Peakey Enterprise LLC

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CTO of a fintech company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Peakey Enterprise LLC, and what were your goals?

I hired Peakey to make modifications to our existing software so that the product was more accurate and efficient for our users. They then helped me shape the product into a QuickBooks desktop app so that our software could supplement a user's existing accounting process.

SOLUTION

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

I found Peakey through extensively researching highly regarded software developers in the Indiana area.

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

• Refining the existing software to make our tech more accurate
• Adding valuable features to the software
• Developing the software into a QuickBooks app so that the new features could integrate with users' current accounting process.

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

The CEO of Peakey worked with me primarily.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Within just a few months, Peakey was able to accomplish everything I had outlined in the project specs for a very competitive price.

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

Peaky always is very quick to respond to your needs and they never make you feel like you are annoying them. I was very active in voicing feedback and suggestions throughout the entire process and they always encouraged my contribution.

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

What made Peakey stand out was their ability to help us brainstorm the best solutions. As a product manager, I understand the importance of ensuring that the project specs you give engineers are well defined and shaped.

That said, there are always times when the project doesn't go as planned and you hit unintended roadblocks. Any time one of my projects hit a roadblock, Peakey never acted frustrated and instead, was very active in suggesting potential solutions to surmount the blockers. Peaky makes you feel like you are all working as a team rather than just a software development firm that your company outsourced.

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

None. I couldn't recommend Peakey enough.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

A precision robotics company focused in agriculture. I am the founder of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Peakey Enterprise LLC?

Camera evaluations and creating an object detection model.

What were your goals for this project?

To build a high quality production model for the agriculture industry.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Needed a vendor who was located close to the business for communication and prototype exchange. Someone who has worked in the agriculture industry in the past and understands the challenging elements. Someone who understands the time sensitive aspect to the project.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Exploring cameras and lighting for producing an infield production model. Develop an object detection model by running machine learning tools, analyzing results and adjusting machine learning parameters.

What was the team composition?

The project development team consisted of a couple people depending on skills needed. The owner was very involved with the project and main point of contact.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

As a seasonal product, everything was time sensitive. Peakey did a wonderful job at keeping to the timeline and completing tasks on time. Their contribution to the project has helped propel us to the next stage.

They were very communicative to the development team and generous with their advice. It built a trusting relationship between all three parties involved.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management was very effective and appreciative for quick email replies and responsive phone calls. Peakey was able to explain results of the project at a comprehensive level and generous with their time in doing so until all parties were at an understanding.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Peakey was very fair and honest in their pricing. I was impressed with their explanation of quotes that built a trusting relationship between both parties. They went above and beyond in choosing the best camera equipment and lighting for the project. It was of great help while out in the fields. Should further development work be needed in the future, I would hire Peakey again.

Are there any areas for improvement?

No, they did an excellent job.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the former VP of finance at a hot surface igniter manufacturer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Peakey Enterprise LLC?

We were a small, growing business so we had to be prudent about how we utilized our capital. We couldn’t roll out a new ERP system that had all the data collection that we needed to manage the business the way we envisioned so, we hired Peakey Enterprise LLC to help us with this. 

The ERP system that we already had could create barcodes with each work order. The operator would scan their badge when they got to the work station so that the system would know where they were in the process. As the work flowed through the manufacturing process, the operator would scan the work order. Finally, at the end of the line, every hour, they would input their throughput—good parts, bad parts, scrap, and scrap modalities. 

The challenge we had was that the feedback loop to the engineering teams on the manufacturing floor was so slow. Sometimes it took a week because the offers were being written down on paper. Over time, the recording of scrap modalities became so broad that it ended up being meaningless to the engineering team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us to implement a custom solution to capture real-time data by designing a web app that involved 12–13 manufacturing steps. The app was contained on our on-site servers and Peakey Enterprise LLC developed hour-by-hour dashboards that we put on televisions throughout the facility.

They also incorporated functionality that allowed the operators and managers to see if the team is missing, meeting, or exceeding their goals and why. Peakey Enterprise LLC did all of the ERP integration and all of the frontend display design. 

What is the team composition?

Our main point of contact was Randall (Owner, Peakey Enterprise LLC) but we also worked with 2–3 programmers. 

How did you come to work with Peakey Enterprise LLC?

We did a formal RFQ process with 2–3 other companies that were recommended to us by a friend. We picked Peakey Enerprise LLC because, during the discovery phase, they had the best ideas and understood what we wanted to do almost immediately. 

How much have you invested with them?

We invested around $15,000–$20,000, which was much less expensive than buying a solution.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from July–December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Peakey Enterprise LLC, we were able to see data by the minute which allowed us to react to an issue on the floor within an hour and isolate it instantly. 

How did Peakey Enterprise LLC perform from a project management standpoint?

During the testing and rolling out phase, they had an online dashboard that allowed us to see where all the fixes and solutions were in the pipeline. 

Randy did all the work and made it easy. I had several other projects going on in my business at the time so he took the project on and managed it, doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The turnaround was incredibly quick, sometimes within an hour. It was the best project I’ve ever been a part of and, if I ever need help again, I’m going to call them. 

The team was highly engaged and helped us narrow the process down and make it much less complicated, all at a reasonable price.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They did a really good job of designing the web solution to look and feel like an Apple app in terms of aesthetics. The only downside of the project was that we didn’t get around to making the dashboard seem less like a spreadsheet and more like a graphic design dashboard. 

This didn’t really matter because it didn’t add any value; it was just a nit-picky aspect that would’ve made the product look nicer. They could’ve done it, but we didn’t have the software to make it happen.