HatchWorks Technologies

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-owner and director of partnerships at Lumos Strategy, a consulting company.

What challenge were you trying to address with HatchWorks?

We engaged HatchWorks through one of our clients who helps their customers save money by reducing their taxes and reinvesting that money into their business. We wanted to develop a solution that could do Excel calculations.

What was the scope of their involvement?

With HatchWorks, we took the process that was done through Excel, took the calculations, and converted them into algorithms that were scalable, so that we could create a tool for the sales team that could to do those estimates on both the savings and potential business growth just by filling out two dozen fields on points of data. 

HatchWorks took the excel sheet, converted it into an application, created an interface for the salespeople, and provided an output that would create projections base on those calculations. They did the design and backend, and they continued to operate it after the first version was built. Most of their work was done in Python.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Joseph (Sr. Scrum Master) who was our main point of contact. We also worked with Andy (Senior Product Owner), a lead engineer, Adam (CTO), and Brandon (CEO).

How did you come to work with HatchWorks?

I came across them while doing research on Google. I saw their website and reached out to them. We had a couple of conversations and they sent over some work they had done. 

We ended up choosing them because they had built a similar platform in the health care area. Conceptually, it was similar to what we wanted. Because they had that proven track record, we thought they would be a good fit. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking to them in October 2019, and we entered into contract in November 2019. They delivered the product in March 2020, and we’re currently still in contact with them because they’re operating and iterating it. HatchWorks is under contract with us as they maintain adjustments.

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

The cadence with which they get back to us when we need changes done is great. HatchWorks is very responsive, and we like working with them because when we have changes, the team is able to help us look at the plain language logic of what we want to do, work with us to convert to excel, and then convert that into the platform they built. 

They’re also really good at QA. The beta version is really good, and we’re happy with what they built. If things shift and we have more certainty of the future, we will very likely engage HatchWorks to do the second version of the product. They delivered on what we asked of them and the scope was great.

How did HatchWorks perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re amazing with communication. They keep me in mind and make sure that there’s enough follow up so that we meet our deadlines. Internally, they use a project management system.

What did you find most impressive about them?

HatchWorks is really good at working with us to take what our client imagines and translating that into actionable tasks, items, and features, which can be challenging sometimes.

The team does a good job of setting expectations and matching requests to features, builds, and milestones. This makes it easy when there’s miscommunication because we know exactly what needs to be changed. The process is good in terms of organization and deliverables. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, not that I can think of. There was no area in which they didn’t meet our expectations. They’ve been the most organized agency I’ve worked with, but also the most expensive. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Break down the features that you want point by point. Organize them based on the interaction of each user, and do a workflow of the product. When you do it that way, you get a better idea of what’s required. 

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re in the RPO (Recruitment Process Organization) business. I lead all technology aspects within the company.

What challenge were you trying to address with HatchWorks Technologies?

We hired HatchWorks Technologies for their product development and engineering resources when we needed to create a new HR solution.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The engagement with HatchWorks Technologies started with getting their thoughts on our vision and what was possible. After the ideation phase, we began to flesh everything out before their team started developing our end-to-end solution with AWS. Their team of resources built the product from scratch. They also used Java technologies, PostgreSQL, and MuleSoft during the execution of the platform.

What is the team composition?

In total, we’ve worked with between 17–18 people. David (Senior Director of Client Engagements) is our primary contact.

How did you come to work with HatchWorks Technologies?

We chose HatchWorks Technologies because of some of the relationships that our senior leadership had with their senior leadership.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between 1 million–10 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement with HatchWorks Technologies began in 2017.

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

We track various quality metrics that involve product development measures. This included looking at cycle time, escaped defects, incidence rates of our tickets, and mean times to resolve as well. Our team has also been able to track revenue along with the success of the product. Overall, we’ve been pleased with what HatchWorks Technologies has done for us. Quite frankly, we couldn’t have done what we’ve done without HatchWorks Technologies.

How did HatchWorks Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

From a project management standpoint, their team is pretty flexible. They’re adept at providing traditional management services, but also implemented the Scrum methodology where we plan and release every two weeks. They’ve allowed us to become nimble and reactive, which mirrors key elements of our product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Along with their flexibility, the team at HatchWorks Technologies is client-focused. They act as partners in the sense that I feel like they would do anything for us. I generally don’t feel that about other companies. It makes their team stand out.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At our request, they’ve had a near-shore model. They’ve been increasing the amount of people in our office. If there’s one thing, I would say the more people in our office, the better. But on the other hand, they’ve put a lot of people on our accounts, so it’s not that big of a problem. We’ve been pleased with what HatchWorks Technologies has done.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Consider working with their team strongly because of their flexibility. The levels of partnership HatchWorks Technologies brings to an engagement is extremely valuable and unique.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work for Fleetcor, a company that operates B2B payments products.

What challenge were you trying to address with HatchWorks Technologies?

We were looking to improve the digital experience for our customers. As we grew, we acquired disparate digital systems, so we hired HatchWorks Technologies to install a quality, customer-facing online portal and operationalize that across different products.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HatchWorks Technologies implemented a new API layer and customer-facing UI portal. Their team analyzes customer data to ensure we’re providing the right features and functionalities. They also manage the roll-out of our product to various customer groups.

What is the team composition?

Three people from HatchWorks Technologies work with us.

How did you come to work with HatchWorks Technologies?

I was impressed with their credentials in the digital space. I had worked with Brandon (CEO & Founder, HatchWorks Technologies) previously.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested approximately $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started with HatchWorks Technologies in February 2018 and the project is ongoing.

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

We’ve received positive feedback from stakeholders and members of our company. Customers and users have also noticed improvements in the products we launched. They delivered the project on-time and in full.

How did Hatch perform from a project management standpoint?

They perform very strongly. They’re a collaborative group and do a good job of managing cross-functional teams, keeping stakeholders updated on progress and highlighting any risks or issues. They drive an on-time and on-scope project.

Also, the HatchWorks Technologies team assumed business analyst roles on the project, through helping us to meet deadlines on time, researching features and analyzing customer data.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their flexibility is impressive; they understand customer needs and create innovative solutions. They expertly structured a team to attack our specific problems and ask the right questions. They bring significant expertise in the broader digital space and are good people to work with who are team-oriented and collaborative.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’re a smaller firm, which adds some limitations. If we needed to put 20 people on a project, they wouldn’t be the right partner for that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When working with a smaller team like HatchWorks Technologies, it’s good to meet the individuals in advance before starting a project. Being upfront and clear about your expectations is also necessary.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a director of operations at a healthcare consulting company.

What challenge were you trying to address with HatchWorks Technologies?

We wanted to create a mechanism for an investor in skilled nursing facilities to monitor key financial and clinical performance indicators at the assets, but lacked the in-house technological infrastructure to accomplish this goal.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HatchWorks brought our concept to life. They developed an application that allowed for monitoring of key metrics necessary for asset management. HatchWorks built the scalable solution in a manner that would allow for constant updates and changes, which was necessary for us due to the variability in client needs. HatchWorks was present from design to launch.

What is the team composition?

Our executive team worked closely with approximately four HatchWorks team members.

How did you come to work with HatchWorks Technologies?

We were referred by a trusted advisor. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $125,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in August 2018, and it was completed in January 2019.

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

HatchWorks met all deadlines and delivered the product ahead of schedule.  We're currently marketing the application right now, and we've received a lot of positive feedback with rapid expansion in the next 12 months. 

How did HatchWorks Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They explained the process and defined the timeline at the very beginning, and they adhered to their estimates.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Everything was right on target. They were very responsive to the changes that we requested and adapted easily.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We were very happy with the process and would do additional business with them, so no. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Understand what you want to build and scope it out as much as possible before you contract with any technology developer. Things will always change, but it is important to have a consistent vision to build off of. 

Introduce your business and what you do there. 

I’m the CEO of Integrated Care Solutions. We're a healthcare company that does care management and care coordination for hospitals and physicians in the post-hospital discharge period. We manage financial risk and quality outcome accountability for patients in a period usually that spans 90 days after a hospital stay.

What challenge were you trying to address with HatchWorks Technologies? 

We work with a mix of nursing and non-nursing individuals, as well as a large caseload of patients. There’s a specific workflow that has to happen to be successful. We reached out to HatchWorks Technologies to automate that workflow, and to build a platform that would allow us to enhance our services offerings.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HatchWorks Technologies is developing an MVP of our platform. It will do several things to improve our workflow for the thousands of patients on our service. When our nurses log in every morning, this tool will tell them who's new, who's at risk, and who's having a problem. It will help them prioritize the patients in their day and determine where to start. The platform will generate tasks so they can manage their day effectively and efficiently. 

Another key feature of the platform is a tool to help us manage patient calls. We're currently using humans to physically call our patients regularly. The new platform will include an interactive voice response calling system. That telehealth technology will call patients and ask them a series of questions. The platform will receive and log their responses and decide if further action is needed. For example, if a patient responds that they're not feeling well, that would generate a task in the system. 

At this point, it is primarily internal facing. However, we work with external providers that have to complete assessments, checklists, and weekly status updates on patients. The MVP will auto-generate emails to those provider partners for them to click a link to complete their tasks for our patients. In phase two, high-volume providers will be able to access the system via a login and password. 

What is the team composition?

I work directly with 10 members of their team, including an assigned project manager. 

How did you come to work with HatchWorks Technologies?

The founders hired them before I joined the company.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $900,000.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We're in the very early stages. We had a prototype contract that began around November 2018. We signed a product development contract in early February 2018. MVP delivery is scheduled for the end of June or early July 2019.

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

Generally, we've been pleased thus far. We enjoy working with HatchWorks Technologies. They’re delivering on what we asked them to do, and appear to understand the unique dynamics of our business challenge. So far it is on time, under budget, and in scope. 

How did HatchWorks Technologies perform from a project management standpoint? 

HatchWorks Technologies is well organized. Counting onboarding of the team and ramping up, we're in our third sprint. Though our company is based in New York, I’m located in Atlanta. I’m able to join the weekly product status workgroup meetings every Monday in person. I like that they don't over project manage me and present information at the right level for my understanding. 

It's worth noting that our project manager has changed a couple of times throughout the project. They’re clearly still organizing themselves as they're an early stage company. They don't have a huge team, and they’re still hiring and evolving. It’s not a complaint, just a note that there's quite a bit of juggling in terms of staff and account management roles. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

HatchWorks Technologies is likable, easy to work with, and fast learners. One of their solutions design consultants, Janice, clearly understands our business and the problem we're trying to solve at a very deep level. It’s been so nice to have her on the team. I also really appreciate that they speak in a language I can understand. They translate from their world to mine because I'm not a technical person. When they need my input or decision-making to drive their work, they explain the issues in a way that I can easily understand. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

As an early stage company, they're still organizing themselves and developing their own capabilities. We can feel that from the account perspective. We've had multiple project managers because they're shuffling people around. It seems like I meet a new member of the team every Monday when I go into their office. That makes for a unique dynamic to navigate through that we wouldn't have with a more mature company. It doesn't feel as stable because they're clearly growing and ramping up. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

No, I don't have advice other than to say our experience has generally been positive.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the COO of a health therapy company.

What challenge were you trying to address with HatchWorks Technologies?

We wanted to create a customer-facing software. We were looking for a vendor to help us develop our idea further and build the product.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We use Salesforece, and we wanted to create additional software, which would connect to our proprietary software. Essentially, we wanted to develop middleware. HatchWorks designed the user interface and managed the entire development process. They used Apex programming language to connect the software back to Salesforce. The software lets our customers log in and see their electronic health records.

What is the team composition?

They assigned a team of about five people to our project. Depending on the phase of the project, we have 1–2 main points of contact.

How did you come to work with HatchWorks Technologies?

We were referred to HatchWorks by our partners who had worked with them previously.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $300,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in January 2019, and the relationship is ongoing.

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

We're about four weeks away from being fully deployed, and our internal team is impressed with the product. HatchWorks exceeded our expectations.

How did HatchWorks Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They're very organized. We've worked with many developers, but HatchWorks has been the best in terms of planning.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're great at mapping out the project, which makes the process a lot smoother. Some companies jump right into the development, which leads to a lot of changes later in the process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything has been great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They really know how to plan a project, so listen to their advice in the early stages. That will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a boutique (about 50 employees) consulting firm that provides consulting services within the healthcare industry; we specialize in post-acute care consulting.

What challenge were you trying to address with HatchWorks Technologies?

We have wanted to start a new startup technology company that focuses on healthcare analytics. Our goal has been to take a somewhat dull topic and make it captivating while also simplifying complex algorithms and making them friendlier. We hired HatchWorks to build the platform for us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

HatchWorks started completely from scratch. They conducted preliminary market research, created prototypes, and have been developing the software platform using PHP and Node.js while hosting on AWS. They have also helped analyze complex data and make it understandable for users.

What is the team composition?

I primarily work with a product owner who executes project management between our two teams; there are around eight or nine other employees that we’ve also interacted with.

How did you come to work with HatchWorks Technologies?

We received a positive referral from a business associate who had previous experience with them. We did preliminary research that also pointed positively towards HatchWorks.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested between $250,000 and $1 Million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began in November 2017 and are still working together. We plan to launch in mid-July of this year.

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

During product testing, we have been able to identify and quantify a number of issues we have been having and monitor improvements as we see that number decrease.

How did HatchWorks Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They are one of the best companies I’ve ever dealt with. They are very receptive and are able to understand what I—someone without a lot of technical experiences in this field—say and distill it down to a meaningful level for the programmers and developers. Communication between both parties is facilitated well and we’ve met every deadline we’ve set. Although we do have shared google folders and documents, I mostly communicate directly with the project manager.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was most impressed with their responsiveness and the overall quality of their work; these have been second to none.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

When working with a third party software developer, a lot of the end result will also depend on the responsiveness on your end. Be as engaged as possible with each step of design and development to ensure that the end deliverable reaches your objective.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the SVP and COO of Capital Choice Financial Group. We are a group of independent men and women who sell insurance and investment products to retail customers all across the country. We mainly focus on educating clients on financial strategies and calculators that they don't normally consider when they're looking at their personal financial plans.

What challenge were you trying to address with HatchWorks Technologies?

We had an old piece of software that our representatives were using to help profile their clients and gather information regarding their financial situation. The software had become so old that the platform it was programmed on could no longer be updated, so we were preparing to get rid of it entirely and start over. At that time, we began discussing ideas for a new platform and handheld phone application and decided to hire HatchWorks to build the solution.

What was the scope of their involvement?

When we had our initial meeting we listed the things the program had to feature and the things we hoped it could feature. From there, HatchWorks began designing and developing the program per our specifications for desktop and mobile use. Key functionalities of the program include a client profile section, an interactive DIME (debt, income, mortgage, and education expenses) calculator to help calculate a life insurance quote, and a mechanism that reaches out to the insurance companies we partner with to generate the quote. The program also incorporates other financial calculators­— such as compound interest and Rule of 72 calculators—and income and budgeting worksheets.

What is the team composition?

We have worked with around eight total HatchWorks employees. That included three main team members who worked on the first release, and some outsourced team members located overseas.

How did you come to work with HatchWorks Technologies?

I knew HatchWorks’ executive director personally and he reached out to me after I sent out an initial request for an app development company. We also heard from a second company, however we decided on HatchWorks because we enjoyed our interactions with their leadership more.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working together in July 2017 and completed the project in March 2018.

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

We have received very positive feedback from our representatives indicating that the tool is intuitive and easy to use. Our clients have also responded positively to the program’s interactive features and the output that the program sends back to the clients detailing what was discussed during a meeting with a representative.

How did HatchWorks Technologies perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great. They always stayed on top of deadlines and were diligent about keeping us on task. Additionally, their communication was always very consistent and detailed. Anytime there was an issue that might cause a delay they told us immediately and provided solutions to move past it.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The personal relationship and investment that their employees made in understanding our business was very impressive. They consistently asked questions that you wouldn't expect so that they could fully understand financial concepts in order to deliver the best possible product. It was that personal touch that will keep us coming back to HatchWorks. In my experience, a client will tell you what they want and it is your job to hear them and tell them what they need in order to deliver the desired outcome. That is what HatchWorks did for us.

Any advice for potential customers?

Take the time early on to make sure that there's a strong understanding of what the end deliverable is. That is not to say that there was ever any confusion during the engagement, just that the time we put in at the start of the project was well worth the result when the project was over.