discussion about the budget every week. While we get a tremendous amount of value, it comes at a high cost for that type of service. When you’re really very deeply in that work, there could be a little sticker shock when you see the price on a monthly basis. I don’t think we ever asked for weekly updates on that. Maybe it’s on us to ask for that, but it’s something that they should consider. There should be a clear expectation up front about the budget and how often it should be discussed.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I am the Executive Director of a non-profit organization. We connect other nonprofits with professional women who want to volunteer their skills and expertise on short-term, specific volunteer projects. We have two employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Table XI?

We were looking for an efficient and effective way to be able to identify women in our database based on their particular skills and interests, as well as their geographic location, in order to match them with those who came to us with very specific project needs. We needed a matching algorithm to be able to do this more efficiently instead of doing it manually. We had worked with two different providers with two different iterations of the site, but as we grew the business, we realized that we needed to have a more sophisticated matching algorithm. We needed to have some various components be more malleable, basically things we, as a small and lean, but mighty team, could make adjustments to ourselves concerning the content management system.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in greater detail.

We began through an inception meeting, which was a planning and strategy session where we could really identify the appropriate road map that could help us reach our end goal. After that meeting, we worked with Table XI to create our minimum viable product.

They overhauled our website that was previously on Drupal and put it on Ruby on Rails. They developed a custom built platform on Ruby on Rails and essentially built out the entire backend, and then the frontend interface. They built a content management system on the frontend and on the backend and developed various tools including both the matching algorithm and the project wizard.

The project wizard is essentially a tool that helps our non-profit organizations scope their volunteer projects, so they can select a project opportunity from a list of about 160 different types. They select that project, fill out a form to add in additional details, and then Table XI built a system by which those non-profits could then view, select, and invite volunteers to review a project invitation. Table XI was able to really refine that matching algorithm, and in the future, they made it to where we could sort not only by criteria, but also by a keyword search. They definitely showed their expertise because they had been working with several other clients who were quite similar.

We continue our work with Table XI, and it fluctuates from maintenance to ramping up and doing more development work, which we’ve done a Phase 2 of this past fall. Most often, it’s purely maintenance and checking issues.

How did you come to work with Table XI?

We are located in Chicago, so we had looked at agencies throughout the country, but we had a preference for a Chicago based agency in order to make it an easier process in terms of development. We also had a pretty tight budget, so we were looking for an agency that could work within that budget. Really, we were looking for an agency that had experience in developing matching algorithms. Table XI came through meeting all of those requirements, and a partner of ours had recommended that we look into them. We had gone through an RSP process to identify vendors who had expertise in that matching algorithm in particular. After a review process, we selected Table XI because they had worked with similar entities both in the non-profit and for-profit space.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in June 2014, and have been working together since.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Our project match rates is at about 80%. They’ve really given us a new face through the design work that they’ve done, and really helped us to be able to better manage our operations. We rely heavily on our technology platform. They have been tremendous in helping us to accomplish our goals and to further our mission.

How did Table XI perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been very responsive. They’ve always been very efficient in getting back to us quickly and making sure that every question we have is answered. I would speak very highly of them in regards to project management. We have check-ins whenever we have significant development work going on, but during times of maintenance, we check in periodically or as needed. We meet in person quite frequently, particularly when we have a lot of developmental work going on, and they’re always happy to host it in our offices. From a collaborative perspective, they’ve been really easy to work with. We have a really tight budget, and they’ve always really helped us stay within that budget while also helping to ensure that the technology continues to advance. They’ve always been very generous with us, and have been very strategic so that they can help us identify the priorities we need to focus on for the time being, and then map out a timeline for other priorities moving forward.

What distinguishes Table XI from other providers?

Table XI is always thinking, learning, and staying on top of the industry. They’re bringing forward a very good team that they’ve assembled, and always brings forward experts in those areas. I really like that they’re able to share best practices and knowledge with us, and we can know that they are giving us the best advice out there.

Is there anything Table XI could have improved or done differently?

I know when we initially started working with Table XI, design was just kind of a component that they were adding in. I think they were merging with another agency at that point, and I can say that within the past few years, the design has continuously improved. That was one area that was an issue at the beginning, and we could tell they were still working out the kinks, but they’ve progressed quite a bit. I feel pretty confident in their design work.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We specialize in the production of fuel meters, primarily for the backs of fuel trucks which deliver home-heating oil and propane globally. I am the vice president of the Americas division. I am in charge of all operations, from Canada to Brazil.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Table XI?

We have a strong market share and position in North America. Around 90% of the trucks on the road are using our equipment, but they don’t have a way of wirelessly communicating with those pieces. The aim was to increase efficiency for our end-customers. Through this new efficiency, we’d be able to sell incremental content via a wireless adapter and a free app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have worked with Table XI’s mobile group on specking a wireless adapter which could plug into our existing hardware. They determined what our desired outcome was, and how we wanted to go about achieving it. Controlling hardware was a new area for their team, so we brought in some pieces of equipment for use during the development process. Table XI built a series of stories which satisfied our needs, and assigned values to each of those.

We prioritized them, and started work on the iOS and Android mobile app which drivers could use at their convenience for controlling the equipment while they’re out making deliveries.

Throughout the process, we had weekly calls, and, every two weeks, we had a showcase demonstration. Because our system is hardware-based, we performed much of the functionality testing ourselves. Every new feature and bug-fix which came out went through a testing protocol on both our sides.

We ended up adjusting our scope as we went, depending on budget. This was a critical aspect for us on this project, and we knew that we’d have to trim some things, as we got closer to the end.

The app developer had to learn our internal protocol, in order to talk to the register. This was done through a new serial-to-wireless adapter which we developed exactly for this project. There was a steep learning curve for our own system early-on in the project.

The app controls the equipment on the back of the truck, allowing drivers to set up, start and end deliveries, and print tickets. There are some basic features in place for communicating in a more comfortable way with equipment which typically sits in the backend of a truck. Many of our locations are in places like Canada and Minnesota, where it’s not uncommon for temperatures to reach -20 °F, while people are out delivering fuel. Drivers communicate with the register via a wireless signal, by means of phone or tablet.

The application allows us to collect data and analytics. This aspect has been trimmed down quite a bit, but we can see how many people are using the app, as well as other general information. We have the hooks in place to pull more useful marketing data, and understand the average delivery size and slow rates. We ended up trimming this scope in order to keep our budget.

How did you come to work with Table XI?

We had used them on a project for another division of the company, so I knew a bit about Table XI from the start. This original project was for a web-based password-protected customer portal which allowed users to download user manuals for equipment, service records, and so on. We interviewed three or four different companies, looking for experience with developing this sort of tool, as well as a level of expertise which we lacked.

Currently, I would rather evaluate people on their ability to handle the inception process, and internalize our customers and what we’re trying to get out of the project. This is something which Table XI does really well. They ask many questions and take a full day to really understand the scope of a project, and what they’re trying to gain out of it.

How much have you invested with Table XI?

The cost of their work has been around $90,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the initial scoping with Table XI in December 2016. The project ended in April 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

We have formally launched the app three weeks ago, and haven’t yet reached the sales level we want, but we have certainly created a lot of industry interest and excitement.

The biggest metrics for me, in terms of the project itself, were budget and timing. We went a bit over-budget, but the timing hit, and Table XI completed the work ahead of one of our major trade-show events.

We are opening Pandora’s box in a way, with everyone wanting the app to do everything. We are setting the right expectations, and will start building the next set of features which people have been asking for, now that they have their hands on our app.

How did Table XI perform from a project management standpoint?

They do a very good job in providing regular work updates. On the content side, the one challenge for a budget-constrained project is making sure that we have tight check-ins on where we stand. From a content and development standpoint, the project management is phenomenal on Table XI’s side. They’ve worked to understand how customers are going to be using our app and what their skillsets are; they covered not only the look-and-feel part of the UX side, but also the technical side, making sure it’s a quality product.

Table XI has primarily used GoToMeeting for updates. We’re fortunate to be on the north side of Chicago, while they’re located downtown. There were several instances where we simply took the train into the city and paid them a visit.

What did you find most impressive about Table XI?

It’s really the quality of the work, and the way in which the end-customer and user are internalized. They make sure that the product will not only be functional, but also give us the professional look-and feel we want in order for it to represent us and the company.

Are there any areas Table XI could improve?

We would appreciate having a way to really understand the daily impact of the work on our budget. Many of the scope items can change, as bugs are found or features are updated.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Rice University is a private research university in Houston, Texas. I am the director of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders, which is a cross-university leadership endeavor. It is designed to be the most comprehensive development strategy of any top-20 university. There are 10–12 leadership opportunities at Rice. We have various boutique agencies like the Center for Civic Leadership and the Center for Engineering Leadership.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Table XI?

Because the Doerr Institute is central to the university, we wanted to improve its visibility. We needed to make sure that all prospective and incoming students were aware of the leadership development programs offered by the institute. We also needed a software tool that could take students’ personal characteristics and match them with an array of opportunities at the university.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our collaboration with Table XI started with research on similar matching strategies. They had worked on a similar solution for matching mentors with mentees, specifically businesswomen. We went through a 5-day design sprint and tested a prototype at the end of that period. One of Table XI’s biggest contributions was figuring out that this needed to be an SMS-driven process. Students don’t like to go to websites because it’s cumbersome and requires a laptop. They don’t like apps because it’s too much of a commitment to download one. 

Backend software designers at Rice teamed up with Table XI’s team. We created an SMS text bot that conversed with students and analyzed their statements. It sent back a list of 4–8 recommended activities at Rice. The bot connects to the website on the backend. Our combined team designed the frontend and the SMS text input. They created a pattern of tiles that go back to students’ phones and describe recommended activities. There are links that take them to various websites for leader development entities.

We also offer a professional leadership coach to every student at the school who wants one. It’s a huge benefit, and students can take advantage of this service for one semester. We have to make sure that all students understand the purpose of the coaching program as well as how to connect to it. This information is included in the SMS tool.

How did you come to work with Table XI?

We contacted our own software designers and asked for recommendations. The main reason we chose Table XI was that we were scanning for similar types of matching software. We’re a leadership-oriented organization, so we knew about a mentor-matching program done by a women’s organization. We hoped to find an organization like Table XI that might have already done something similar and had the applicable code. We had to build the argument that we wanted to choose this specific company rather than opening a competitive bid.

How much have you invested with Table XI?

We have spent between $50,000 and $200,000. We analyzed their fee structure using our in-house software developers. The impression was that Table XI offered appropriate prices.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Table XI in late October or early November 2016. Our first design sprint was done in the first week of December. The project was completed 3 weeks ago when they delivered a minimum viable product. We’ve tested everything. There may be advancements that we will add later on.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The project has gone smoothly, and the product has been better than I expected. We’ve had 4 separate product testing sessions with student stakeholders. There was a small number of representative students involved. Every session we’ve had has been highly successful, with the product being rated between 4 and 4.5 out of 5. Many of the recommendations they gave us were details that we decided not to include for specific reasons. We’ve aimed the software itself at 300,000 prospective students. It will be used at a fairly robust scale.

How did Table XI perform from a project management standpoint?

Our project manager was an exemplary organizer and implementer. Their use of our time was very efficient. The design sprint was straightforward and similar to a workshop. Most of the communication was done via video conference, either through Skype of Zoom. Table XI’s team went twice to our location.

Table XI has been successful at forming an impromptu team with our own people. Some of our developers were not exactly easy to deal with in a social sense, but Table XI’s team was persistent and able to do it. They made sure that questions were answered, things were clarified, and so forth. They were pleasant to work with.

What did you find most impressive about Table XI?

Table XI helped us create a product that we thought would be effective, rather than steering us in the direction of a preferred design. Instead of trying to sell us something, Table XI made our ideas a reality. They listened to us, which was critical since no one has ever done something like this for leadership development.

Are there any areas Table XI could improve?

No. They did exactly what we needed them to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, and also for the DNorris Cotton Cancer Center at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, which is on a separate campus. Within the town, we say that there is a Dartmouth community, and I am an administrative coordinator for all Shared Resources, namely the facilities which offer services to the researchers within and outside the Dartmouth community. We offer scientific services such as bioinformatics, various testing services, advice, access to Instrumentation, and lots of other items, anything from flow cytometry to next-gen sequencing, imaging, histo-staining and so forth. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Table XI?

With all our shared resources, sample tracking and billing for those samples becomes a huge situation. We’re handling thousands of samples per year, in multiple locations and departments and even schools. Coordinating this is very difficult, and we need a database which allows us to accept samples, track the samples, and then bill for these things. We also need to be able to give researchers access to instrumentation allowing them to reserve time on these instruments. It’s not a trivial situation, and the system we originally had was an in-house one which had been build eight years ago. We lost our programmers for that, and, given its multilayered nature, it became a dead system at that point. We needed to replace it with another system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Table XI was flown out in order for their team to visit all our shared-resource facilities at Dartmouth, and find out what the needs and wants were for each one, and how those may or may not have fit into our system. Table XI put a proposal together for us, and we went forward with it.

They took the bones of the system they had developed at Northwestern University, and started slowly adapting it to what we wanted. We rebranded it to RaDar (Resources at Dartmouth), and built the system up to the point of being launched.

I’ve launched many databases, and it’s always a scary proposition. There are always things which we hadn’t considered, or which can go wrong. I can say without a doubt that this was the easiest launch I’ve ever undertaken. The system worked as advertised, people adapted to it quickly, it was user-friendly and straightforward, and most of the glitches we encountered were on the financial end. This was mainly because tracking financials is different in every institution, so fitting the software into the Dartmouth system took a little effort, not to mention that, as soon as we launched it, the school decided to change the system we’d be using. We had to go back and retool that a bit, but it was certainly not because of anything Table XI did.

We had a good launch, and it was clear that the system was working well. We were then able to acquire some grants to improve the system. We were able to refine it even further, working with Table XI to add enhancements and fit the system with our financial and scientific needs.

We’ve wanted to refine some of the reservation-type modules for reserving instruments and selecting services which fit our cores a bit better than the original system did, like a Sanger sequencing ordering and tracking module. This has been going very well for us, and we continue down this path today.

There are two ends to the software: the user end and a management one. A user will click on our RaDar site and select the core or shared resource which they want to order from. It can be either a service, reserved time on an instrument which the researcher wants to use, or an item which they want to obtain. Users then choose the billing code they want to use, and the system tracks where the service will take place, or they may view what the state of their order is in. After completion, the system will automatically invoice the bill and show billing from a user standpoint.

From a shared resource standpoint, we have a management side of things, where we can see the orders coming in, the bills being processed, what instruments have reserved time, and so on. We can manage items, block items, choose whether they need notifications, etc.

We go through billing at the end of the month, collecting and journaling all invoiced orders through the system, using our administrative staff. The transactions are completed at that point, and we can track any trends with services and instrument use, as well as the types samples going through.

We want to stay up with technologies, and, even though everyone will have a computer typically, students will tend to be on the move a lot, bouncing between classes and other things. Having the ability to access the system using a smartphone made perfect sense. This is something which we’ve just launched, and are still touting to people, but users have been very excited about finding out that they can simply pull their phone out, reserve an instrument, check the status of their data or the instrument schedules, and so on. It makes it that much more user-friendly to use the mobile side of our system.

How did you come to work with Table XI?

There were companies which provided software for our purpose, and we looked at them very closely. There were also groups which could be hired and brought in to set things up on our behalf. I was at a meeting, and had heard representatives of Northwestern University talk about their experiences of bringing up a similar system to the one we were looking for, and working with Table XI for the task. It was also an open source system which made it attractice. Having heard their presentation, and it sounded like it would be right up our alley. We talked to the people at Northwestern, who got us in contact with Table XI. We sat down, told their team what we were looking for, and tried to work some preliminaries out. It looked like the collaboration would work, so we decided to go with Table XI.

A part of the billing structure for the other software solutions of this type was to charge based on the amount of work done through the system. The provider would take a percentage of what we were charging. This was certainly reasonable, but our concern was more with finding a nice company which wouldn’t be bought out after a while. This did indeed happen with at least one of the companies we were looking at, although I can’t say how it has affected them.

We were also looking to bring in some of our own programmers in order to manage the system. After we’d finished the system (not that we really can finish a system like this one), and it became more of a maintenance one, we’d use on-site programmers who had knowledge of the software and could perform basic maintenance. We could go to Table XI when we needed bigger changes. We appreciated the flexibility of working with them, and being able to take the system over more ourselves, as it was brought to a satisfactory position.

How much have you invested with Table XI?

The initial cost of launching the system was around $70,000. That system could’ve worked perfectly fine for us, but, since then, we’ve gotten $80,000 in grants for additional items. We’re working on spending additional money for further refinements. I should point out that many of these refinements were not needed for us to be able to use the system. They are mainly to have RaDar fit more precisely to how we do things here at Dartmouth. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Table XI in July 2015. The initial process took a little more than one year. It should’ve gone faster, but it took us a while to make some decisions. Once we went forward with the development, there was a four-to-five-month period, again with some hold ups on our part, before we launched the system and introduced it to Dartmouth. The collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

The biggest thing for us was not to lose the tracking and financial functionalities of our system. Shared resources aren’t out there to make money, but to provide a service to the Dartmouth community, and try to break even. In doing that, we provide services of well above $3 million. Having not had downtime, and being able to slip into the system easily and with huge improvements over the previous one, was a terrific way to go for us, and it was extremely important to the administration and the stability of the Shared Resources. 

User experience has been all positive. This is not to say that people don’t have little issues, but this is what the grants are for. We’ve implemented a search function which was initially meant for looking up individual order numbers. Sometimes, when people go to the front page, they know that they want to order, but aren’t sure necessarily what Shared Resource may contain an instrument or a service. The thought was that we needed the ability to search for services and other things across the site, and this was one of the improvements we made on the site. The mobile part was another advancement which we didn’t have before, and which will make the system more user-friendly.

Everyone has loved the new system, and they find it very user-friendly. With the previous one, getting to order something took seven or eight clicks, while this one only requires filling a couple of fields and placing an order. It’s much more streamlined.

How did Table XI perform from a project management standpoint?

They are extremely organized, and the delays have not been on their part. We could have probably launched the system three months earlier than we did, but we ran into problems with getting the information to Table XI. There is some red tape within the college, but they were very patient with us, and truly a pleasure to work with.

Table XI setup a GoToMeeting instance, and we gather there every other week, going through documents and the progress of the work. They maintain a queue, and notify us whenever an item is being worked on. The feedback is constant, and amounts to a number of emails. We can quickly log into the system and setup a new request in the queue.

When Table XI first came out to Dartmouth, they sat down with our resources. We brought them out again a little over a month ago, in order to really assess the system. It was a huge help, and it refocused us, clarifying our goals.

Are there any areas Table XI could improve?

I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. We have not been displeased with their performance. The communication is solid, and we can tell Table XI what we want and don’t want. I can’t say we’ve run into a situation of needing to improve something.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director for research core planning at a university facility in the highest organizational level within the school. Research cores are centralized facilities that provide services, sell things and/or rent instruments. We have about 60 of those at the university, half of which are in the medical school. I manage that program.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Table XI?

Managing the core facilities involves a number of challenges. The system has to track orders, handle billing, and do everything you could imagine around a transaction processing system. The system needed to enroll multiple independent facilities, each of which could then create the products and services they offer, track them, and then bill into our financial system. There also needed to be a higher administrative level where we could manage the entire organization. And because we’re a university, the system had to work with our identity services to interact with university credentials as login information. There were other commercial alternatives out there, but they didn’t really meet our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started out with a very broad sketch of what we were trying to accomplish, and they built the entire application. Table XI has historically built a lot of transaction processing, so they were familiar with the process. We spent somewhere around four to six months just getting all the details hashed out, and it was a good experience.

When they started, it was really just a couple of people that were involved. The company has grown a lot since we started working with them back in 2009. We had the CTO and one developer, and since it was a young company, the CEO was actually involved with some day-to-day operations at the time. One of the most positive aspects of working with Table XI was actually that very thing: even though there was some turnover, there was always great continuity.

How did you come to work with Table XI?

Matt, the CTO, actually graduated from my university and worked for me right after he graduated, so I’ve known him for a long time. I knew he was involved with Table XI, but when we were looking for developers we still put out requests for applications. I think we got four or five proposals, but Table XI was head and shoulders above the rest. We started gathering the requirements at the end of 2009, and by the end of 2010 they were laying down the code.

How much have you invested with Table XI?

Everything is more expensive than you want it to be, but we’ve gotten everything we wanted for pretty much what we expected to pay for it. It’s not cheap, but the quality is very high.

What is the status of this engagement?

The bulk of the software development is successfully implemented at this point, but we still have bi-weekly calls with Table XI to continue doing development and coding work.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

There are 60 core facilities at the entire university. The first year, we had enrolled two and now we have all but four of them in the system. It’s gone really well. Predictably, the last few features are the ones that need the most customization and take the longest to develop, but it’s been a huge success.

What did you find most impressive about Table XI?

Over a six-year period, we’ve gone from zero to now processing $10 million per year through the system and having 3,700 active users. But the two most impressive things about Table XI are the quality of their code and their responsiveness. The system hasn’t crashed once in seven years, and I can send an email asking for support at seven o’clock at night and get a solution by one in the morning.

Are there any areas Table XI could improve?

Again, everything costs a little more than you want, and everything takes a little longer than you want, but that’s software development. I don’t think they’re outside the norm in that regard.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We manufacture temperature and humidity monitoring devices for the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries. I'm the vice president of marketing and sales.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Table XI?

We had a lot of accumulated data from direct mail and weren't comfortable with the way in which it was being manipulated. We needed a better solution to deal with the inefficiencies and breaches of protocol. Developing a solution in-house would have been cost restrictive and we didn't have the time to actually commit to hiring a team exclusively for this. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Table XI performed custom development for an analytics tool, also giving us education and coming up with new ways in which to look at the data. Table XI trained us on using products like Tableau as an overlap tool for analytics. They didn't always develop custom applications, but rather directed us to available tools. Most of the work with Table XI has been related to custom product development. We also engaged Table XI for website development. The technologies used have been SQL, Ruby on Rails, CSS, HTML products, and so on.

The code produced by Table XI is tested through a combination of automated and manual processes.

The collaboration has been done through a mix of working with a project manager and with the developers themselves. Everyone from Table XI is hands-on, so we've dealt a lot with our project manager, who is also in charge of doing the programming. For the most part, we interface with the people doing the work. At peak capacity, Table XI has provided us a team of 3-4 developers.

How much have you invested with Table XI?

The development done with Table XI in the last 2 years has been significantly higher than average, but I cannot share an exact amount. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with Table XI for 14 years.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

Table XI has developed a new product that was a huge improvement for our company. The hardware we manufacture has remained mostly the same over the years. We still monitor temperature and humidity, but rather than having the customer go to their units in the lab, we can retrieve the data from the logging unit and have it pushed to a cloud application. Table XI has developed the SaaS model for this implementation. It is part of the future approach for our company, so I cannot overstate how important it is.

Table XI did a great job at building the app. It continues to require monthly development as we add new features to it. Table XI has brought a lot to the party, not just in terms of getting the work done, but also in defining what the product would actually do. Their years of experience have helped in defining our product from a security side.

Table XI has developed a couple of websites for us. We're getting ready to launch a new one within 4-5 weeks. They did a fantastic job with it, not only doing what we asked them to, but also by acting as partners and bringing input into what they thought the functionalities for the site should be and how those should best be accomplished. Table XI is a hands-on partner and we look for their advice in many regards.

How did Table XI perform from a project management standpoint?

Table XI is very much process-improvement-oriented. Over the years, they've continued to improve in terms of ticketing systems, adoption of an Agile project management, and so on. Table XI is always looking to do better for programming and making frameworks. They have 3 resources assigned to framework related work who get together and come up with the best way of approaching a project and then help delegate its execution. 

Table XI has put testing procedures in place. The automation testing model for our application has 2,500 items in place which are run after each change. After that process is completed, Table XI will release the software to us. Their processes and documentation are more than impressive. I've never seen a company more in-tune to backend procedures. This is very important in the event when something does go wrong, and also in preventing problems.

Table XI is well-organized in terms of who is working on a project and who will be managing it. We have meetings every Tuesday with a person from our company, going over the list of tasks, looking at what Table XI is working on, what is due to be released, and any open issues. We review this information with their project manager and our decisions percolate down to Table XI's developers.

We use specialized project management tools for our collaboration with Table XI.

What did you find most impressive about Table XI?

We've worked with many consulting firms over the years. I've never seen another company who takes the work as seriously as Table XI. They self-evaluate and determine what they need to do better, without having to hear feed-back from us. Table XI focuses on being the best project managers they can be.

Are there any areas Table XI could improve?

We've never had any issues with Table XI. Over the years, Table XI has mostly gotten us up to speed. This has prompted me to give our own product manager more involvement with Table XI. They've helped our engineering group in deciding what to implement. We've adopted best practices from Table XI, so they've led the charge in this respect.

Any client looking to work with Table XI would want to be hands-on, not only in order to make sure that the project will get done, but also because they will learn very much from dealing with Table XI. They constantly implement best practices and keep ahead of the curve on what they should be doing, what tools should be used, how project management should be approached, and so on. Aside from the product Table XI is developing, their company can offer a real opportunity to learn and observe how to approach projects, which can be adopted in the client's company in other areas and improve their business.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

We're a spice merchant selling our product through retail and wholesale channels, as well as on the internet.

What is your position?

I am the owner of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Table XI?

We needed to update our website, as well as track sales results from it.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Table XI took what was a tiny website at the time and made a modern commerce site for our company. At the time, our orders were coming in via email, but Table XI took us to the next level. Since then, they've maintained and grown it.

The wish list for features was very long. Our old site was performing well but it was ancient and slow. It had been written in Perl, so it needed an upgrade. Along with this, came many bells and whistles. Our new version had a more modern look and required fewer clicks for making a conversion. We feature 1,900 products on the site, which requires many photos and ample categorization.

Table XI has used several off-the-shelf products, hooking them together and customizing them for our newest site. On the original one, Table XI built everything from scratch, from shopping carts to databases.

I maintain communication with 2-3 of Table XI's resources, but I don't know what the exact size of their team is.

How did you come to work with Table XI?

The person working on our catalogue referred us to Table XI's Chief Executive Officer, Josh Golden.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2001. We're now working on a new version which is scheduled to be completed within 3-4 weeks.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

Table XI took our website sales from $80,000 per year to 2.1 million dollars.

There have been times when something broke. We still have to use outside label servers for our products, as well as relying on UPS, USPS, and so on. Things can happen which are outside of anyone's control, but they are fixable. When something went wrong, Table XI was immediately on the issue. We've had a minute amount of downtime, always due to electric outages and other acts of God, not because of Table XI's development.

How did Table XI perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm not tech-savvy, so I don't know what exactly the work involves, but I can say that their response time in times of crisis has been outstanding. I've been able to contact Table XI even on a Sunday night. They always called me back and fixed the problem.

We communicate directly through phone and email. Table XI offers project management tools, but they know better than trying to impose one on me, as I'm an old Luddite.

What distinguishes Table XI from other providers?

There was never an occasion in which Table XI was unable to do something which I asked of them. Everything has a price, but they've been able to deliver.

Is there anything Table XI could have improved or done differently?

Table XI isn't bashful in terms of pricing, but I couldn't think of any service improvements.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CIO of GATX Corporation

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Railcar Lessor

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire TXI to accomplish?

• Build Custom Applications
• Create IT Roadmap
• Build Custom Application

SOLUTION

How did you find TXI?

Worked withCEO at his previous employers

Why did you select TXI over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Highly skilled resources

How many teammates from TXI were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Build a detailed railcar inspection application that interfaces with several other applications and with offline capability.  User interface and experience to ensure high rate of adoption was also key

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We follow Agile delivery methodology and use stories and points to track progress by the completion of stories and tracking actual cost to budget

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

We follow Agile Delivery methodology, TXI understood Agile delivery methodology, but adopted our particular flavour of Agile.

What was your primary form of communication with TXI?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Coopertaive, flexible and highly skilled resources.   Embebed well with the GATX team so we had a project team approach rather than a vendor team and GATX team

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

Nothing of any significance