Code District

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of AidData

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are an R01 public research university

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Code District to accomplish?

• Make wholesale changes to our internal data collection information management system with significant new functionalities

SOLUTION

How did you find Code District?

Referral

Why did you select Code District over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Code District were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

As a research lab at William & Mary, we are in the business of undertaking large-scale data collection on Chinese development finance projects funded all over the world. Our dataset contains 150 columns and nearly 26,000 rows, with many fields calculated automatically based on standard rules we've set over the years. 
After working with spreadsheets for many years, five years ago our in-house developers created an internal information system for data entry and management. But because our dataset's complexity has now increased in scale, scope, and complexity, we were seeking technical expertise and creative problem-solving to upgrade our portal to improve the efficiency and quality of our data entry process. 
We work with ~100 undergraduate students who work as data entry professionals, and while they're all supposed to work with our existing methodology, there are often mistakes made in data entry. This is why having autologic checks, logical consistency checks, and the like have become crucial to maintaining the quality of our dataset and the efficiency of workflows within our team. 
The Code District team has undertaken a wholesale upgrade of how the front- and backend of our information system operates, leading to significant operational gains.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Improvemenet in the speed and amount of the manual labor involved in data collection and quality assurance processes.
• Probability of errors in first round data entry, or second round data checks, including logical inconsistencies.
• User ratings of the front-end design and user-friendliness of the internal information system recently upgraded.

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

• Code District took an entirely professional approach of assigning two developers, and then giving us access to a senior project manager who was responsible for timely project delivery and helping us translate our non-technical requirements from the user's perspective into technical requirements. This senior project manager was also instrumental in helping us think about the long-term evolution of our information system, and suggseted several improvements that we had not thought about, but in hindsight these will help us save thousands of dollars in the future.
• The two developers provided for our project were incredibly responsive, flexible, creative, hardworking, and all around nice people to work with and fit right into our organization's rather laid paid but mission driven approach. Beyond the technical requirements of the project, they took time to understand and have been taking keen interest in the big picture of our project. This has really helped them prioritize tasks, and understand why our team does what it does. This attitude of understanding the "so what?" question, asking questions, and having open and honest communication has been phenomenal.

What was your primary form of communication with Code District?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

• They really cared about the bottomline of their client, rather than just narrowing focusing on the speicifc goals of the IT project we originally hired them for -- this means they're looking at us as long-term partners, and we can now trust them accordingly.
• We appreciated their open, honest, and forthright communication at all times, and the flexibility of making their staff available according to our time zones and schedules -- it has made our process of working together much more smooth and efficient.

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

None

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the senior director of IT at Capital Good Fund. We’re a nonprofit that focuses on microfinance, green lending, and financial coaching. Our target market is the underbanked and underserved. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code District?
We hired Code District because we wanted to build a new website. Our old website was designed in 2013, and it was running on an old version of ExpressionEngine. Parts of it were breaking, so maintaining it became too difficult. We were losing a lot of business and ad opportunities. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an in-house team to take on the challenge of building a new website. As a result, we reached out to Code District. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?
Code District built our website from scratch, and they handled everything from the discovery phase and design to the development process.
During the design phase, designers worked alongside the coders to come up with ideas for the website. They used Figma for designs. Salesforce developers were involved because we wanted to integrate the website into our Salesforce instance. The team used WordPress to build the site because our communications team wanted something they could easily manage without seeking assistance from the IT team.
Moreover, we asked Code District to build a client portal where clients could sign up, fill out an application, and keep track of their information. If a client had a loan with us, they should be able to do some self-service tasks for their loan, such as rescheduling payments. Code District used AWS to build this feature and incorporated Google API for addresses. In other words, this was a custom portal.
At present, we’re still working with Code District. We’re in the final phases of testing for the portal. Once we’ve finished the user acceptance testing, we’ll implement a few fixes. Then, the project will be completed.
What is the team composition?
We’ve worked with six teammates from Code District, including Mansoor (Senior Software Engineer).
How did you come to work with Code District?
We found them through Google. Our team reached out to a few different companies and landed on Code District because we liked their work. Their CEO even stopped by to discuss any fears we had since it was going to be an expensive project — we appreciated this.
Moreover, they gave us the option to only commit to the discovery phase to see if we liked what we saw; we could move forward if we were still interested in their work. No other company gave us this option. We liked it because we didn’t have to commit a huge amount of money upfront.
How much have you invested with them?
Our investment has been around $125,000.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started the project in October 2022, and the engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve seen an increase in website traffic and received positive feedback from our clients. The website is now easier to use and nicer than our previous one. Overall, Code District has done a fantastic job — we love the frontend of the website, and the portal is working as expected. The team has taken our jumbled idea and turned it into something that works, and we’re happy about that.
How did Code District perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management is good. Our budget has become slightly larger but only because we’ve had a few change orders. The team has generally met deadlines; the only time we miss a deadline is when somebody in our team switches things around.
Mansoor is attentive, and we’ve had a great experience working with him. Even when we have miscommunications, he remains patient and responsive. He always has a plan and allows questions — if there’s a misunderstanding between us, he admits it and takes care of the matter as soon as possible.
To communicate, we have a Zoom meeting every week. We schedule another meeting occasionally depending on the project’s status. We’ve also used Jira, emails, and Mattermost.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Code District's upper management is willing to go out of their way to meet clients and involve themselves in the project to ensure everything’s going well. This truly stands out because it’s not often that a CEO meets their clients to quell their fears and answer their questions. To me, that’s cool and impressive, and it’s one of the reasons we’ve chosen them in the first place.
Are there any areas they could improve?
When the project manager is unavailable, having someone as a backup to answer questions would be good. To be fair, this isn’t a major issue.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Be specific about your needs. Ensure that everyone understands what the outcomes of the project are supposed to be. Occasionally, people talk and throw things around at once during meetings. It’s better to meet with your own team first and decide on what you need before meeting with Code District. This way, you prevent misunderstandings and avoid taking up too much meeting time trying to figure out your goals. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am an executive of a software company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Our Tech platform uncovers how each employee or client works, lives, interacts, and relates to money using behavioral insights.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Code District to accomplish?

• Designs
• Front-end Development
• Data Strategy

SOLUTION

How did you find Code District?

Online Search

Why did you select Code District over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost

How many teammates from Code District were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Code District has assisted us in the Figma design and frontend development (in Angular) of a SPA app. The app is an admin portal used in a B2B SaaS perspective. They utilized existing APIs to build this app and also created a framework for measuring and tracking user data using Mixpanel.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• We are working on a project basis with Code District, where they build specific features according to milestones and specifications.

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

Code District uses a typical Kanban project management method utilizing Azure DevOps, the Product Backlogs, Acceptance Criteria, and deliverables are all meticulously documented in a professional manner. 

The Product Backlogs capture and prioritize the desired features and requirements for the project, while the Acceptance Criteria outline the specific conditions that must be met for each feature to be considered complete. These documents ensure clarity and alignment among team members and stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle. 

To maintain regular progress and review, cadence calls are held twice a week. During these calls, the team discusses the current features being worked on as well as backlog items. The purpose of these calls is to assess the progress, address any challenges or roadblocks, and make necessary adjustments to the project plan. By reviewing the current features, the team ensures that they are on track and meeting the desired outcomes. 

Additionally, reviewing the backlog items allows for continuous refinement and reprioritization based on evolving project needs and stakeholder feedback. This iterative approach helps the team stay agile and responsive to changing requirements while maintaining a consistent focus on delivering value to the project.

What was your primary form of communication with Code District?

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

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

Code District adopts a design-first approach, emphasizing the importance of UI/UX in their development process. They meticulously maintain Figma designs and ensure they are updated for each new feature requested. 

Before commencing work, Code District conducts thorough assessments to ensure that the UI and UX align with the project's requirements. They verify that the APIs available in our existing API library are compatible and capable of meeting the design specifications. By prioritizing design, Code District aims to deliver a visually appealing and user-friendly experience to enhance overall user satisfaction. 

Furthermore, Code District places a strong emphasis on data and reporting capabilities within the SPA app. They dedicate effort to building robust reporting tools that enable comprehensive monitoring and tracking of various aspects within the application. These reporting tools provide valuable insights into user behavior, and system performance.

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

Focus on emerging technologies, particularly in the realm of AI, by leveraging tools that automate the process of generating code from design specifications. These tools expedite the delivery and enhance the accuracy of development tasks. By inputting design specs into these code-writing tools, the front-end team can quickly translate the visual elements and functionality into code.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of Better Healthcare, a digital healthcare company that’s been around for five years. We’re focused on scheduling and data analytics relating to scheduling. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code District?

We engaged Code District when we had to hire new engineers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, Code District provided us with 4–5 engineers that worked on our web apps, which included patient- and healthcare provider-facing apps. Apart from that, they helped us architect solutions and make our product better. 

In terms of the engagement phases, we started with a discovery phase. After that, Code District started working on projects with our guidance. These included bug fixes and minor features. After a month, they started doing full web development tasks. Then, we took a break for a few months and kept only two resources from their team due to budgetary constraints. After that, we continued our partnership with Code District. 

The biggest feature Code District worked on was related to our new listing site, which was essentially a landing page where patients could browse providers and locations. It was an entirely new website, and we had to build it from the ground up. Code District used the Next.js framework for this site. We also used React.js with TypeScript and GraphQL. 

On top of that, the team built some fairly complicated features for our patient booking flow. This involved adding custom questions to said flow. Meanwhile, they had to do the opposite for the healthcare provider app and build a UI to add the questions to the flow. Overall, it was quite a complex and major feature. 

Moreover, their resources contributed to our architectural code design. They scoped projects out in terms of effort level and gave us their technology recommendations. They even wrote epics and stories and took part in sprint planning. We used Zeplin and Figma for these tasks. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 people, including the lead engineer who was the manager and a full stack developer. There were two other full stack developers and two QA engineers. 

How did you come to work with Code District?

Code District was recommended to do mobile development work for a subsidiary of our company. One of our engineers was impressed with their work, so they were referred to us. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested over $100,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership lasted from December 2021–May 2023. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw increased patient bookings and healthcare provider usage of our platform, which had more valuable features. The increase was around 10%. Meanwhile, Code District responded promptly to any bugs. They’d tell us what was happening, and we’d take it from there. 

How did Code District perform from a project management standpoint?

Code District worked with us. They were embedded in our team and engineers. Moreover, they always hit deadlines. When they didn’t, it was due to a shift in scope or other things that were out of their control. They also stayed on budget. 

For communication, we used Jira for project management and Slack for communication. On top of that, we did a lot of Zoom video calls. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with the willingness of Code District engineers to go the extra mile. They learned the new technologies we were using. Overall, they cared about the UX and the outcomes of their work. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could use stronger management. When we initially engaged them, the manager was great. However, we could tell the management wasn't as good once we reduced the team to 2–3 people. They did well, but things were a bit more ad hoc. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Ensure your project or features are well-defined. This will enable Code District to go in and start working right away. At the same time, they can be a part of your initial design process. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a consultant at a consulting and business services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Code District?

We needed help with custom software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Code District has been helping us with custom software integration for a product that can read files, process them, and write them back out. Our team already has the design, so Code District has assisted us in finalizing that design to start building the platform. In terms of tools, they’ve used JavaScript, AWS hosting, and off-the-shelf software for SFTP processing, among other tools for code generation.

Regarding features, the site mainly processes leave of absence requests and integrates our clients’ HRIS and payroll systems into our LOA systems.

What was the team composition? 

We’ve started working with four members of Code District’s team for the project’s first phase, but we currently have two people from their staff assigned to us. These members include developers, their legal department, and their sales team.

How did you come to work with Code District?

We found them online and chose them over three other potential companies because they seemed to be the best fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

So far, we’ve spent $18,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2022, and the engagement is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform that Code District’s has created for us allows us to handle many client files with functional compliance, which is important because it increases our internal productivity twofold.

How did Code District perform from a project management standpoint?

Code District has been excellent in meeting deadlines and staying within budget. We’ve also had weekly calls with them to check on the Scrum process and the project's progress. Moreover, we’ve changed the work’s scope throughout the engagement, and they’ve accommodated my requests within our timeframes. Regarding tools and communication, we use Zoom due to our preference.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Code District's agility and ability to respond quickly to our requests are a couple of their biggest strengths. They’ve also been cost-conscious regarding not making additional charges whenever they make a mistake or want to tackle the project differently. Additionally, Code District is W-9 compliant, which is also important for us.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, we had trouble getting their payments to them because they didn’t give us the right information, which put a hiccup in the process. Code District’s team could enhance their overall workflow. Other than that, I don’t think they can improve anything on the technical side.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a thorough and clear understanding of what you need so they can provide according to your requirements.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder of CoDiary. Our product enables individuals and couples to invite a therapist into their conversation. Users can communicate in a written format, manage conversations about difficult topics, and find resolutions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code District?

We’ve engaged Code District to provide custom software development solutions.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

So far, we’ve worked with Code District on the discovery phase. First, I built the project flow and shared it with the team. After reviewing the flow, they asked questions and helped me refine the solution substantially before progressing to the development phase. 

The Code District team is currently designing and developing the product from scratch. The final deliverable will be a scalable, reactive web application that can run on any device.

What is the team composition?

I work with about five people. One teammate manages the sales, quotations, and pricing. We also work with the CEO, head of development, and two other development teammates.

How did you come to work with Code District?

I’m not sure how we initially found Code District, but their president contacted me when he visited the US. He made the trip to my city, and we spent a few hours reviewing the project and discussing his team’s capabilities. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in April 2022, and we’re still working with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Code District hasn’t delivered the final product yet, but they’ve made significant progress. In the beginning, I provided a complete project map. After reviewing and asking questions about the map, they made suggestions for the app’s functionality; 95% of which have been extremely valuable.

At this point, the team has met and exceeded our expectations in most sprints. When they haven’t met our expectations, they’ve made up for it in the following sprints. 

How did Code District perform from a project management standpoint?

Code District has excelled with regard to professionalism, communication, and ability to add value to the product. They communicate thoroughly when we review the work they complete during each sprint. We communicate via email and meet weekly via Zoom. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m most impressed with their level of professionalism and communication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have nothing they could improve on; I’m happy with them. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I recommend taking the time to create a project flow upfront. That way, Code District can return to you with a litany of questions and ideas for the product's functionality before commencing development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Maximum Impact Partners, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Provide sales and marketing consulting services to firms in the financial services industry

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Code District to accomplish?

• Create a prototype of a new online platform

SOLUTION

How did you find Code District?

Referral

Why did you select Code District over others?

• Pricing first our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Code District’s team?

2-5 Employees

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

We asked Code District to build a demonstration prototype of a new online platform and mobile app. We started with the assumption it would take 16 to 20 weeks. Given none of us had been through the process before it took around 30 weeks.

We were delighted with Code District's management of the process, even though it took longer than anticipated. Their insights helped change the product significantly as we went through the buildout.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• We now have a demo version of our platform to show potential clients and investors

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

They were very disciplined in the project management process. Definitely kept everything on track. They also showed great patience and flexibility working with our non-tech-oriented partners.

What was your primary form of communication with Code District?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email
• Messaging App

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

Everyone seemed to be in sync as far as their process was concerned and could not have been more personable and generous with their time.

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

Not really

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the cofounder of Canonizer.com social media consensus building and tracking system.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Code District, and what were your goals?

One of 3 teams to help Develop and maintain Canonizer.com and related software.

SOLUTION

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

Flexible (willing to line up with our bottom up, not top down culture, not the reverse). They're expert software engineers that understand how to produce scalable corporate software.

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

Our current system is referred to as Canonizer 2.0. But it is not scalable, buggy, much of the required functionality is missing, and it is hard to use. Code district helped us completely redesign a 3.0 system from the ground up, which is fully functional and scalable.

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

Ali Ehsan is the project manager and Architect. he provided the key techniques (using Mongo DB as a cashing system) to scale. After that there are 8 front and and back end engineers, all of who are very experienced and productive.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After less than 1 year we are about ready to launch the completely rebuilt 3.0 system.

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

In addition to code district, there are two other contracting companies we work with. The project managers on the other teams are pushy, seeking to make things happen the way they want.

While code district clearly understand the best way to do things, and just makes sure we are going in the correct direction. In other words, code district's style makes it very easy for the 3 teams to work together. Everyone has learned to trust Code districts recdomendations.

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

They are a technically skilled team, and able to work with other teams.

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

It's not a requirement, but it is always nice when people use, and contribute to the content on Canonizer.com, in addition to just developing and supporting the software.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Etto-4.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code District?

We had a new product to launch: a platform that allows users to teach others the pronunciation of their name. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

CodeDistrict did all of the coding and website development for our product. CodeDistrict took our ideas and concepts and created the code, and built the website from scratch. They made sure to include all of our requirements. For this project, CodeDistrict put together all the artwork, color schemes, and fonts. It took several months to refine the design, but eventually, we moved on to development. They integrated Stripe into the platform. 

Although the primary development project is done, CodeDistrict provides ongoing maintenance services and will make any major changes we decide to make in the future. 

Users can use the software for free for seven days on the site. The platform is very affordable and easy to set up an account on — accounts can register on laptops or mobile phones. Once the account is registered, users can record the pronunciation of their name.

The audio file can be attached to an email signature line and QR code, so it can be attached to other digital and non-digital materials. There is also the option to pay more and get longer audio files that can include messages and the user's pronouns. Those users also get two audio files and two QR codes; base-price users only get one of each. There is also an option to invite users via email, enabling each user to access the other's name pronunciation. 

What is the team composition?

We've worked with four teammates, including Ahsan (Account Executive), Usama (Software Engineer), and Nabeel (Software Engineer). Earlier in the project, we also worked with a few other teammates. 

How did you come to work with CodeDistrict?

I found CodeDistrict via their email marketing campaign — I got a message about their services in my email inbox. At the time, we didn't need any work, but a few months later, when we developed the product concept, we reached out to them. We were also referred to several other companies by our attorneys but didn't like them very much. 

So, I reached out to CodeDistrict, and they signed an NDA so I could provide them with insight into our product. They provided us with several referrals to their local team, and after speaking with them, we decided to move forward with the partnership. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our initial contract with CodeDistrict began in March 2022, but the ongoing relationship is now focused on other services. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is complete. We have a live website and source code; we have a patent pending for the new product. I can't say much about the product's success, but all the bugs have been fixed, and we're getting ready to launch the product within a few days. However, everyone in our focus groups has understood the need for our product, so we expect it to be utilized immediately by those with difficult-to-pronounce names. 

We believe this tool will have more widespread use in the future — we expect everyone to utilize it, especially on resumes and email subject lines. Hopefully, it will make an HR teammate's work easier because they no longer have to try and guess how to pronounce a candidate's name. 

How did CodeDistrict perform from a project management standpoint?

CodeDistrict has met our deadlines. We've exceeded our budget, but that is because our team made changes to the product, which increased the workload. If we'd had a better idea of how everything would be established at the beginning of the project, we might've had fewer changes.

I believe CodeDistrict has used Figma for the design. Their team manages all the code on GitHub. We communicate in various ways, including phone calls and email. We've had weekly Zoom meetings on Friday mornings that included our team and CodeDistrict's team. Their team listened to us and kept our communication channels open. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

CodeDistrict's team is very hardworking. There's a 12-hour time difference that we've had to overcome, but CodeDistrict has been very accommodating, scheduling early morning meetings to fit our needs. I find them to be very responsive and accommodating.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I believe there's always room for improvement, but I can't think of anything CodeDistrict could improve. Whenever we have issues, they've always been on top of them. Overall though, everything came out the way we wanted it to. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The most important thing is for you to understand your expectations for CodeDistrict's team. This was our first project started from scratch, and we'll be better prepared next time. It's essential to explain requirements clearly so that fewer changes are required throughout the project. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the IT director at Barrett Values Centre. We offer a suite of tools that help leaders gain deep insight into the cultural dynamics of their organization at every single level. This insight provides a map for leaders to build and sustain a high performing, values-driven culture

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Code District, and what were your goals?

We had a need to quickly onboard a highly skiled team to help modernize our IT solution. As a small to midsize company, it made clear sense to outsource to a company that already had a fully vetted team of professionals. We were fulfilling multiple roles and functions and we needed more expertise in dedicated positions.

SOLUTION

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

We originally found them through a referral. After researching them online via their website and professional reviews I decided to reach out to them. We set up a meeting to talk about our needs and the services they offer. I was blown away by their systematic approach to helping clients like myself to meet their goals. This included the assembly of a complete project team that consisted of a PM, Analyst/Strategist, Designers, Front End Developers, Back End Developers, DBA, and other supporting roles as needed.

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

They are helping us streamline and modernize our IT solution. We started with a detailed discovery phase that covered over a decade of product development of our current solution and business processes. Their Analyst/Strategist and UX designer have played a critical role in reviewing our current Architecture and Business Processes and have been a great sounding board for shaping the solution going forward.

We have divided this project into 3 phases and phase 1 has now officially moved into QA and UAT. As we work to find any issues, I've had the opportunity to take phase1 for a test drive and I'm really pleased and excited about the new version. Some of the technologies used are:

• React
• NodeJS
• Hussura
• GraphQL
• Postgres
• Salesforce
• Message Broker
• Authentication Provider
• AWS

Steps included a high-level discovery, project team assembly, detailed discovery with wireframes and documentation, a comprehensive roadmap with transparency around every step, development, and finally a staging release of the solution.

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

There were about 10+ people on the vendor's team.

• Project Manager
• Business Analyst
• Strategist
• Designers
• React Front End Developers
• Back End Developers
• DBA
• other supporting roles as needed, like UI/UX expert, Quality Assurance, and HTML/CSS designer

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deliverables are professional and modern looking which is what we wanted. They also include much-needed improvements to the UX and UI which will hopefully translate into a more scalable system as more of our users take advantage of self-serve.

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

The project managers were very professional friendly and organized. They set up and organized meetings and were very accessible via slack, Jira, confluence, and email.

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

We had access to the team and they were incredibly efficient. We actually needed to go at a slower pace because we were torn between keeping our day-to-day operations working and getting our own internal documentation prepared. They seem to have a great connection internally which reflects in the experience they are able to share.

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

There are a couple of things that could have been improved about the project. The thing is internal to our company, we had quite a few knowledge gaps, fuzzy business processes, missing product owner, and overstretched stakeholders. This made our initial phase1 discovery less than ideal. Because it wasn't always clear what decision was made, who truly held the product vision, and who was the final decision-maker.

Fortunately, we were able to course-correct. We took a pause on phase1 development while we got our own internal ducks in a row. Code District was very gracious in delaying some of our original agreed-upon project dates while we sorted ourselves internally and were able to resume discovery and design with a clear structure and vision. It's hard to say what Code District could have done differently in this situation other than recognizing it for what it was.

While we have a software solution, we aren't a software company and many of the people coming to the discovery meeting had never taken part in product development and don't know anything about software development lifecycle, design thinking, and the different methodologies like agile. The great thing about Code District is that they do embrace industry standards in terms of methodology which includes retrospectives, so they are very good at making adjustments to what is working well and what can be improved with each client.