Firestitch Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CMO of an online education platform, focused on the underserved grassroots sports marketplace. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Firestitch Inc., and what were your goals?

We were looking for a full service agency who could take our robust platform from ideation all the way to completion. It had to be built in a highly scalable and flexible framework, it had to be built on budget, and it had to be launched on time. Firestitch provided us with the confidence to press "go" on this ambitious task.

SOLUTION

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

We made the decision to move forward with Firestitch based on a trusted third-party recommendation who had worked with them on multiple projects in the past. After that, we then conducted some due diligence to ensure our team capacities, technical languages, and projected management styles were both in sync. 

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

Firestitch worked hand-in-hand with our internal development team to design, build, test and launch a highly robust platform in the latest version of Angular. This project took just over a full years worth of work and combined best practices of the e-learning and social industries.

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

There were 6 individuals from Firestitch associated with the project, which spanned the disciplines of a CTO, technical project manager, full stack developer, front-end developer, back-end developer, and quality assurance tester.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Without going in to too many details, every deliverable throughout the project was received on time and on budget. The transparency and pro-active communication by Firestitch was a huge factor in this success. 

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

Firestitch was very flexible to our own project management styles and communication tools. During the project we developed a hybrid of waterfall and agile, while leveraging tools such as Slack and their own internal PM software, Specify.

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

They offered a lot of internal tools that saved us time and money, which greatly increased our chances of success. It was a great team effort with shared goals.

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

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an operations manager at Talent Employment, a staffing company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Firestitch Inc.?

We were manually tracking our schedules in an Excel spreadsheet. We engaged Firestitch to build a scheduling tool for our system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

At the start of the engagement, we had a discovery conversation with Firestitch, and they put some concept pages together for us, which we looked through to decide what worked and what didn’t. For each new addition to the system, we repeat that process.

 Firestitch developed the system for us, which is on an online platform. We developed it so that it would eventually be automated, both on the client-side and the internal side. It has a payroll system built into it, and we’re currently working on an application function. 

What is the team composition?

In the beginning of the engagement, we had a whole team. I’ve dealt with Keith (Founder & Solutions Designer), Wendy (COO), and some others for a total of four of five people. 

How did you come to work with Firestitch Inc.?

The director of our company and one of our lead recruiters conducted the search and brought it down to three companies. We met with Firestitch and really liked what they had to offer, so we went with them. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since May 2016. The work is continuous, as we’re constantly changing and adding features.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system Firestitch built speaks for itself. Compared to the spreadsheet we were using before, it’s extraordinary. It does everything we want and it saves us a lot of time and effort. We’re much more efficient and flexible now. 

How did Firestitch Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

Constant communication is always ongoing between us. Whenever we’re having our initial conversations for new features, they’ll share their screens and take notes on our comments. It’s a very transparent building process. 

The team is always on time and always reaches their targets. They’re also supportive of us and any of the changes we request. As a non-technical person, they were great at explaining things and using terminology that I would be able to understand and repeat.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Firestitch understood us. We explained what we wanted and they delivered. The team really got to know who we were, and they put our personality into the system. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They improved as we went along. There were some bumps at the beginning of the project, but they did a great job of adapting to us and making sure they would get it right in the future. Now, I feel like they’ve really figured out their audience and addressed us accordingly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear plan. They’ll ask a lot of questions, so make sure you can answer them by knowing exactly where you are and where you want to end up.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Supervisor of PSW (Personal Support Worker) at Lumacare Services. I look after the scheduling of our workers using the App.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Firestitch?

Our company's reporting was done all in papers and some times to get a real time report is hard and to keep track of our worker's services is challenging. Firestitch help our company to start an innovation that we still use up to now.

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal is to have a real time report and also lessen the delay of any services in terms of travel time. By using the App our frontline workers are up to date with reporting and there is no need for them to come to the office and submit their reports.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Our company choose Firestitch base on the companies criteria and requirement. I believe that upon choosing Firestitch our management decision is the best interest of both party.

Describe the project in detail.

When we started the mobile App, there were glitches but Firestitch was with us all the way. They give the support needed as we ask. As we face challenges and feedbacks from our frontlines it was easily resolve by Firestitch. Overtime they also help in us developing the up by understanding our needs and giving us better suggestions building the features.

What was the team composition?

Overtime , as staff changes on both ends Firestitch gives us information ahead of time. They are also helpful supporting new staff in understanding the whole process. They also give us full information of who is incharge and who to contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

As a non- IT person I can't thank them enough for the support that Firestitch had given. Because anything that concerns the mobile App and the technicality part of the system, they are very supportive. We are using the App with all confidence that it serves it's purpose.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Impressive! Wendy and Shaun responds in a timely manner. No complains!

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I am impressed on their ideas as they will work around your request and understanding the needs of your team. They will give other options and you will just choose which works best for your agency.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of any improvement, my experience with Firestitch had satisfied my query with flying colors.