Arbormoon Software, Inc.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the project manager with the University of Michigan, Department of Anesthesia – the Michigan Opioid Collaborative Project. We’re in the research area, and I’m particularly in charge of a project related to expanding access to opioid treatment and supporting providers and physicians to do that.

What challenge were you trying to address with Arbormoon Software, Inc.?

We hired them to redesign our data collection system so that we could better collect and more accurately report data from our project work.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started by reviewing the old system to see what was working, what wasn’t working, and what we wanted to carry forward in the new one. Then we had to look at what reports we needed and how to view the data and get it into the new system.

After that, we migrated our old system into the new one and tested everything.

What is the team composition?

We worked with two people, including Hassan (Project Manager) and Dan (Senior Software Engineer).

How did you come to work with Arbormoon Software, Inc.?

I believe someone gave us their name. They had used Arbormoon Software, Inc. for a similar project and had good success with them.

We initially tried to have our internal IT team build it, but they didn’t have the time. We had to look elsewhere and started talking to other departments who’ve had projects externally and got some names from there.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $70,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started connecting in January 2020. The system migration took place in July, but our follow-up period officially ended at the beginning of October.

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

I thought their quality of service was excellent. Hassan was great at communicating, giving us takeaways, deliverables, and keeping it on task. Dan was also great at listening to what we actually wanted.

They were also very responsive. When they would present ideas, we would let them know if something wasn’t what we wanted. They reorganized quickly, making tweaks. Overall, they were easy to work with. Obviously, there were a few things that came up, which happens with any data build or transfer. But, I was amazed by their team and the smoothness of the engagement. 

How did Arbormoon Software, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

In the beginning, we set up regular weekly meetings. We had check-ins to review where we were at, ensuring that deliverables were delivered within a timely fashion. We had a pretty tight timeline that we were aspiring to hit, and they were awesome enough to be able to deliver in that span.

They were always flexible when we needed it, which was also helpful. After weekly meetings, we would have follow-up emails with the tasks and deliverables. A lot of everything was laid out.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team was good at understanding that we weren’t programmers. We would express what we thought we needed, and their team did a great job of working through those and making sure we were on the same page.

Dan enjoyed that he was working on something impactful. Our system is helping to create opioid treatment access. He seemed to feel like it was an important task. I thought that was nice that they seemed to care about what we were doing and that they wanted to get it right.

Their owner was also great at communicating with us throughout the project. They did exactly what they said they would do.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Honestly, I didn’t. I’ve been a part of other teams that build these data collection systems, and Arbormoon Software, Inc. was the smoothest team I’ve worked with. They did a phenomenal job, and I would recommend them to a lot of others.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Mandy and Pandy, an educational company that teaches Mandarin to kids via interactive iBooks and digital curriculum.

What challenge were you trying to address with Arbormoon Software, Inc.?

Developing lesson plans is an exhaustive task when done manually, so we decided to make the process less taxing with technology. Since we didn’t have the necessary resources in house, we needed to find a developer who could help us turn our concept into a tangible product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Arbormoon Software, Inc. is helping us build a foreign language software program. During the first phase, they developed an MVP in weekly sprints. Feedback from monthly focus groups to refine the product. Current features include a streamlined curriculum-building exercise for teachers, interactive games, and compatibility with mobile and desktop platforms. We plan to begin the second phase soon.  

What is the team composition?

We worked with several people within their organization, including the owner and president, the program manager, and the chief engineer.

How did you come to work with Arbormoon Software, Inc.?

They were competitively priced, customer-driven, and able to provide strategic insight for our project. We met with three other local developers, but we were highly confident that Arbormoon Software would be a strong tech partner.

What is the status of this engagement?

They spent less than one year developing the software from January 2018 until December 2018.

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

The MVP had a successful launch in Fall 2018, with 10 customers impacting more than 5,000 students. We anticipate similar success in 2019 with the release of the full version.

How did Arbormoon Software, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Their management efforts were on par with their exceptional development skills. In less than a year, they were able to plan and execute our massive project. We used Zoom to hold video conferences, but we also met in person several times throughout the engagement.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They quickly adapt to customer and client feedback, so we’re able to see improvements instantly.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Our experience was completely wonderful, and we look forward to working with them for the second phase.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I highly recommend partnering with Arbormoon Software.