Launchcode

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder of OGGI Technologies. We’re a platform development company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We were developing a platform for on-demand, same-day delivery services that was designed to target the retail industry. It’s three separate applications. There’s an iOS app, Android app, and web app that’d serve as an admin and retail portal.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launchcode helped us with our proof of concept (POC) design. They did some mockups and helped us through the design of our MVP. They also provided us with a full mock-up of our logo design, some UX elements, and color schemes. Their team delivered some website and digital marketing content tools as well.

Once we got through that, we moved to the next step. We’re a startup so we need funding. Their team provided supporting documentation and sustainability information we can provide to our potential investors and customers as we handled our customer validation phase.

Our first sprint was really about verifying all of our design assumptions we had done at the beginning. Then in our second sprint, they started to code the application. At this point, we paused development on everything due to some unforeseen outside influences.

What is the team composition?

I worked with Robbie (Chief Revenue Officer), Alberio (Co-Founder & CEO), Brandon (Project Manager), Luiz (Director of Creative & Operations), Dana (UI/UX Designer), Dan (Graphic Designer), Greg (Head of Engineering), Daniel (Full Stack Engineer), and Bryce (Software Developer).

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

We found them on Clutch. Our team was looking at developers all across Western Canada and reached out to about half a dozen. After an RFP process, we narrowed it down to our final two, and Launchcode launched our POC for us. We selected them as our vendor of choice and partner to move forward.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested roughly $15,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

This project started around August 2020, and we paused development in March 2021. We canceled the project on our side, it had nothing to do with Launchcode. We’re engaging them for a separate project so it doesn’t look like the relationship is going to end anytime soon.

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

Launchcode was incredibly professional to work with and systematic in their approach to product design. Their process was organized and thorough. They asked a lot of questions and were open to quick pivots based on customer feedback. Their team utilizes an agile methodology. We’ve enjoyed working with them and the methodology they use for going through a project like this.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We typically communicated through a mix of emails, phone calls, and other tools. Launchcode used a StoryZone Board tool to guide the direction from a user journey or user mapping perspective. We always used monday.com to organize the broader scope and organized our sprints.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their ability to take fairly broad and big ideas and disseminate them down into something that’s usable from a design perspective. We first approached them with a project that was very much big vision-focused. Launchcode took our big dream and distilled it down into something that was workable. The intention was to make things simple, and we went through a very methodical manner.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Communication felt a little bit fractured. We utilize email, text, and project management tools. If they could bring that all together into one platform for consistent communication, that would be appreciated.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get involved early in the process because they’re going to have ideas that you haven’t thought of yet. really outline what your end goal or vision is for the technology you’re trying to design. Trust them that they can give you advice and direction as to how to make that a reality. Don’t try to figure that all out in advance.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of an organization in the collaboration and cybersecurity space. We’re a 10-year-old company that services Canada. In our collaboration work, we work heavily with back-end infrastructure that supports video and voice technology. That also supports a boardroom experience that connects the infrastructure and boardrooms. The cybersecurity portion of our business is focused on an assessment-less strategy around security. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We wanted to address an opportunity to connect collaboration technology to end customer experience in a seamless way by helping customers engage with WebEx in a remote way. We wanted to do this through an easy-to-use application-based strategy. We worked with them to develop the app and connect it back into the infrastructure.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We described our challenge and the technology we were hoping to bring into the space, aiming to transition from a basic engagement to a more experience-rich engagement with our solution. After reviewing our requirements and thought process, we worked together on a strategy that allowed for the interconnection between the enterprise WebEx application and end UX in the simplest way possible. 

They entered the design process, and we started iterations of milestones, sprints, testing, demos, and screenshot applications. This allowed all parties to understand our progress, goals, and feedback. They delivered a beta-level app that we’re now expanding into mainstream delivery. The final platform is built for iOS, Android, and web. It works in all of those spaces and is compatible with desktop and mobile devices.

The app facilitates booking and appointment generation from WebEx to the end-user without requiring an enterprise-grade application running in their space. That provides users with an app-centric process of launching a call that is easy to use. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with a number of people from their team, but we had two primary sponsors. All meetings included one or both of them as well as a support team. 

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

I had an existing relationship with Robbie prior to his involvement with Launchcode. When he moved to their team, we saw the opportunity for a relationship-driven engagement that could be backed by the fantastic technical capabilities of a larger team. They seemed to have the foresight and understanding of what we needed to do to deliver, but our exposure to them was initially through Robbie.   

What is the status of this engagement?

We started initial conversations in January 2020 but didn’t kick off the project until around July 2020. Our teams approached completion at the end of January 2021, but we’re still working together on this project and other capacities.

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

We’re in the process of doing proof of concept strategies for the app, so we don’t have any metrics yet. However, their clarity and performance at every step of the process were fantastic. They were open to adjusting various milestones and accelerating action when necessary. 

As far as the quality of their work, initial feedback has been excellent. The app is very easy to understand, intuitive, and usable. That’s exactly what we were aiming to accomplish.   

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Working with them from a project management, communication, and tools perspective was very strong. There weren’t any technical gaps such as issues connecting to video calls or project update meetings. They managed communication well within my team’s internal tool. They provided constant updates in connection with my team, customers, and support partnerships. We communicated through WebEx and several other tools. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They always had a long-term vision for our partnership with them. Rather than just delivering an app, they wanted to create, execute, and be part of future development and strategy. They even wanted to engage with our customers and provide support, which isn’t always typically with app development partners. 

Launchcode brought a services mentality to their work, so our engagements didn’t feel like one-and-done deals. Instead, we were viewed as a long-term engagement of customer value. Their thought process mirrored our engagement process with our customers, so it always felt natural engaging with them. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Nothing ever stood out to me as a major gap or challenge when working with them. Even when their resources were double-booked, communication was excellent. I was very happy with the engagement from start to finish. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Make sure you think through all of your goals and ask questions about their services. It’s easy to not expose everything you’re looking for as a client, but things don’t always get resolved easily that way. They’re an open organization that will share their strengths and point you in directions to help. Trust them in exposing the scope of your goals because having a wide open conversation about developing strategy will work phenomenally with them.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a research development manager at a risk and safety analysis company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We wanted to convey data to our clients in an easy way and encourage them to actually look at it.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launchcode helped us create a 3-D library, full of risk and safety data. It’s tied to our database and when new information is added it actually grows. The team used React and C# on the Unity game engine.

What is the team composition?

I worked with two developers, one designer, one project manager, one account manager, as well as their CEO.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $410,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2020, and the bulk of the work was completed in November 2020.

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

Launchcode simplified the process and even pushed back when we asked for too much. We’re doing QA currently to make sure that what they delivered is up to par. Internally, the library was received well, internally. It’s a really cool way to search for information. The younger members of our team really enjoy it. It’s cartoonish and really playful.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Communication was great. There were lots of meetings and they came to our office to present before COVID-19. They were fun to work with. We used Monday.com for project management. With every sprint, they delivered a detailed plan in the form of a beautiful PDF. It outlined all the concerns and risks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re easy to talk to and they always provide us options to achieve our goals.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Initially, our communication wasn’t that great. Thereafter, it improved drastically and the entire project benefitted from it.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

My advice is to have a well-defined scope before you approach Launchcode. We had some scope creep on our end in the beginning because we didn’t have our plan well defined.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of Waste Solutions Canada, an outsourced waste management service provider. We broker and consult waste and recycling services for companies throughout Canada. We look to reduce rates and offer technology that can improve data and increase landfill diversion.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

Technology in our space is changing the game, so we were looking to invest in technology where we can make an impact in the waste and recycling industry.

The plan with Launchcode was to develop a software platform that would ultimately be a data center for waste and recycling information and allow it to be validated and reported on.

What was the scope of their involvement?

This project that we had them get involved in was the framework or architecture of the larger development project. That included completing mockups of how the platform would look both from an admin and client standpoint. That also involved the UX and development stack within the platform.

What is the team composition?

We had a specific project manager, but the C-level team was also involved as well.

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

We reviewed proposals from five different companies, all within Canada. Launchcode was referred to us by one of our employees. She knew one of them from a networking group. After we connected with them, we received a quote and chose them.

How much have you invested with them?

I believe it was between $18,000–$20,000 for the framework.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in April 2020, and we completed it in mid-July 2020.

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

I was impressed with their creativity. The team asked a lot of good questions, which translated into the ability for them to get creative with the look and feel of the platform. That’s one of the things that drew me to them in the first place. They seem to develop aesthetically pleasing software and a good user experience.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Everything was all good there. We had a mutual online platform that we could communicate through. It allowed us to keep an eye on deadlines and stages.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their company culture is indicative of their product. They embrace creativity and a positive attitude. Although we had a project manager, I was impressed with how involved the C-Suite and partners were right from the onset.

Their outlook helps create great software with their team. It seems to be a place where people want to work and be part of.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is specific to our project but having more realistic expectations of budget upfront. They were dealing with the framework, which included the final figures for what the larger project would look like. The original ballpark number turned into a larger number when they finalized the framework. That could’ve been due to the scope changing, but I was a little surprised and frustrated.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be involved with the process. Be open with them to give them as much information as possible. I found that the more information we gave them, the better the outcomes were. That’s important with any software company; they need to understand your business before they create a tool for your business.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

 I’m the director of capital projects and quality improvement at an industrial tools manufacturing company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We had limited visibility on our productions. We wanted to get better metrics on our manufacturing processes so we could increase efficiency.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They developed some hardware and software to help us evaluate the efficacy of our manufacturing machines. The physical hardware units they built were placed at every machine so that operators could add data as different situations arose. 

They built software that integrated with our existing CMC machines to pull certain metrics. They also built a software tool that’s integrated with the hardware products they built. 

What is the team composition? 

I worked with a team of 4–6 people. The majority of the people I worked with were software developers, but I also interacted with members of their sales team and the owner. 

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

The president of my organization found out about Launchcode and approached them. After meeting with our COO, they were selected for the project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $350,000. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in March 2020. The project is almost complete, but we’re still working on some bug fixes. 

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

We measured and evaluated the data throughout the process. It’s been a positive experience. It opened my eyes to a whole new world of IT products. Everyone involved cared about the outcome of the project. The data we’ve been able to extract as a result of their software products has positively impacted our business decisions. 

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

From the beginning, communication was really good. They were able to adapt throughout the process to meet our business needs, even when there were changes happening.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were energetic. When they said they were going to do something, they did it. We gave them some tough feedback, and they took everything in stride. They always pushed through and persevered, even when there were moments where my team wasn’t happy with how the process was going. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

As of right now, no, it’s been a positive experience. There are some additional things I want to do, but we can get to those things in the future. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers? 

Have regular meetings and stay within scope. The more you change the scope, the longer the project will take.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am an estimator and administrator for a metal sheet fabricator.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We were in the process of looking specifically for job posting software as well as a database that will hold everyone’s quote and current job. We wanted it to keep everyone’s current job up to date in one computer system.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our project is divided into three phases. At this moment, we’ve only completed phase one, which was the biggest part of the project because they had to build all of the background software.

Our main requirements were to have a client database that included all of the information for each of our clients. We’re also able to go in and modify certain aspects. We then required a quote feature that would automatically change the quote number so we didn’t have any duplication. It automatically filed in contact information.

The next major part of the project was for jobs. We have the ability to quote or not quote a project. Then, once the project is finished, we’re able to go back in and add the real-time data, the real hours we put into the project, and the material we used.

What is the team composition?

I primarily dealt with two people who were both heads of our project. They

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

came in to meet with us and we walked through everything from when a customer walks in to when they pick up their product, how we track jobs, or if billing had gotten away or been delayed. So we went through everything and the issues we had. They put together a proposal and design along with a quote.

They knew our old system, so they created a new system that we were familiar with, all while stepping it up a level.

How much have you invested with them?

We were quoted $120,000 and we added on about $1,600.

What is the status of this engagement?

April 2019 and we finished the first phase in November that year. Since then, we’ve moved on to phase two.  

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

We’ve been able to get everyone up to speed in our office and it’s going fantastically. So far, everybody is happy with it. It gives us real time calculations with very little error for us to mess up and there’s not room for miscalculation. It makes it significantly easier for employees to take over a project if people are sick for the day. As a result, we’re able to help customers on the spot because any estimator can pull up the information in a reasonable amount of time.  

They provided a 30-day bug-free guarantee once the project was up and running. During that time, we had a chat where we could let them know if something was glitching. Right then and there, they would fix it for us so we had no downtime. They were fantastic.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We were always in contact with our project leads. If they had questions, they would contact us. If we had questions, we contacted one or both of them.

We had sprint meetings every three weeks in order to touch base on how far they had come and what we could expect from the next three weeks. We also made any changes at that time.

When it comes to scheduling, they were easy and great to deal with. We never had any issues, they were attentive, and they never double booked us.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were easy to work with. They took the time to understand our business and how we operate. They were accommodating and made adjustments so the solution fit our needs. Especially since we’re not super tech-savvy, they considered what we needed and implemented that.

Please describe your company and your position there.

10 STAR agency is a brand activation agency specializing in the Entertainment Field. As Director of Client Activation I manage teams to bring clients dreams and brands to the people.

For what projects/services did your company hire Launchcode?

We have used Launchcode a number of times and have a long term relationship. Launchcode has developed a number of applications to convey brand messaging and training to consumers, they have also developed a data collection platform for us.

What were your goals for this project?

The goals on all the projects we have worked with Launchcode on have been the same- a creative and unique way for consumers to learn and engage with our clients brand and brand messages. The projects have to be easy to use, quickly achieves the goals and bulletproof. Consumers and guests only have a few mins to go through this education and come out with some tangible messages.

How did you select this vendor?

We have worked with Launchcode's sister company Patronscan for some time.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Launchcode is able to take our creative vision and build on the ideation phase. They then handle the complete technical side of creating the software and work with us to get a finished product that completely meets our needs.

What was the team composition?

It's always a collaborative team with a few members from our side- creative, management, client managers and both technical and management representatives from their team.

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The most obvious metric of the impact launchcode has had is that we have done at least 6 different projects on the brand training applications, along with using their patronscan software and developed a best in class data collection program.

In regards to the data collection platform we are able to gather profile's in a fraction of the time as any other system. This efficiency results in a significantly lower cost per acquisition.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The team is easy to work with, straight forward and meet deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Launchcode is a great team to work with. They take the time to understand our business and our clients' goals. They provide expert knowledge and deliver 100% of the time.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Currently they deliver and exceed our expectations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of loss prevention and warehousing at Alcanna, a major liquor and cannabis retailer in Alberta.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We hired them to help us address our liquor theft problem in the city.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launchcode took care of everything for us. In the beginning, their team sat down with us to discuss how everything would go logistically.

From start to finish, their team re-engineered their product for our application. It's an ID scanner that's placed on the exterior of our buildings. Customers come to the door, scans their license, and it allows them entry into our locations.

What is the team composition?

I had two main points of contact but worked with four people in total.

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

The Edmonton police have worked with them in the past because they’ve worked with some of the nightclubs and bars in the city. They worked to prevent crime from happening in those locations. The police department directed us to them, which shows their great reputation.

How much have you invested with them?

Right now, we’ve spent over $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started talking to Launchcode in August 2019, and it was installed in December 2019.

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

Our liquor theft in those locations has decreased by about 75%–80%. If we can get a ruling from the Privacy Commission, then we’ll look at possibly expanding it to other locations.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

Launchcode is one of the most efficient companies I’ve ever worked with.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their team gets stuff done. They’re nimble and smart enough to figure out what and when things need to be done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re doing pretty good on every level.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president and CEO of Masterpiece Care Corporation. We provide assistive care living services.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We wanted to create a platform to improve our internal culture through staffing improvements.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launchcode broke the plan to create our platform, a mobile app, into different phases. The team delivered a platform that gives our employees the ability to control their own shift pattern, exchange shifts, report sick days, and plan vacation well in advance. From an employers’ standpoint, we can stabilize rotation, maintain a consistent staffing pattern, cut down on overtime, and increase efficiency and staff morale overall.

There’s also a scheduling aspect, where we can input parameters and the system creates a schedule, so employees can see who they’re working with and when. Their control over their shifts depends on seniority and other factors, all of which are identified within the app. The app is compatible with both iOS and Android.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a team of about 10–12 people, working with different members during different phases of the project. We interfaced with Joel (Full Stack Developer), several writers, and marketing representatives. 

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

Alberio (CEO) is a friend of mine. He was expanding Launchcode, and I thought we would be a good fit as a project. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project took place from July 2018–September 2019.

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

Before Launchcode’s solution, our entire staffing process was done manually. It was time-intensive and errors occurred frequently, which then added more time as management had to sort out inaccuracies. The app has greatly improved efficiency as well as staff morale, which were two main areas we were concerned with. Overtime has been reduced, employee retention has increased, and we can track sick time easily. 

It’s also been an invaluable resource during COVID-19, as we have a risk-free way of organizing staffing. No one has to share pens or come into close contact with one another.

Currently, the app is available in both the App Store and Google Play.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

We met each week for nine months during the sprint. We were always well-aligned in terms of communication. Additionally, Joel was a genius in writing the script. He was really able to understand our business, and gave us an incredibly impressive product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were incredibly amenable to understanding our business and what our requirements were. Launchcode took extra steps to help us be successful that other companies wouldn’t have. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they were excellent.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

At the time, I worked for Razor Energy Corp. I was the manager of information systems.

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchcode?

We hired them to help us with data acquisition and data management. We had a lot of legacy assets and information that wasn’t accessible. There were a lot of disparate systems that were fairly outdated by modern standards. This didn’t allow for a lot of data management, data access, or consolidation between systems. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

They designed and built a data warehousing program that was broken into three phases: data acquisition, data manipulation, and data presentation. 

It was a collaboration where I gave them an overall framework of where I’d like to get to. We went back-and-forth on the designs; my internal team contains subject matter experts who helped provide guidance to Launchcode. But, they did the majority of the custom development. If we developed a specific component internally, they developed them more extensively than we were able to do inhouse.

The data acquisition phase of the project was done in the native backend languages of any of the systems we needed to acquire. The central data warehouse was an SQL server using SQL language. The data presentation side was building plugins to BI programs such as Power BI or analysis programs such as Excel.

What is the team composition?

I discovered them through their CRO. We’ve had a standing business relationship for a number of years, going back to a previous role he’d held. We were having coffee one day, and he said he had moved onto a new company.  We chatted a bit about my company’s goals, and it went from there. We did farm out the ideas to a few different companies for quotes. In the end, we decided to go with Launchcode because of their personal, collaborative nature and one-on-one strategy. 

How did you come to work with Launchcode?

Our direct contact with the team was limited to their project managers. I dealt with Greg (Head of Engineering), Robbie (Chief Revenue Officer), and one other employee. Greg was my primary day-to-day contact, and there were also a number of folks behind the scenes. 

How much have you invested with them?

When I left the company, the investment was around $150,000. I know the project has continued with that company, so I’m not sure what their current spend to date is.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project began in April of 2018, and it ended in May of 2019.

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

We were focusing on the user base and user acceptance for success metrics; it was quite extensive and quite useful. 

When we began the project, we had no transparency between departments or divisions within the company. By the time I left the company, we had cross-platform modeling that was displayed on dashboards around the office. It rolled up data from multiple sources, divisions, and departments. Anyone in the company could pop into Excel or any of the servers and generate a report that would tell them everything they needed to know about other division’s work. 

In data sciences, the majority of people spend 80% of their time wrangling data and 20% of their time analyzing it. By the time we left, we were pretty close to having flipped that almost completely.

How did Launchcode perform from a project management standpoint?

They got better with time. With a little bit of training and guidance about my world, they got very good at it. Over time, I become quite confident that things were getting done. At this point, they really know their stuff.

We communicated via weekly phone calls or in-person meetings. They operate on sprints. They would come down every few weeks for their big sprint. They also set up a support email in their domain for us, so we were able to pop them emails whenever we needed something. For the most part, phone calls were picked up right away. They always showed up for sprints, and emails were responded to within 24 hours.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve never encountered custom developers who were so flexible for this price. The flexibility of their approach stood out. With Launchcode, it was a collaborative exercise that was more success-oriented. If the end goal changed over the course of the project, they were very flexible and ready to adapt. They’d say, “Ok great, a new end goal means a change to the project and a change to the strategy.” These changes never seemed disruptive to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Over time, they’ve worked a lot on their project management. When they first started out, they were a much smaller firm that was still learning how to do the custom development at the scale we were asking for. As they go forward, they’ll get even better at that.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

You should have a flexible notion of your end goal. Have an idea of what you’re trying to accomplish at a broad scale, and then be ready to work collaboratively. In terms of working with them, just make sure you’re communicating. Make sure they’re understanding what you need from them. They’re technical programmers, but they’re generalists. They need the guidance of subject matter experts to be successful at what they’re trying to do.