DOOR3

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

We were able to migrate everything pretty clearly. There were some code changes, areas that needed to be rewritten, and data we could migrate ourselves. Their communication was superb. The engagement manager did an exceptional job, keeping everyone updated. The company, as a whole, made course adjustments to ensure we stayed both on our timeline and budget.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they did an outstanding job. Our engagement manager was involved throughout the whole process, managing the project well. In addition to daily stand-up meetings and weekly follow-ups, we used JIRA for all of the code and ticket tracking. We used a shared Slack channel for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed by their ability to perform a lot of fact-finding and consulting work. Their team leader could manage the project, making course adjustments and bringing resources when needed. They strived to keep us on time and budget.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One of the challenges, which isn’t unique to DOOR3, is relevant to offshore and onshore development teams. There can be difficulties with code turnaround and communication. The only area where we had a slight challenge was with some of the code that needed debugging. Having everyone onsite would’ve helped with that. But that happens with any company that uses onshore and offshore teams.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

From my experience, the key is to establish a relationship with the engagement manager upfront. Make sure you’re comfortable with how they’re going to be running the project. Since we worked as a blended team, I took over as the project lead for our side. I was involved in those daily meetings, which is critical to completing a successful engagement.

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

AK: There’s always going to be bugs during development, but the overall effort was exactly what we had wanted to be implemented. DOOR3 fulfilled exactly the vision we wanted for our product, and then some. Technical roadblocks were to be expected, but the result exceeded what we envisioned.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

AK: Their project management style was excellent. Along with the countless meetings, we were in contact with everyone directly. The two-week deliverables were timely. We use Jira for agile development. Overall, we’re happy with DOOR3.

What did you find most impressive about them?

AK: Their team has skilled expertise. They’re also timely and have good project management skills.

IF: DOOR3 was instrumental in bringing our idea to market, making it a reality. They helped identify what was critical so that we could focus on that and finish it in the shortest possible time at the lowest possible cost.

Are there any areas they could improve?

AK: We’ve been very pleased with everything they’ve given us.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

AK: Clients should have clear and concise business logic from the get-go. Once that’s well-stated, everything else fits in perfectly. Everything flows very easily. They’re professional.

IF: Be clear in your own mind what it is you’re trying to accomplish.

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

They’ve been on target 100% of the time. If there are any delays, it’s generally on our side because we aren’t sure what direction we want to go in. DOOR3 is very accommodating of any changes we make.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

They are excellent; on a scale of 1–10, their project management is a 10. The readily available team delivers on time and budget. During the more intense phases of the project, we had daily scrums and in-person meetings at least twice a week. We spoke to Alex 3–4 times a day. Alex has been like a partner, traveling with us and talking to our end users.

The team handled changes proactively and worked 2–3 sprints ahead of schedule, which allowed them to foresee potential issues. They never missed a deadline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There are no downsides to working with DOOR3. Their constant communication is notable. They quickly adapted to various areas of the financial industry, such as banking and mutual funds. The team went out of their way to garner expertise in these different areas. Many of our software development projects have been client-specific, and DOOR3 has delivered on each client’s particular needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they have met all of our expectations.

Any advice for potential customers?

I would strongly suggest going to their beautiful facility in Manhattan and spending time with them on-site. They work very well face-to-face. If you are pursuing a project for outside prospects, don’t hesitate to bring them to DOOR3’s office; they will be impressed.

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

We measured the project's success by our ability to deliver the broker portal solution before open enrollment, which is a hard, government-driven deadline for health insurance. Solutions like these are opened up to attract new membership. Meeting that deadline was critical to avoid disruption to potential incremental revenue for our health plan. 

The core wireframes they created enabled us to stick to our timeline. This achievement was a testament to DOOR3's overall success and the help they provided us.

How did DOOR3 perform from a project management standpoint?

DOOR3 actively engaged with us to ensure everything stayed on track. We didn't use the project-based method I know they traditionally do, so there was less overhead than usual. 

Since we embedded their designer into our in-house team, we didn't need the heavy oversight bringing on a full outsourced team a predefined project would have required. They were highly responsive and accommodating with any issues we encountered. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

DOOR3 has a thorough understanding of how to design for enterprise applications. They found the best solution and delivered it in a sensible timeframe. They helped our engineering team move faster. Together, we made the right design decisions and could subsequently defend them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing stands out to me. DOOR3 was very flexible about taking a staff augmentation approach, which is different than how they typically work, which is more project-based. I appreciated how much they accommodated us and helped us deliver. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When you have the opportunity to bring in their high-powered expertise for a specific solution, particularly on the design side, it's important to engage DOOR3 as early in the process as possible. I suggest integrating someone from DOOR3 into your team right at the start to help identify potential challenges that could cause issues down the line.