Launchpad Technologies Inc.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior manager of a franchising solutions company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Launchpad Technologies Inc.?

We hired Launchpad Technologies Inc. to provide immediate capacity in terms of leveraging skills and resources, so we can deliver a lot more features to the business.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Launchpad Technologies Inc. provides us with their Salesforce expertise to help us gain traction with the business and some of the tools. They have also expanded their services with other platforms such as Drupal and other areas of marketing.

They mainly focus on stabilizing our Salesforce system to eliminate bugs and issues, and they’ll continue to work with us on the features management space.

What is the team composition?

We work with four Salesforce developers and two QA analysts.

How did you come to work with Launchpad Technologies Inc.?

I’m not entirely sure how they were brought in, but all I know is that our company has already engaged them before this project, and they’ve been providing a great service for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent somewhere between $500,000–$1 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in July 2021, and the partnership is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The metrics are more on the quality aspect, and they’ve been solid right out of the gate. They deliver tasks quickly, which means increased efficiency for us. Just for comparison, we’ve been 20–30% more productive with Launchpad Technologies Inc. than we were with other vendors.

How did Launchpad Technologies Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

They have a manager on their team who generally interacts with us in terms of ongoing issues and things of that nature. They’re very good with communication and it makes the whole partnership easier. We typically talk through chat, email, and we would have daily meetings where everybody is involved.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’re impressed by the quality and speed of their onboarding process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

One thing they could improve on is matching our success metrics in terms of the growth of their resources. It’s more on communication and we just need them to have a more proactive approach, rather than us telling them what they need to do.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a software engineering leader at a software technology company used for searching, monitoring, and analyzing machine-generated big data. We are a global company headquartered in San Francisco, CA with approx 6,000 employees.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Launchpad Technologies Inc.?

As the company continues to grow 30%-40% YoY, it's imperative that we democratize our data and processes in order to scale. Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are at the center of our transformation to a Programmable Enterprise. This required highly skilled engineers and practitioners working on a complex roadmap to partner with our internal teams using advanced agile practices. 

What were your goals for this project?

Our goal was to deliver a scalable and secure API platform with a robust catalog of self-service APIs for the enterprise. This required the developer experience (DX) to be easy to use and straightforward for both the API producer and consumer, as well as, an intuitive web and mobile frontend to enable API consumers the ability to discover services, request support, and read documentation. This platform was connected to multiple highly visible projects that enabled the ROI for the platform.

SOLUTION

How did you select Launchpad Technologies Inc.?

My team performed an extensive search for a cost-effective supplier that could help us met our goal. We reviewed 7 potential nearshore partners for this engagement and analyzed core competency, engineering skills, delivery practices, location strategy, hiring practices, and performed a cost-benefit analysis. Launchpad Technologies met these stringent requirements but also excelled with their unique hiring practices that enable high engineering effectiveness coupled with deep multidimensional talent assessments.

Describe the project in detail.

Once onboarded, the Launchpad Technologies nearshore team integrated into our agile mission teams and quickly built rapport with the existing team members. In our agile approach, engineers are responsible for the full software development lifecycle (SDLC) from design, implementation (dev and test), to post-production support alongside the full-time employee team members. They have to work closely with technical leads, product managers, engineering managers, as well as cross-functional stakeholders to ensure they are driving the outcomes we have established in our product roadmap.

What was the team composition?

Initially, the team from Launchpad Technologies was 5 nearshore engineers, a nearshore technical lead, and a project manager. This quickly grew to approx 15 nearshore engineers and support engineers to support the program, as well as other initiatives.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The program has been a tremendous success. Since launch, our stakeholders have seen a 91% increase in APIs offered in the portal, a 38% increase in unique portal users, and a 42% increase in registered API applications. The feedback has been very positive and has increased the speed to market for a select few initiatives for the company. As we continue to execute against the roadmap we expect the ROI for this platform to continue to increase.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Launchpad Technologies' team is easy to work with, as well as open and responsive to feedback. We established both informal and format channels for which we ensure success for both parties. For example, all day-to-day communication happens as part of our daily stand up's via our video conferencing tool and dedicated team chat channels. In addition, we established formal quarterly business reviews to review progress towards each other's goals and executive briefings.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The quality of the people and domain knowledge at Launchpad Technologies is impressive. They take hiring their team seriously to ensure not only that their team has the competency and skills for the job, but also the culture and personality fit of their client; not many firms do this and do it this well. For example, for me, diversity is an important aspect to ensures we are getting the best ideas on the table when developing our products and services. Launchpad Technologies included this aspect into all their hiring and the results have been outstanding; it's been a true partnership.

Are there any areas for improvement?

None that I can think of.