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BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a business consultant for multiple companies. My background is in technology and marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with appenza?

I had a project with a media company working in the field of video production for the web. I needed them to build a platform to attract talent for shooting video, copywriting, and general creative work.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Appenza worked with me on developing the client’s platform. It allows users to create accounts and portfolios and apply for jobs posted on the site. The site is aimed at people looking to start careers in media production.

The solution is ready for production, but it hasn’t been launched due to an internal decision on the client’s side. They had some tweaks to make on the business logic of the system which they will make in collaboration with appenza. Our client is a startup being managed by young people. They’re still trying to understand their market and making frequent changes.

What is the team composition?

I worked directly with one of their principals, who introduced me to the development team. He spent a lot of time managing the project, but also put me in control and gave me direct access to every team member. There was an internal member assigned as project manager.

How did you come to work with appenza?

Their owners are old acquaintances of mine. We’ve worked together on a number of projects, even before they founded appenza.

What is the status of this engagement?

appenza started working on the project at the end of December 2017 and it was delivered in mid-February 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Appenza did a very good job. Our client said that they exceeded their expectations.

How did appenza perform from a project management standpoint?

Their owner was in the U.K. during the start of the project, which made me feel like I was working with strangers. That really didn’t work for me, given that we had a tight deadline. When he came back, I asked him to introduce me to the team so that we could start moving at a faster pace. From that time, we scheduled meetings together to review the current progress. I had meetings with the entire development team. Their owner facilitated communication between the team and me and ensured that nothing would take too much time.

Their team uses the agile methodology. The project was divided into stories or sprints, and each of those was attached to a task board. This process eliminated a lot of the paperwork normally involved and sped up the work. We were able to deliver demos to the client for review and keep moving forward.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I love their work, passion, and ideas. Appenza takes our suggestions and makes them better. I can work with them comfortably as if their company is my home during the project.

Secondly, appenza has the right skills for the job, and they always try to improve on requirements.

They also listen to feedback. I had to raise a flag about the schedule and other items, and my feedback was followed strictly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was some time slippage during the project, and I was afraid that we would not be able to deliver on time. I relayed my fears about the timeline and told them that it was as important as the work on functionalities and design. They adjusted themselves accordingly and worked overtime to get back on track.