Iron Forge Development

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the owner and COO of a startup software company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Iron Forge Development?

We wanted to build our own proprietary software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Iron Forge Development is developing our proprietary software from scratch. The software is property management software that supports our third-party residential property management services. We aim to build a product that can replace about seven other software we currently use in our business.

What is the team composition?

We have two points of contact: Jeremy (COO) and Sumner (CEO). Other teammates have also been working behind the scenes on our product.

How did you come to work with Iron Forge Development?

Iron Forge Development was a referral from a friend who had previously worked with them for one of her projects. We interviewed the team with a couple of other development companies and decided they were the best fit for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent well over $1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Iron Forge Development in 2021, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I'm constantly using the software on a small portion of our portfolio that we manage, and it already functions better than some of the third-party software we use.

How did Iron Forge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Iron Forge Development's communication has been good via Slack and Zoom, and the timelines have been met. We use Jira to track the tasks and processes.

Are there any employees from the service provider's team that you would like to give a shout-out to in this review?

I want to highlight Jeremy and Sumner's work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Iron Forge Development has our best interest in mind when building the product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Iron Forge Development could have tighter timelines.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I suggest sticking to the scheduled weekly meetings and working through any testing tickets Iron Forge Development sends or weekly tasks between the meetings.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of Enceinte Health Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Enceinte Health reduces preventable hospitalizations and improves nursing home residents quality of life by simply automating the capture of three key early indicators of health problems with every use of our smart commode.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Iron Forge Development to accomplish?

• UI/UX development, multiple design iterations based off actual user feedback
• Pitch Deck design & layout
• Website Development
• Tradeshow Banners & Handouts

SOLUTION

How did you find Iron Forge Development?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Iron Forge Development over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Iron Forge Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Enceinte Health is a Healthcare Technology Startup, as a Startup we approached Iron Forge with several key objectives. Design of Enceinte Healths web dashboard. Iron Forge worked with us to develop a clickable web dashboard that we could share with our actual users. Allowing our users to click through thedashboard and provide feedback made it very easy to iterate our design and develop a product that the Senior Living industry would could easily use.
Enceinte Health requested assistance with the graphics for our investor pitch deck. Iron Forge was able to update our the graphics, images, and theme. Iron Forge has been able to continuously support us and iterate on our deck as our fundraising needs have changed. Enceinte Health asked Iron Forge to develop and implement a website.
Iron Forge was able to help develop the theme, graphics, and copy. They reviewed this information with us in a few different phases and have continued tomake updates when requested in a timely fashion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Through several iterations of our web dashboard with direct user feedback has allowed us to receive unanimous feedback on the dashboard workflow. With an updated and professional pitch deck we have successfully raised capital.

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

Iron Forge is an extension of your team. They are quite clear about their deliverables.with extensive industry knowledge and experience, they help you navigate around the known pitfalls. Really professional.

What was your primary form of communication with Iron Forge Development?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting

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

The company has a great on boarding structure that's focused on delivering exactly what the company needs at an affordable and predictable price. Their framework helps startup companies like ours stay on budget and on time. They're a great company to work with — their team is extremely reliable and knowledgeable about startup strategy.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Iron Forge Development could have done differently?

No,we are extreamly satisfied with their work.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of The Labz

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a SaaS platform that allows you to build interactive online experiences easily.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Iron Forge Development to accomplish?

Redesign our platform to be more user friendly.

SOLUTION

How did you find Iron Forge Development?

Online Search

Why did you select Iron Forge Development over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned
• Organized Pitch

How many teammates from Iron Forge Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

What was your primary form of communication with Iron Forge Development?

Virtual Meeting

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

Project Objectives:

• To identify usability issues on the existing platform 
• To redesign the platform to provide a more user-friendly interface 
• To improve customer satisfaction and user engagement 

Key Deliverables: 

• User interface designs 
• Functional requirements specification document 
• Wireframes/mockups for the new platform 
• A working prototype of the new platform 
• Final product deployment to all users 
• Documentation of the new platform features and functionalities 

The project timeline is set at 12 weeks, with the following milestones: 

• Requirement gathering and analysis: Week 1-2 
• UI design: Week 2-4 - Prototype development: Week 5-8 
• User acceptance testing: Week 9-10 - Final product deployment: Week 11-12

Project Team: 

• Project Manager: Responsible for managing the project and ensuring that it is delivered within the specified timeline. 
• UI/UX Designer: Responsible for designing the user interface and ensuring that it meets the required specifications. 
• Quality Assurance Analyst: Responsible for testing the new platform to ensure that it is user-friendly and meets the required specifications. 

Conclusion: This project aims to improve customer satisfaction and user engagement by delivering a more user-friendly platform. The key deliverables of this project are user interface designs, a functional requirements document, wireframes/mockups, a working prototype of the new platform, final product deployment, and documentation of the new platform features and functionalities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

1. User Experience Score: We conducted a survey to measure the satisfaction level of users with the new platform. The User Experience Score increased from 65% to 85% after the platform redesign. 
2. User Retention: We tracked user retention rates before and after the platform redesign. The retention rate increased by 40% after the platform redesign.
3. Conversion Rate: We measured the rate at which users converted from free to paid accounts. The conversion rate increased from 10% to 20% after the platform redesign. 
4. Time on Site: We measured users' average time on the site before and after the platform redesign. The time on site increased by 30% after the platform redesign. 
5. Help Desk Tickets: We tracked the number of help desk tickets created before and after the platform redesign. The number of tickets decreased by 50% after the platform redesign.

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

• Communication: Iron Forge's communication protocols with us were clearly defined, allowing us to provide feedback and adjust the project's direction as needed. 
• Milestones and goals: Iron Forge established clear milestones and goals aligned with our objectives to deliver quality outputs. Monitoring and reporting: Iron Forge regularly reported project progress and provided us with updates on key performance indicators and progress. 
• Responsiveness and flexibility: Iron Forge was responsive to our needs and able to adapt to any changes or unforeseen circumstances that arose during the project.

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

1. Innovative approaches: One impressive and unique aspect of Iron Forge is their use of innovative approaches in executing projects. They leverage technology and creative thinking to develop customized solutions that meet each client's unique needs. 
2. Expertise in Design and Development: Iron Forge is a full-service agency that provides end-to-end solutions for clients from design to development. Their teams of experts are skilled in developing customized, top-of-the-line solutions that meet the complex needs of modern businesses. 
3. Collaborative work culture: Iron Forge values a collaborative approach to executing projects. Their teams work closely with clients to understand their needs and priorities, allowing them to develop solutions that meet client needs. 
4. Timely delivery of projects: Iron Forge has a reputation for delivering projects on time, which is impressive considering the complexity of today's technology projects. They use a robust project management process and employ the latest tools and techniques to manage their projects effectively, ensuring timely delivery of projects. 
5. Customer-centric approach: Iron Forge is known for placing the client's needs at the center of their operations. The team believes listening to their client's needs is key to developing customized solutions that impeccably meet those needs.

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

no I am very happy with the outcome.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the Founder of Ridge - a web application that provides tools and tips across the startup fundraising experience – spanning pitch development, investor identification, fundraise tracking, and legal support. Inspired by VC and startup experience, the product increases efficiency and transparency for entrepreneurs throughout the process of raising private funding, thereby increasing access to capital across industries and founding teams

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

Our team had the business background and experience to develop a relevant solution to this problem, but needed help with design and development of an initial product. We contracted Iron Forge to develop an MVP of the Ridge product - to get something out into the market that could demonstrate ROI for entrepreneurs and the supporting ecosystem.

SOLUTION

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

We found them via word of mouth and selected them after talking with 3-4 vendors. Our main deciding factors were location, price, and capability to support ad hoc as needed following the MVP release. The team was willing to solution around the scope provided and come up with reasonable compromises for a first version that fit within our price point.

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

We went through a full process of project scoping, design, and development. First, we met to discuss and refine project scope - we conducted discovery workshopping to narrow on the key features for the 1.0 product. Once aligned on the feature set and key deliverables, we executed a contract and moved along to the design phase. In the design phase, we worked in Figma to review design mockups - the design process as a whole took roughly 4-6 weeks. Then, we moved onto the development phase of the project. For each development milestone we reviewed, tested, and debugged. Development of the web application consisted of an onboarding flow/sign up, then module-specific landing pages - including database elements tied to a super admin account, direct downloads of content, pop-up modules, and Trello-like movement of cards across a CRM flow. Overall, this development timeline consisted of a few months, along with a review period to check for bugs.

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

I predominantly worked with a project manager, then interfaced with a designer via Figma/email and a few developers via Marker.io and bug comments. I largely used the project manager as the point of contact to flag, sort, and prioritize key items. On a few occasions, I interfaced with the team's COO and CEO.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are about to launch the product publicly, so we will have more results in the coming months. However, we did conduct a smaller private beta for the solution in early summer and ran in-person/live beta tests. Feedback from this was largely positive - users were impressed with the design and pieces of the functionality. We had a relatively high initial conversion / signup rate from the beta. We also have had positive responses when talking with corporate and VC partners.

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

The project management system was such that we would hold weekly calls to review progress, and then we would hop on the phone as needed outside of this. The project manager was very responsive over email and typically responded back the day of (or within an hour or two). We would collaborate over Google Docs for information sharing, then Figma/Marker.io, Zoom/email/phone, etc. for other things.

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

I thought the team did a good job at working with us on scoping up front and thinking creatively across the project on how we could achieve our desired outcome on this MVP. When we needed to amend or add on various elements, it was fairly easy to get to a reasonable solution.

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

We are happy with this MVP and what was developed; however, in terms of learnings, we could have spent more time between the design and development phases thinking about user interaction and edge cases. There were some requirements that could have been more extensively considered that we then had to solution for later in development.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Cofounder | Product Lead

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

MVP - iOS I designed we collaborated Iron Forge built We released We continue to grow our business and update the same app today

SOLUTION

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

My cofounder knew one of the cofounders in high school and we decided to put our trust in him.

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

We hired Iron Forge to develop our MVP iOS app/marketplace. The app was fairly complex because we needed to build features for both sides of our marketplace as well as admin features for ourselves to track data and facilitate movement within the app.

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

I've worked with one development resource at Iron Forge.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The deliverables were above and beyond what I expected. The care for the details, not just attention to them is what makes the Iron Forge a great group to work with. If attention to detail were the only quality I could speak highly about, The app would have had clear flaws in it because some of the details I delivered didn't make sense in practice. Iron Forge interpreted my goal and modified the details to build tech that accomplished that goal.

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

They'll work/communicate with you however you'd like. open a slack channel, set up weekly calls, up to you.

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

The most impressive aspect of working with Iron forge is the pride they take in their work. It's not just a sales pitch. 

The app was built extremely fast and well but what stands out the most is how much Ian from Iron Forge dedicated himself to the project. When outsourcing projects you run the risk of working with vendors who think very linearly.

They understood the mission of our company and was able to innovate the app to serve our needs beyond the written requirements. By truly understanding our goals he was able to think about each feature of the application through the same lens we as founders were thinking about them.

The app Ian built for us 5 years ago is still in production today and Ian is still building features into it with the same care and passion.

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

As a long time client, you will need to plan larger feature development around the availability of resources. Just give ample heads up to get your feature in the queue. It's never been a long wait for me, just something to get ahead of and stay diligent about when planning.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder and CEO of Forge Legend. At Forge Legend we are in the business of building Leader who Live Legend. We do this through by being Radically Authentic, Powerfully Imperfect, Leaders Not Victims, who do the Hard Work Worth Doing, and put an emphasis on We NOT Me.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

We wanted to develop a custom app that let our clients track their progress in life across Faith, Fitness, Family, Finance and Fun. We wanted something native in iOS and Android and that would replace the myriad Google Sheets, JotForms, and paper forms we had been using for years.

SOLUTION

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

We interviewed 5 companies and Iron Forge was a great culture fit and seemed to understand our demand not to cut corners, but while holding fiercely to a budget. We came to them with an existing SYSTEM, but we realized early in the process they were experts in taking our systems into apps meaningfully and not just doing what we already had in an app.

Our entire system stepped forward with the project and it became apparent that would happen through a multiple call live vetting process.

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

We started from concept - from absolute scratch and worked all the way through with Iron Forge. From wireframes and design to feature sets and everything in between. We brought our proven system, a ton of google sheets and a vision and they helped us make that into an app reality.

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

We had a project manager Kendra, a developer Ian, a sales rep Chris, and account rep Jeremy and even periodic contact with the CEO Sumner who checked in and was available for mission critical vision and planning meetings. Seems like a lot of people, but it was a big project, and they really worked seamlessly through scoping and bidding and beyond.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We saw our vision for an app to run our coaching systems come to life and not only work beautifully for our clients, but actually improve the way we do things. The app itself has made our program better in ways we didn't expect. We work on high value clients and not high volume and we have been able to better serve all of our clients through the app.

What used to take compiling and days or weeks to deliver in the form of reports now happens instantaneously wherever our clients are.

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

Organized, precise, and disciplined. They were able to keep us from running away with ourselves. I appreciated the order and process driven system they had.

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

They really cared about the work and their craftsmanship inside of it. Our developer went so far as to live our program to better understand what we were trying to accomplish it - which he did and he ended up improving the entire experience. This was a true partnership of creation and not just someone we contracted to do some work.

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

We initially believed we didn't have any Android users which was immediately proved wrong on releasing the iOS version of our app. I think we could have better timed / coordinated the development and release on the 2 platforms simultaneously but they made the best of the mis-information we gave them truly.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Founder of a national adult recreational basketball league company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

We started out as an offline seasonal basketball league business that did not allow for us to scale. After many failed attempts we realized that we did not have the technological resources, infrastructure, or manpower to run our leagues in multiple cities at one time. We tasked Iron Forge with developing a self-serving mobile app for our league teams and players that would solve our technical infrastructure, manpower, and scalability issues.

SOLUTION

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

Before hiring Iron Forge Development, we had a really bad experience with another app development company so we kind of knew what to look for and what not to do. The deciding factor for hiring Iron Forge was due to the fact that they took the time to really understand our business and our objectives for developing an app, the details of the project process, and the timeline that they provided.

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

The scope of work consisted of developing a first-of-its-kind sports league app for the recreational marketplace. There were seven milestones within the development process and the app code and framework were built using Flutter language for Android and IOS.

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

In total there were four individuals that I worked with:

• Sales Associate - initial contact
• COO - scope & development meetings
• Project Manager - assigned post-contract
• Sr. App Developer - had meetings during the pre-launch phase.

However, the Rockstar of their team and my main point of contact that I met with weekly was the Project Manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We were on a very tight timeline and budget. It was critical for us that our project stay on track and be able to launch within the timeframe we had originally stated. Everything with our project was ahead of schedule and on budget and we were able to launch a week before our launch date. Needless to say, we were very happy and pleased with those outcomes.

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

Iron Forge's project management style was very client/customer-centric. I was always in the loop of our project due to our weekly update Zoom meetings and I could email my project manager at any time with questions if I ever had any. We never had an issue with any of their communication tools or methods.

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

Being a non-coder tech founder, I appreciated their technical expertise. They helped me with thinking thru some blind spots and consulted me on the best practices, methods, and techs to use within our app.

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

None that I can think of at this time... they knocked it out of the park for me! I wouldn't change anything in reference to my experience.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the CEO of a company that created Manna Cooking: The only app in the world that allows people to find, customize, share, cook, and shop recipes all in one place.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Iron Forge Development, and what were your goals?

We hired Iron Forge to do a UX/UI overhaul of our beta product and help us implement more development power. Our launch is set to go live next month, November 2021.

SOLUTION

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

I had a personal connection to one of the founders and discovered Iron Forge coincidentally via Linkedin. We had spoken to a number of agencies previously and the quality and competence of each paled in comparison to Iron Forge. Iron Forge had experience working in our industry before and demonstrated immediately that they understood our brand and aligned with us on goals for the go to market product.

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

We kicked off with their month long discovery process and broke down the existing product along with goals for V1.0 They first delivered us information architecture for all the new UX. Upon completion we proceeded to wire frames and UI inspiration samples. Once our team approved those they completed the UI in Figma and created a clickable prototype, then began the development process in conjunction with our internal team.

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

We worked with a project manager, designer and developer weekly. Initially met with the CRO and other executive team, as well as an additional technical member of Iron Forge who did IA drafting

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We are still ongoing the final phase of the project as we approach our launch. The quality of their product speaks for itself. We have seen a major upswing in traction since showing demos of the new app to investors, advisors and new users.

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

We have consistent weekly calls, and they were also very flexible with us. I appreciated the balance of organization and structure with the understanding that we are a young, dynamic company with unpredictable schedules.

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

I mean this answer literally: everything. While that feedback may not be actionable, it is truthful. Their design talent is perhaps the most striking, but they are far and away from the best agency I've interacted with.

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

Totally satisfied

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO and founder of a connected fitness platform that bridges the gap between physical therapy and home fitness. We have a connected fitness tool called AXIUS Core, which improves our users' core strength, balance, and mobility. It guides people through a data-driven journey with a connected IoT application.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Iron Forge Development?

We needed a proof of concept for a prototype IoT mobile app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Initially, we had a discovery phase in terms of wireframing and mapping out what we wanted to build. We first provided an initial project scope document for Iron Forge to go through. After a few discovery calls to relay our needs and discuss the scope, they produced a comprehensive and detailed project scope and wireframe for the project.

Then came the implementation phase where they actually built it, which went through several different iterations. They ended up building several versions of this prototype app before we finally landed on the final version. Finally, we created a go-to-market (GTM) strategy, which they also helped design and implement. They continue to work with us on refining their work.

What is the team composition?

There are two people assigned to the project.

How did you come to work with Iron Forge Development?

They were recommended to us through a business networking group. I decided to work with them once I had a chance to speak with their development team because they were flexible, customizable, and had lots of experience in bringing apps to the market in this particular space. 

How much have you invested with them?

The total spend for this project is $75,000 so far. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in March 2020, and we’re still working together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to their work, we’ve been able to acquire nearly half a million dollars in investment so far. 

How did Iron Forge Development perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great at project management and communication. They have a detailed scope of work and agreed-upon milestones that they're able to follow and reference. The team always keeps me up to speed on their progress in terms of deliverables — they consistently give me real-time updates on a weekly, sometimes even daily, basis. For operational communication, we mainly use Slack, but we also have occasional Zoom meetings and phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have the expertise and vision that you'd want from a big company, but they have the dedication, flexibility, and attention of a small team. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't have any suggestions for them to improve; we’re satisfied with the results of their work.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a clear understanding of what you want to build prior to engaging with any development and design group like Iron Forge. My advice isn’t specific to them, though; I'd say that's for any time you're outsourcing your UI/UX.