fjorge

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Marketing Director of Connor Sports

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Connor Sports is the market leader in hardwood sports flooring, fitness and aerobic synthetic flooring, and emerging in the dance studio and performing arts flooring market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire fjorge to accomplish?

• Manage the back end of the website (CMS)
• Repair and update the website as needed
• Increase ease of use for the visitors
• Increase ease of use for CMS adaption and creation

SOLUTION

How did you find fjorge?

Existing Contract prior to my hire

Why did you select fjorge over others?

Expertise with Drupal

How many teammates from fjorge were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Fjorge has helped to manage our website that was built on a custom template in the Drupal platform. They have done extensive back end work to clean the site and make it as efficient as possible, running a series of updates from Drupal 7 to now Drupal 10. The team has helped launch new pages and business segments of our website, while making on the spot adjustments and fixes. Our overall goal was to make the website as user friend as possible and at the same time increase our digital awareness via Google SEO and SEM.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Consistent Drupal system updates, all ticket requests handled in a timely manner, lack of or low usage of T&M hours unless absolutely needed, little to no "downtime" of website, increased visibility via Google SEO and SEM

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

All outcomes have been delivered in a timely manner. My only complaint has been the passing off of our website from project manager to project manager, in the two years I have been on board we have had 4 different PM's. The team has been awesome from the get-go! They're extremely knowledgeable and easy to work with.

What was your primary form of communication with fjorge?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Communication is great, easy to work with and understand the needs of what is being asked of them. Ability to come to a solution that is affective and easy to implement. Always willing to put in the work to make our needs happen!

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

I don't really understand the ticketing system with the actions of Priority hierarchy and date needed by, meaning I could create a ticket as a high or very high priority and then be asked when does this need to be done by (meaning what date). I feel that if something is of a certain priority level, the date need by is irrelevant.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Recruiting and Marketing Manager of Autumn Transport

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a bulk transportation company servicing customers all across the United States.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire fjorge to accomplish?

• Re-design our company website
• Create a more modern user interface

SOLUTION

How did you find fjorge?

Referral

Why did you select fjorge over others?

• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from fjorge were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

After having a company website in place for years from another company we decided it was time for a facelift. We ultimately chose Fjorge because of our initial interactions with their team and recommendations from colleagues. We collaborated with Fjorge to enhance our user experience and interface on all digital platforms, focusing on improving the usability and aesthetics of our website and mobile view. 

The overall goal was to create intuitive, user-friendly interfaces that streamlined who we are as a company, increase operations, and provide a visually appealing experience for our site visitors.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fjorge's efforts on our new website have fostered an immediate enhanced user experience, content relevance, and increased lead generation. In addition to those outcomes there is a newfound effectiveness in guiding users through the customer journey but also improving meaningful interactions with our company. This project, with Fjorge's expert touch, will undoubtedly continue to deliver enhanced engagement, elevated visibility, and substantial business growth.

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

Fjorge exhibited exceptional management skills throughout our time working together. Their meticulous planning, effective communication, and keen understanding of our requirements are just a few things that come to mind when reflecting on their work. From the outset, they demonstrated a knack for breaking down the project into manageable phases, ensuring we understood each deadline and each milestone was met on time. 

Their responsiveness to our needs was unparalleled. They addressed our concerns promptly but also proactively suggested innovative solutions that enhanced the overall product outcome. We are left thoroughly impressed and delighted with the results they produced and how Fjorge responded to our needs.

What was your primary form of communication with fjorge?

Virtual Meeting

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

Fjorge was remarkably able to blend creativity with functionality. Their approach combined aesthetic appeal with user-centered design principles, resulting in a stunning website that just makes sense. Their attention to detail was evident in every aspect. Moreover, their commitment to collaboration and ability to deliver feedback ensured that our vision stayed on track and was integrated with their expertise. The final product feels so uniquely tailored to our brand and audience.

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

We only have minor comments on this. We hoped for the incorporation of more testing phases throughout the project. Also the communication about the project timeline/progress could have been more consistent, we lost clarity for a split second but regained it quickly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the digital marketing principal at a pharmacy benefit management company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with fjorge?

We wanted to get our website redesigned to create an insightful and informative visual experience that could help healthcare stakeholders feel more confident about us and understand our company and our pharmacy benefit management better.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

fjorge first did a site audit for us. Then, they helped us with an overarching website redesign, which included wireframing, architecture mapping, development, and launch. Although they initially assessed our former website, they created the new one completely from scratch on WordPress.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people from fjorge: a UX designer, a web developer, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with fjorge?

fjorge came as a referral. They had previously worked with another person in our network.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them around January 2020, and the project was completed in November 2021.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

When we started this project, we had four objectives in mind: to increase our site visits, to develop new capabilities for our sales team (including the ability to create microsites), to increase our job applications, and to reduce the time spent by providers on our site finding our resources. fjorge was able to achieve all these goals with our new site, and everything has worked out well so far.

How did fjorge perform from a project management standpoint?

fjorge was on point regarding budget and time management. They used Jira for project management, and we had meetings on Google Meet.

What did you find most impressive about them?

fjorge was very well-informed about the latest trends regarding website development, and they were able to apply their knowledge to create what we needed on our website.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront and communicate openly about your needs. fjorge will come up with several options to meet each need, and they’ll work closely with you to find the best solution for each case.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Safer Plate; we’re a food service company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with fjorge?

Our website wasn't operating the way it was supposed to, so we wanted to improve it to sell our meal kits online.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Fjorge is redesigning and redeveloping our website on WordPress. They’ve also provided some great training to create our own platform.

Currently, we’re working on our mobile platform with them.

What is the team composition?

We work directly with Bryan (Managed Services Developer), Taylor (Managed Services Director), and Joe (Director of Business Development).

How did you come to work with fjorge?

My partner found them through a Google search.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent around $30,000 with them so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their work, our site is now operable, which is what we wanted. Overall, we’ve had great experiences with their involvement; they’ve been hands-on to get us where we needed to be and worked quickly and efficiently while keeping us in the loop with every step.

How did fjorge perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is wonderful; they’ve provided good communication and stayed within the established deadlines and budgets. In terms of tools, we use Jura, phone calls, emails, Google Meets, and Zoom meetings to ensure that everything’s going according to plan.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their willingness to explain everything clearly to us is outstanding; a lot of this is new to use, but they’ve provided great training tools and videos to help us become more independent and update things by ourselves, which is very helpful.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The mobile platform’s development has been a bit slower than what we expected, but other than that, I don’t think there’s anything they can improve on — I’m happy with everything they’ve done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Utilizing Jira is very helpful for the project because you can document issues and progress. Also, be mindful that they’re willing to train, help, and explore different options to get the most out of the project.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the lead digital strategist at a creative agency called Tom, Dick, & Harry Creative.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with fjorge?

We were trying to create an in-browser game for a marketing campaign we were working on.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Beforehand, we presented a recruiting campaign to our client, to help get young entry-level and internship jobs coming into their company. It was COVID-19 times so they had to cancel a lot of their tradeshows and things of that nature, so they wanted something that was interactive that students and entry-level position people could really get into and have some fun with.

They are a trading company so there is a standard you have to hit in order to even be in their application process. They needed something to weed some people out that maybe weren’t qualified or weren’t ready to join the team. We created a game that had a lot of different math-based and logic problems to help do that and presented it in a way that was visually appealing and kind of fun for users to do as well as prizes. We created this page and designed it, and we needed a team to develop it. It was kind of a unique challenge because it wasn’t just about developing the game; it was about being able to update the questions on our end manually when it came up because if the questions are too difficult or too easy, we would have to adjust them on the fly. Also, another challenge was tracking. We really needed pretty strong analytics to see where people were tripping up, how many questions they got right, how many they got wrong, how long it took them to take the quiz as there was a time limit aspect, so fjorge had their work cut out for them in creating this game pretty much from scratch. There were no templates to work from. We presented designs, but there was nothing pre-built that they could really pull from. So pretty much from scratch, they created this game with a WordPress backend that was really easy to use and that our team and the client were able to use. They also created ways for the team to export all the analytics and information that we could report on weekly. Because there were prizes involved, they had to be able to export this information with emails, first name, and last name, to then reach out to people to be able to send them their prizes. All of that was done really, really well, and really simple.

The goal of the game was to escape the classroom and the way you did that was by entering the classroom again with different items that were clickable. Those items would highlight when you hovered over them. When you click the item, it opened up and you were given a logic or math probability, statistics; one of those types of questions. As you solved the question, if you got it right, you would get a key and if you got it wrong, you wouldn’t get a key. One of the caveats was that you didn’t know if you got it right or wrong, and you have to go through the entire quiz to know how many keys you really got. At the end of the quiz, the key is animated up and if you got 10 keys, you escaped the classroom, and the time was recorded. If you are one of the top three times that week during that “season”, you would get a prize. If you completed it in general and finished within the time limits, you were reached out to by the company about setting up an application and internship interview. There were two tiers of rewards and some swag that the company would give and also that email directly from the company to set up an interview for an internship.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Mary (Director, Account Services), Patrick (Solutions Architect), and Erica (Project Management Lead). There were other people involved, but they were the main leads on the project. Erica was the main account person and project manager that ran the project.

How did you come to work with fjorge?

I have worked with them for five or six years now throughout my career. It just so happens that Tom, Dick & Harry, when I started there, also had a relationship with fjorge. Because we both had that relationship, it made the most sense and I know they are fairly sophisticated when it comes to development. This game was so custom and there really wasn’t much to pull from, from an inspiration standpoint, so I knew they were the best ones to bring in because they have those technical skills that are somewhat rare in development.

How much have you invested in them?

It was around $32,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project initially started in July 2020, and it went live in October 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

To date, we are pushing nearly 1,000 completed gameplays, and for a game that takes a minimum of 10 minutes to finish, I believe that is pretty good. On top of that, we have had well over that; at least double that, who have actually gone to the game. Going in, we really didn’t have any success metrics. We had never done anything like this. Most of the acquisition actually came from referrals, which means people played the game and enjoyed it, and then referred it to friends which I think is a good metric for the success of the overall experience of the game itself because if it was frustrating or designed and developed poorly, I don’t think people would be recommending it to friends.

We haven’t reached out for direct feedback, but I can say that 60% of the people who played the game, replayed the game multiple times. Most likely they were going for the reward, but they still came back for more which is a pretty good metric to show that it is pretty sticky, and people are coming back to it to keep playing.

We have had zero issues at launch which is pretty shocking as usually there are some bugs or some things going on, but fjorge took us through a really strong QA process before we launched, got everything ironed out, and then had a really smooth launch. We are in week six or seven and still have had no issues. No one has contacted us about any issues on the user side. Overall, it has been fantastic to work with their team.

How did fjorge perform from a project management standpoint?

Basecamp was the main project management tool and the main form of communication and that worked well. For QA we also used a program called Bugherd, and then we used Lucid for empathy mapping. We used email for some communication stuff. We also used InVision for passing off a lot of the design between our team and their team. We used it to send to them, and they were accommodating and used it which we appreciated.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The overall process that they follow is the most impressive. I was most impressed that everyone involved strictly followed the process and it functioned well. A lot of times one person doesn’t know what another person knows and there can be some wires crossed here and there. For the most part, we cruised through this thing and everyone knew where we were with the project. Everyone followed the same process, so when we were going through, everyone understood and there was a group understanding of where we were in the project, what we were doing, and what everyone else was doing. It kept everyone on track.

We kind of had a pretty aggressive deadline for this, even though we started in July and finished in October, for something of this nature, that is pretty quick. We had a phased approach, so we didn’t launch everything at once and the following phases didn’t let up and they didn’t put the B team on it. It was still the same development team and we were able to knock it out at the standard that we originally launched with when we added music and a lot of animation stuff. The process was by far the best.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only thing I sent their team some feedback on because I hate saying everything was perfect was that maybe would have helped us a little bit on Bugherd for QA. It is a relatively technical program. For people who maybe aren’t as tech-savvy, they had a bit of an issue navigating it. It is nitpicking for sure because we did get through it and it wasn’t a huge pain point.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Let them do their thing. Follow their process, have confidence in them because if you trust the process and go through it with them, you will have a successful product. That was the biggest thing. At points, we would wonder why we are doing certain things and then realized that is exactly why we did that because it paid off big time once things start to get stressful in the decision-making process, the things we did upfront really helped that. If I were to give advice it would be to simply trust the process.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the contract development director for AMIN Worldwide, a global network/association of 50+ independently owned advertising agencies across the globe.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired Fjorge to provide updates and fixes to our network website. The goal was to make it functional since the development work had been done by three different members and we preferred to work with a firm that was not a member of the network.

SOLUTION

How did you select fjorge and what were the deciding factors?

Fjorge, and specifically Joe Barsness, came recommended by someone in the network that had hired them previously. We received competitive bids from 2 members plus Fjorge and the leadership elected to proceed with Fjorge because they knew Wordpress and understand how to work with advertising agencies.

The other factor was that they were based in Minneapolis, where I'm based, and the work would be done in the same time zone. Work being done in differing time zones can be an issue, especially if there is something urgent that needs to be addressed. Location, experience, ease of working with them.

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

We had an in-person kick-off meeting and then addressed the issues listed below. Fjorge created a dev environment and showed the functionality. We also moved the hosting to Fjorge. Add log-in requirement for these pages: Who is Who Update Tool Who is Who Update Tool (simple)

Edit Agency Edit Agency (simple) Agency Export Briefng Tool Fix log-in page to allow password resets by users Fix roles and permissions Allow multiple users per agency Create three role levels Site administrator (full access) Agency administrator (able to add and edit agencies/content, able to add agency users) Agency user (able to add and edit agencies/content)

Fix searchable membership directory to allow using the below criteria: Client name Client category Industries Name/position/title/email/bio Peer groups Ensure agencies can be set up to receive online briefing form requests to multiple email addresses

Changes to questions and question order on membership request form Create how-to videos How to add a new agency administrator (intended audience: site administrator) How to delete old posts (intended audience: site administrator) How to set up an agency (intended audience: agency administrator)

How to add agency users (intended audience: agency administrator) How to edit agency content (intended audience: agency administrator/agency user) How to add briefing form email recipients (intended audience: agency administrator)

Ensure GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation) compliance with a cookie prompt for site visitors is in place and functioning correctly Update Wordpress version to 5.2.2 Remove unused site plugins Update or replace out-of-date site plugins Prevent pages from attempting to display missing image Clean up site templates to ease future development

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

Initial project scope and definition by Joe Barsness (sales) and Kevin Riste (Development). Once that was approved, the project was managed by PM Keely Canerno with additional PM support by Taylor Ganser.

They used Jira software for individual requests/priorities, and they used Harvest Reporting Web Application to track time. Development work was initially done by Erica Qualheim, then Daniel Brakke. An additional proposal was developed by Joe Barsness and Tom Hart. We opted not to proceed with the second proposal since we found an off the shelf tool.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Fjorge fixed the list of items that were fixable. And they have been understanding of our position as a network of advertising agencies. (Which is complex as there are regional boards making decisions.)

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

Listed above, they used a CMS Managed Services software I referred to as Jira. They also use a time tracking software for the monthly work they addressed. Project management style friendly and structured. The team members communicated via the software (which also works in email). I found communication was easy.

They pleasantly adhered to the start and stop timelines we foisted on them. We were never sure how long a specific fix would take so it was nice they were good about guestimating the time and keeping the work within the monthly allocated budget.

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

They know advertising agencies. They are exceptionally personable and approachable.

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

I wish they could have stopped the spread of Covid 19 :) No, they are responsive and accountable.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Digital Strategy Director. We are a creative agency in NYC.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

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

We hired fjorge to develop a sexual health resource site for a major US health department. The goal was to create a site that was easy to manage and adaptable for the client to add more content.

SOLUTION

How did you select fjorge and what were the deciding factors?

Fjorge is our development partner for most of our clients across industry and scale of need. Because we didn't have a development department, we need a partner who understood how creative agencies work, especially small, independents.

We found Fjorge while searching for development partners + agency relationship. Fjorge had an article that described how they specifically work with agencies and understand our needs.

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

We had a kickoff meeting with Fjorge to discuss project details and to identify any technology or development hurdles/specs. From there, we collaborated regularly with them.

Fjorge identified the technology needs for the client, reviewed our creative strategy/designs, and then developed the site with rounds of review.

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

We were in contact with three members of their team. One was a group account director who made certain that we service was excellent. Second was an internal project manager who managed the department assigned for our work. Third was a developer who built the site to spec.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The client loved the site, and we've been able to develop and add more pages to it. Our media launch for the site went smoothly, and people were able to load it across different devices and engage with it.

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

Fjorge is very responsive. They primarily use email for day-to-day communication along with Basecamp for project management. They use Slack too.

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

Two things. First, they develop solutions specific to the client, and they staff up in order to do so too. Based on the client's specs, we know that we can collaborate to find the best technical solution for them.

Second, they are open, responsive, and friendly. One evening, we were running into errors, and suddenly discovered that the CEO jumped on the project to work with the team to get it done on time and to spec. It feels like a partnership.

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

Like anything else, we work through any communication issues as we develop SOWs and streamline projects.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of Friendlies Debt Relief. We’re in the business of helping good people get out of bad debt.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with fjorge?

We want to create a digital platform for consumers as an alternative to traditional “phone bullies” that dominate the debt collection industry.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We did two 4-hour workshops together. We gave them our basic concepts, consumer information about the digital experience we wanted, and more. The team at fjorge helped with product design and gave us wireframe drawings & designs to show how the platform would look and work.

They also provided a cost estimate that can be presented to potential investors. It will be a progressive web app that works on a website, and it looks like an app on a phone. It will be a digital guide for consumers to work themselves out of debt.

The goal is to eliminate debt collectors, giving consumers control.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a project manager, developer, designer, and the VP of the company.

How did you come to work with fjorge?

James (President) is a friend of mine. I called him to ask for recommendations, and he told me that’s what his company does. They have a good reputation in the technology field, and I wanted them as my partner.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve spent less than $10,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in June 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re in the early stages of the project. There are two phases. We’re seeking investment capital to develop the product. Out of roughly 100 workshops I’ve participated in, this was the best experience I’ve had. They didn’t just repeat our ideas back to us, but they listened and made valid recommendations based on our desires and goals.

How did fjorge perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, they’re excellent.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re great listeners that have the ability to give honest and receivable feedback. Their trustworthy team makes suggestions and recommendations that help us achieve our goals effectively.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Try to match the explanation of price proposal to the technical competency of the client, if possible.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Send them as much information about your core business as possible, and explain the problem you’re trying to solve.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m an executive at a CBD wellness company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with fjorge?

We needed help developing a direct-to-consumer website for our pet brand.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They did some strategic consulting on the website features and recommendations. The team also did the development of our Shopify platform itself and all of the ongoing enhancements.

What is the team composition?

We work with a project manager, a lead developer, a business development person, a head of maintenance, and a maintenance account person.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $40,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in November 2019, and we wrapped up the site development in May 2020. Their work is ongoing with maintenance.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’re very pleased with their quality of service.

How did fjorge perform from a project management standpoint?

We used Basecamp and Jira for project management. They were great at managing deadlines, too.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team is very proactive in anticipating my needs. They bring solutions, not just questions.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to strongly consider fjorge. I’ve worked at a number of different companies and I’d work with them again if I went somewhere else.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work in digital production at Broadhead, an integrated marketing and media agency.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with fjorge?

A client contracted us to take over management of their website and go through a rebuild. We needed a development partner to rebuild the backend of the site and do the ongoing maintenance from a development perspective.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The project had three phases. In the first phase, a solutions architect from fjorge partnered with us to go through in detail and define the requirements of the new build. We outlined any new features and functionalities. That also included walking through the existing site to figure out what we could keep and what was important to the client to maintain.

From there, we moved into development, where our team handed off designs and specs to fjorge. The team went through a four-week development process where they built out the site on WordPress.

The final phase was content entry and QA. We had about 200 pages we needed to migrate onto the new site, so we spent a few weeks doing that as well as troubleshooting the CMS, working with the team to make updates to the CMS, and going through necessary updates before the launch. 

What is the team composition?

We had a project manager who followed the whole project, as well as an account manager to help manage budget. We also worked with two solutions architect, as well as a development team of about two or three.

How did you come to work with fjorge?

Our company had partnered with fjorge in the past, and one of the reasons I continued to work with them is their proximity to our office. Having a face-to-face relationship with them made our projects go really smoothly. I’ve also found that everyone there is very kind and easy to work with. They’re very flexible, adaptable, and solutions-oriented, and they make great partners.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was just under $60,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the project in May 2020, and launched the site in early September.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The team is very focused on making their CMS very usable for authors who will maintain the site going forward. For the client, that was really important, because they do all their content management in-house. Everything on the site is editable, easy to find, and easy to learn. 

Also, fjorge was a really cost-effective option for our client, who didn’t necessarily have a massive marketing budget.  

How did fjorge perform from a project management standpoint?

They mapped out a timeline from day one, and fjorge hit every deadline. We were actually able to launch a day early. Throughout the development phase, we had weekly check-ins with the development team to see the status of the site, using project management tools like Basecamp to ask questions and communicate. We used BugHerd for QA nad bug tracking throughout the site review. 

We always had easy access to our project manager. She was very prompt to respond to questions or changes, and we were always able to communicate with her.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their price point and flexibility with projects stand out. They don’t come in with a cookie cutter approach. While fjorge uses a clear, repeatable process, they really take time to understand the needs of each individual development project, and build their process around that. Also, the personality of the company sets them apart. They treat their clients well and treat them as experts in their field. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have an ongoing maintenance contract with them, as they’re currently hosting the site. One area for improvement is a better handoff between the teams who do the builds and the teams who do the maintenance. Sometimes things get a little lost in translation, and we have to bring developers up to speed.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Work up front to make sure everyone does their due diligence to define what the build is and what the requirements are. If that’s done, everything will be more likely to stay on time and on budget. With that being said, don’t be afraid of curveballs that come along, because fjorge is really skilled at reworking scope or changing requirements as they appear.