Plank

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the manager of public programming for a nonprofit in Toronto. We focus on telling the stories of the people and places in our city, past and present.

What challenge were you trying to address with Plank?

I’d say that it was a business opportunity rather than a challenge. They approached us several years ago to collaborate on a grant issued by a Canadian museum to develop an interactive digital exhibit focusing on the music history of our city.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Plank was our digital development partner on the project. My organization collaborated with Plank to write the grant proposal, which was our original documentation for the project. Once it was approved, we entered into a three-party agreement between ourselves, the grant issuer, and Plank. The agreement outlined various expectations and responsibilities for each partner, and it was the foundational document illustrating what Plank's responsibilities would be throughout the course of developing a website.

Plank was in charge of designing and developing the website. They built the framework and got it live, responding to the requirements of our grant provider. As the curators and historians, my organization was responsible for content creation. We worked on the stories we wanted to tell and the images that came with those.

What is the team composition?

It was a long-term project of multiple years, and we had working relationships with a number of people in their organization, which shifted across the duration.

Warren (Founder & President) spearheaded the grant writing and negotiation, and he was responsible for project management. He delegated most of the digital development to a 2–3-person team led by Jason (Senior Project Manager).

How did you come to work with Plank?

It was a bit of a perfect opportunity. They came to us with the idea of submitting a grant application. They had experience with other grant programs and navigating the approval process under this Canadian museum, and it seemed that they would bring that experience to the table. They’d developed websites for musical acts and bands, so they checked a lot of boxes for our specific area, music history.

How much have you invested with them?

The grant we jointly applied for was for $250,000 CAD (approximately $198,000 USD). It was divided up between the amount of money we invested in research and curatorial development. At least $125,000 (approximately $99,000 USD) went to Plank.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project formally began in July 2018. It was limited in scope to the development of the exhibit, and it was completed in February 2021.

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

The website speaks for itself and is the best measurement of our success.

How did Plank perform from a project management standpoint?

Our teams communicated via email, and Plank used Trello internally. We also shared materials through Google Drive. We eventually both worked through the website’s CMS.

Warren was fantastic as a project manager. He always made sure that deadlines were met, and he let us know when something wasn’t right. He was flexible about the different directions taken by the project over a very long gestation.

We did the bulk of the work around the onset of COVID-19. Even though it was a virtual project, it affected everyone. Warren was fantastic at rallying and pivoting with us. They worked with some adjusted timelines and expectations and still delivered a high-quality product.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It was their flexibility and ability to pivot. They had to work with changing expectations and timelines, and with different people joining and leaving the project at the onset of a global pandemic. Plank was willing to roll with those changes and adapt quickly to them. That was something that continually stood out to me as noteworthy about their service.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Having a more formal project management system would’ve been helpful. Doing things through email and not using Gannt charts or other tools through which we could both see what the expectations, deadlines, and progress were sometimes made it difficult to collaborate effectively. Bringing on a project management tool for both Plank’s team and the client would contribute to working successfully.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

I recommend setting firm and detailed expectations for what the responsibilities of each side are. Timelines are also a great thing to set out. Clients should have a clear understanding of what will be provided by the developer, and of what additional software or technologies will fall on the client’s shoulders. 

This was our first experience developing something of this scale, and we occasionally felt a bit out of our depths. We had to learn what technologies we had to source to support the website. Having that information will be helpful if we do a project of this kind again. Coming from the heritage field, we were oftentimes not speaking the same language as Plank. We needed to have a meeting in the middle of the project in terms of expectations and requirements.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Our organization is Nazareth Community. We are a residence with three locations, two for men and one for women. Our residents, who are over the age of 18 and live here permanently, struggle with mental health issues, addiction, and homelessness. We provide psychological support, meals, doctor appointments, medication, and anything else they need. We try to reintegrate them back into society, with our ultimate goal being for them to move on to autonomous living. I have multiple roles here; I’m the volunteer coordinator and a support worker. I also handle social media and work in administration. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Plank?

When I started here, the website had already been built. Not only was the site poorly made, but it was also really difficult to change anything because the backend wasn’t user-friendly. I wasn’t familiar with WordPress, and no one really knew how to improve the site. We wanted to make it more engaging so that it could help us increase our donations and things like that.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The executive director of Nazareth Community applied for the annual Plank Gives Back initiative, and we were selected. Plank completely revamped our website. They did both development and design and rebuilt our WordPress site from scratch, including the backend. They also gave us a lot of advice on social media and advertising in order to increase our donations and volunteers.

What is the team composition?

My main contacts were Kayla (Project Manager) and Tarah (Director of Marketing & Communications).  

How did you come to work with Plank?

We were looking for someone who specialized in design. We saw that Plank was very familiar with WordPress. They were also a Montreal-based company and loved working with nonprofits and helping in the community. We always look for people who are eager to help out nonprofits. They seemed eager and excited about it. 

How much have you invested with them?

Nothing.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in November 2019. The official site launch was at the end of February 2020. That was technically the end of their work for us, but they still, to this day, stay open to communications and any questions or concerns we have. 

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

I’m the one who updates the website, and I’ve noticed a substantial increase in ease-of-use and accessibility. The website is much more user-friendly, so I can get in and change anything easily. The board of directors and pretty much anyone who has seen the website before-and-after has said that it’s much better now.

How did Plank perform from a project management standpoint?

In terms of communication, they’ve been amazing. We’ve been emailing back and forth since November, and they send us constant updates and answer our emails and concerns very quickly. They’ve also been very involved in the activities that we do here at the shelters; we had an inauguration for a shelter that we just opened in November, and they attended. They came in multiple times and tried their best to learn as much as they could about our community. They’re hands-on, open, and easy to talk to. They seemed to really enjoy the work that they did for us, which was nice.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I think the fact that they took the time to come out and learn about our community separates them. They took a tour and attended the shelter inauguration, as well as pretty much any big activities that were going on. I wasn’t expecting them to do that, especially since it was free work that they were doing. I think that was taking an extra step that they really didn’t need to do. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I really have nothing negative to say about them. They did everything perfectly.

Any advice for potential customers?

I didn’t really need to do much. They’re very good with their communication, and they love working with people. It’s very easy; as soon as you communicate with Plank, they’ll do everything else for you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the digital media manager at Centaur Theatre Company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Plank?

We were faced with an opportunity to rebrand in a short amount of time. We needed somebody to help us with the rebrand and create a new website from scratch.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They met with our artistic director to get a better sense of our company and to plan the project. They also met with us to discuss what we wanted to see on our website, including calls to action (CTAs), ticket purchasing features, and a way for people to get to know us and what we do. 

They then designed and developed a website that would be user-friendly to our audience, especially because a large portion of them are in their 60s and up. Additionally, Plank helped us to connect our ticketing system to our website. 

What is the team composition?

We work with 3–4 people regularly who help us address our needs and organize the rest of the team. There are also other teammates we haven’t met who work behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with Plank?

We heard about Plank through word of mouth. After meeting with them and reviewing their portfolio, we were pleased with what we saw and knew they would be a match.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in April 2019. The team is still helping us with maintenance and growth and they’re implementing any changes we want to see.

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

The quality of their work and the relationship we’ve built with them have been excellent and they are always available to help us iron out any urgent issues. Plank has gone above and beyond to listen to us and make sure that we are satisfied and have our needs met. 

How did Plank perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re very organized. We have a direct line of communication with a few of them and then they have their own project manager who oversees the behind-the-scenes team. They present themselves professionally and communicate well using Trello. They’ve also been able to follow through on the timelines they set.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are very patient and give us lots of room to explore how we want to be represented, since building a website is an important part of brand identity. They have guided us through every step.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because there was a lot of pressure to produce something quickly, there were a few misunderstandings because we didn’t have enough information. Since we’re not web development experts, we needed more explanation of some of the repercussions of making certain decisions about the initial design. Although we backtracked a few times, we ended up surpassing those hurdles.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

It’s a good idea to have somebody in your company who is the most knowledgeable about web design communicate with Plank. Their team is patient, welcoming, and understanding so they will take you through the steps.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the senior manager of marketing and communications at Cineflix, and we are a content creation company. We produce and distribute creative products.

What challenge were you trying to address with Plank?

We wanted to revamp our corporate website, which was completely outdated.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The completely transformed our website, from planning and design the wireframes to actual development and then launching and establishing hosting for the site. They built the site on a WordPress template and then customized pages from there. It was really an A-Z service.

We started out with an initial kickoff meeting where we brainstormed just to get the ball rolling and for everyone to get a sense of who we are and fostering great interpersonal relationships moving forward from there. They took our ideas and drafted up wireframes, staying very in tune with our changes and providing their own feedback as well, expediting whatever we needed to be completed most urgently to keep the project moving.

What is the team composition?

We worked primarily with their project lead. Whenever necessary, he would bring in the backend and frontend coders and designers as well, but channeling the majority of the communication through him was a very efficient way to keep things organized.

How did you come to work with Plank?

Our former website developers weren’t doing new development anymore, so they suggested Plank as a potential replacement. Their portfolio spoke for themselves and we liked that they were local, so we decided to work with them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent a little over $50,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

The actual development of the site lasted from September 2018–October 2019. We had to change the direction of the website a little bit which caused the project to take longer than it would have otherwise, but that had nothing to do with how efficient they were.

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

We haven’t run any analytics yet, but I can say that we have a site that we’re proud of and looks amazing. On top of that, it’s really easy to manipulate and update, which is a huge improvement for us. Our team couldn’t be more satisfied with the aesthetics and the control that we have now.

How did Plank perform from a project management standpoint?

Plank did an excellent job of keeping us on track at all times They were always available to communicate or hold meetings if we needed to, and they always met our development deadlines. They used Envision internally to keep track of our progress, and we all used Trello to communicate as a team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I really felt that they listened to what we wanted and tried their best to deliver what we wanted. If they couldn’t, they would always find another option for us. Plank are incredible problem solvers at their core, and they have a wonderful client-first attitude. It was an extremely positive experience.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I really don’t think there’s anything they could have done differently.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I really do think that having our first kickoff meeting face-to-face was a huge benefit to the entire process because it set the whole thing off on the right foot. I can’t stress the importance of having everyone getting along and understanding each other enough.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Repercussion Theatre is a professional theatre company best known for our annual Shakespeare-in-the-Park tour. I am the Artistic and Executive Director of the company (since 2015).

For what projects/services did your company hire Plank?

We originally worked with Plank when they launched their 2016 "Plank Hacks Culture" project. We described our situation: we're an anglo company that wants to be able to have our shows be accessible to francophone audiences.

They proposed creating a web app that would allow an audience member to follow along with the French translation fo the play in real time. They worked no a prototype, and we decided to move ahead for that summer. The project worked really well, and we have been updating and expanding the web app each summer since then.

What were your goals for this project?

To reach francophone audiences and make it easier for those who speak French to access our shows.

How did you select this vendor?

We found out about Plank because of their "Plank Hacks Culture" callout. We submitted our proposal and they chose us. But the experience of working with them and the work they did was so positive that we have kept working with them ever since.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

In the first stage, Plank​ ​developed​ ​a​ ​demo​ ​app​ ​that​ ​allowed​ ​Francophone​ ​audience​ ​members​ ​to​ ​follow​ ​Shakespeare’s​ ​text in​ ​French,​ ​with​ ​prompts​ ​pushed​ ​from​ ​the​ ​stage​ ​manager​ ​to​ ​alert​ ​them​ ​to​ ​the​ ​current​ ​scene​ ​being performed.​

The Plank team used colour schemes and visuals from our production design to create a look that was show-specific.​ ​The​ ​prototype​ ​was​ run that first summer with the goal of gauging audience interest and it was then ​further​ ​developed​ ​for​ ​our ​summer​ ​2017​ ​season.

In 2018 we added a page with the list of characters, including avatars for each character. This summer, more functions were added, including the original English text, the show program, shareable quotes from the play, and a page with post-show discussion questions.

What was the team composition?

We generally worked with Warren and one or two other people from Plank. On our end, we had 2-3 people providing content and feedback.

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

The web app has been used by around 5% of our audience during the shows, and also gets used by a few hundred people over the course of the year. The fact that we have this option has gained a lot of media attention, and has certainly brought more people to the shows to check it out.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Project management is worked out each year, depending on what our goals are and who is available on each side (Plank's and Repercussion's). We streamlined communication and content sharing by using Slack this year, which was helpful.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The Plank team is super creative and collaborative. They always try to create something that will truly serve our goals as a company. It always really feels like a collaboration and it's really just a joy to work with them.

Are there any areas for improvement?

I can't think of any.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are an educational technology and SaaS platform. I'm the director of sales and marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Plank?

We hired them to help with a WordPress redesign project.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We wanted a cleaner site that was easier to navigate. We hoped to differentiate our products to improve our targeted messaging for our audience segments. After we determined what we wanted for the structure and provided them with a sitemap, they did all the wireframes and mockups. They did work on both the front- and backend, and we created all the content on our side.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a fantastic project manager, and we recently transitioned to another contact who promises to be as helpful. There is also a designer and a backend team.

How did you come to work with Plank?

Our founder used them on other projects and liked the people there. They had a good approach, and he felt they would be a good fit for this project.

How much have you invested with them?

The total cost was around $25,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project started in December 2018. We took a pause during the holidays, and the project wrapped up around February 2019.

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

The things we asked them to address are fairly subjective, so we don't have a lot of metrics to share. Now, when prospects contact us, we have better conversations with them, as those clients have more knowledge about our products. We have better leads, and the sales timeline is significantly condensed.

How did Plank perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great project managers, and they did a lot within a very short timeline. We had tight parameters on our side, and they worked quickly to get us what we needed. They used Trello for task tracking, and we also used Slack and Google Docs. We also had regular calls with their team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We had a great relationship with them. They are very well-organized, and they take direction well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don't think there's anything they should improve. We're very happy with their work.

Please describe your company and your position there.

Community Foundations of Canada was founded in 1992 to support and connect community foundations working across Canada. Collectively our network stewards combined assets of more than $5.8 billion and we’ve put hundreds of millions back into communities. We champion the issues that matter to Canadians. As a national leadership organization, we also act as a convenor, thought leader and partner to help make our communities stronger, more resilient and sustainable. I'm the director of communications. 

For what projects/services did your company hire Plank?

We retained Plank to help us implement our digital strategy and redevelop and relaunch CFC's corporate website.

What were your goals for this project?

Create a more modern, streamlined website that served various audience needs while also adopting UX best practices. Also, helping CFC take an important step forward with a more streamlined approach to content management.

How did you select this vendor?

We reached out to a number of service providers and chose Plank based on its sector expertise, capacity to quickly and beautifully come up to speed on our community's and audience's needs, and agility and flexibility to collaborate and make informed recommendations around UX, design, development and digital best practices when questions arose.

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Wireframe, Design, Development, QA. 

What was the team composition?

PM backend developers, frontend developers. 

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

It has significantly elevated and modernized our brand and helped us showcase our work—as well as that of community foundations across Canada—more clearly and effectively.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

We were very impressed by the quality of work completed by Plank, including project management. Weekly update reports, combined with regular meetings and open and transparent communications with our PM, were delivered and attended to consistently throughout the entire project.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Plank's responsiveness and collaborative, solution-oriented approach were a great fit for our organization. We trusted Plank's expertise and recommendations, and they were able to bring their knowledge to the table and combine it with our needs and interests in really great ways.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Nothing really comes to mind.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the artistic director at SpiderWebShow, a digitally-engaged performance company. We exclusively present plays that fuse digital technology and theater. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Plank?

We wanted to connect with a web developer who could create digital assets for our annual Festival of Live Digital Art.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Using CSS, Plank develops custom WordPress websites for our theater events. Our festival website is their main priority; we require them to refresh the design each year to meet our high-tech standards. The site features an eye-catching logo, live streaming software, and a robust calendar that allows users to build their own schedule. They have also created a smaller standalone website for a play that we stream on the web. Users can also view cast information and other resources on the platform. 

What is the team composition?

Plank’s two founders are present during contract negotiations, but the project manager takes over during the execution stages.

How did you come to work with Plank?

They invited us to dinner with 20 other organizations that engage with live performance and digital technology. Although the purpose of the dinner was to create discussion rather than business, we saw their interest in our projects as a partnership opportunity.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $29,000 on their services so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our partnership began in March 2018.

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

Web development is one of the largest line items in our entire organizational budget, and our investment in Plank’s services is yielding high attendance for our events. The websites are a pillar of our event experience.

How did Plank perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project manager identifies our issues for the year and translates our needs to their development team. We use Slack for communication and Trello for file management.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Plank is the go-to agency for performance-based websites. Their passion for performing arts shines through in their portfolio.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could be more transparent and proactive about site updates and maintenance work.

Please describe your organization.

I was the Executive Director for a small non-profit museum in Canada.  I also handled our web presence and any digital projects that we were working on.

What business challenge were you trying to address with Plank?

When I took over this role 4 years ago, our website was outdated and Flash-based. Little thought had been given about user experience or the type of information for which people were coming to our website. We built a new website with another company and realized that, while they had done a decent job, we were still unsatisfied with the user experience. Because of this, we switched over to Plank about eight months after the site was built.

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Plank took over from the company who designed the site and used all pre-existing code. They made some initial general updates to the website and took over managing the different features.  We had an online store and we also accepted online donations. We worked with the project manager and Warren [Founder, Plank] to fix the UI/UX and try to anticipate who was using the website, what they wanted to do, and we could bring those things to the very forefront of the site. 

The biggest project I worked on with Plank was as a part of a grant from the Canadian government to build a virtual exhibit. It was something we partnered with Plank on before we pitched it to the funders. For the project, they became our digital partner and really helped us craft the virtual exhibit. 

How did you come to work with Plank?

We sent out an RFP for the original website, to which Plank responded, along with various other companies. We went with a fast and easy solution and I’ve spent the last three years kicking myself for not hiring Plank right away. While we wanted to work with them, their price point was a little bit higher and our board of directors went with the cheapest option. Unfortunately, the cheapest option isn’t always the website that you need in the long-term. It was through that process that I met Warren [Founder, Plank] and some of his team members. Warren and I started talking about this digital project that we wanted to do together. Even though that RFP process didn’t pan out, we started working on this huge virtual exhibit and it was through that I was able to say, “Hey, do you remember that RFP? Can you come back and fix the problem?” We became a client of theirs through the process of partnering with them.

Could you provide a sense of the size of this initiative in financial terms?

We have spent about $20,000-$25,000 for the year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them August 2013. In September 2015 we pitched and were successful in our grant to the Canadian government. The organization has continued working with Plank since.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We felt the impact of it almost immediately. We received fewer calls about how to get to the museum and you could see traffic increase substantially to the pages that had that information. The response from educators and studentes who were using the site was overwhelmingly positive. Plank streamlined functionality and we definitely saw an increase not only in our online sales but also our online donations. After the re-design, people could actually find the donation page and the online store, which is a big improvement.

How did Plank perform from a project management standpoint?

The team at Plank is professional and well organized. They set out timelines for all of the work and we had weekly check-ins. We were in constant communication throughout the production phase. There was never a time we didn't know what was happening. For a team that works on so many different projects, it’s impressive that they can still meet their deadlines and keep us in the loop. I dealt with everyone from the founders to the managers and developers.

We were made aware of everyone’s function, which was important to us in working with a digital agency. In Plank’s case, they wanted us to understand who everybody was and what they were bringing to the project. It all funnelled through the main project manager, who was excellent, organized, and communicative and was available anytime we had an issue.  

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were terrific at explaining all of their decisions - from design to why we should use a certain platform over another one. One of the sites was built with WordPress.  I can’t remember the other CMS that we used, but they wanted to build good looking web properties that would last; with a plan like, “Here’s what this technology can do. Here’s how long you have and here’s how we’re going to work with you to maintain it in hopefully years and years that it’s going to exist.” Plank wants to build websites that are going to last and work. 

They were very gracious about working with the other company’s code and made some really great fixes to the site. Plank provided a real solution to meet the needs of both the museum part of our busines and also the nonprofit. A lot of the website's UX/UI was muddied beforehand and when Plank came in, they really simplified things and broke down exactly what people were coming to the website for. 

I’m most proud of our work on the virtual exhibit because it looks amazing and it really is an example of non-profits and digital studios working together to build really slick, useful, and educational online tools.

Is there anything Plank could have improved or done differently?

Honestly, I’m a huge fan of theirs. I worked with my fair share of web companies and Plank is the one that we continue to have a positive relationship with because they focus on ensuring customer satisfaction. I can’t name an area of improvement because I feel like they’re constantly fine tuning their own work in ways their clients don't realize or see. I really respect what they do. 

Do you have any recommendations for others considering working with Plank?

I would recommend them for anyone that has a digital product but not the expertise to get them off the ground. Plank can work with and improve existing web properties. We’re on a monthly retainer, which I would recommend to any non-profit. If you’re going to have a website, invest in your digital presence and maintain it like you would any other asset.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a small non-profit literary magazine based out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. We publish interviews, essays, short stories, poetry and black-and-white photography. The magazine is completely reader-supported and ad-free. We don’t run any ads from third parties. I am the digital media director, which means that I am a project manager for all our online activities, including the website, social media, email marketing and IT tech support for the staff.

What challenge were you trying to address with Plank?

We’ve been working with them for longer than I’ve been here. I did initiate a project with Plank a couple of years ago, coming out of the same challenge which led us to reach out to them in the first place, namely that we needed a modern web platform for the material we publish in the magazine.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’re currently working on building a new website. Plank’s model involves having a project manager as a direct contact. He facilitates the work on their end. I have been in touch with a designer, a frontend developer and a couple of backend developers for our project, but I can’t speak to the specific number of people involved. It’s significantly more efficient for us to have one point of contact who can translate between Plank and our group, in the same way as it is more convenient for our team to have me as a single point of contact, translating all the strange editorial requests we make.

On our legacy site, we would only run excerpts of material, and only seldom ran full text of the articles we publish. We undertook the new site with the aim to build a different access model. Plank has helped us implement a metered paywall for the articles we publish, so that we are loading in full texts, and governing access to them for the public, based on their subscription status.

We’ve been publishing since 1974, and have started working on loading in our full digital archive. Plank is building a custom CMS on Bolt. It accommodates the various needs and formats we’ve published over this 43-year span.

When we were discussing which platform to use for the CMS, we addressed our cross-referencing needs. The archive is indexed through around 100 keywords, but it’s also navigable by section (interviews, essays, fiction, and so on), and by contributor; users can check out all the work published by a given person.

When this is scaled out to 500 issues of the magazine, each of which with around 12 articles, 120 keywords and a few thousand contributors, WordPress will not be adequate; it will end up choking on the data calls. We landed on the Bolt CMS, on which Plank made some extensive modifications. It’s a more modern open-source content management system, designed to be more modular and flexible than some of the options we had been considering, prior to it.

There was also an e-commerce component to the site, but we ended up not using it. We had built subscription forms, as well as single-issue sale options. We have a book-publishing unit and rely on reader donations. Historically, we had all these siloed into individual sales arms, managed by the vendors which were fulfilling each independently. One of the goals for the site was to integrate all of this into a single unified e-commerce tool, which Plank did build, and had working well, but, near the end of our development process, we changed fulfillment vendors for the magazine, which made it much more difficult to accommodate the kind of unified platform we were building. Plank had relied on the APIs of our partners, so we were not able to use it, but it was key to the overall site vision.

How did you come to work with Plank?

We made a request for quote with a number of web vendors back in 2006-2007. We were taking our then-existent site from a minimal portal with half a dozen pages, including the About one, and a link where subscriptions could be ordered online. There was very little dynamic content, and we went from that to what can be seen right now: a full gallery of our back-issues with excerpted content from most of them, which is accessible and matches our minimalist aesthetic well.

This is as true today as it was then: Plank had an intuitive grasp of the magazine’s aesthetic and ethos, which they arrived at by being attentive to how we talk about and think about our publication. Plank wasn’t the cheapest option for the project, but they were the best fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

I believe we started working with Plank in 2007. The current project was started around 18 months ago and is 2 weeks away from launch.

Could you share any evidence that would demonstrate the productivity, quality of work, or the impact of the engagement?

I am essentially the only staff in the magazine which will be working within the CMS. It was important that we be able to quickly and efficiently load in all archive material for new and back-issues. We have digital assets for much of this, but it was essentially material designed for print using Adobe InDesign. The HTML export tool available through that suite doesn’t lend itself to what we’re doing on the web, so we were looking at a great deal of intensive manual work to clean that code.

Plank was able to collect several samples and write an HTML cleanup script which looked for specific patterns in the InDesign export, generating clean outputs. This made it much easier to import into the site.

This is a hyper-specific example, but, more broadly, the site is incredibly readable, and it highlights the content of the magazine in a way which I believe will serve the material well, particularly the black-and-white photography. I’ve had to do demos for our staff and board; every meeting in which I presented the beta of the site was derailed because people wanted to keep exploring the site built by Plank.

How did Plank perform from a project management standpoint?

They have been responsive in some ways, and less so in others. When we identified the areas where we were not communicating well, Plank was willing to make corrections.

I’m a hands-on project manager on my end and want to know where things are in terms of progress on their end. Plank’s default is to collect as much information as possible upfront, and then do the work, bringing a finished product back to us. It’s a different work style, and we solved the issue by granting me access to their internal project management board, Trello. Plank also used Basecamp, at least for our projects, early on, in order to communicate what they needed and what their version of events was.

I can currently see the start-to-finish process and have been able to provide feedback during the process, which I’m sure is a bit tedious for them. It does help clarify things which are in progress and saves us work later on. We’re iterative in our feedback process, and, in terms of deadlines, Plank tends to get us what they promised, by the time they promised it, but both our parties have ultimately been surprised at the additional time taken for getting from that initial deliverable to something polished and carefully-edited in terms of text. We continue to adjust the timing of deadlines in response to this.

What did you find most impressive about Plank?

The main thing I’ve found striking (and this is coming from someone who is not a coder) is the design work. Plank is an integrated, start-to-finish development house, and they have a design team in-house which works hand-in-hand with the code team. This isn’t necessarily rare, but it does end up leading to a cleaner, better project. The design work done by Plank is really incredible.

They conformed to our set of guidelines, which was pretty broad, namely wanting the site to be deeply readable and to echo the aesthetic of the magazine itself, which is, as I said, ad-free and peppered with black-and-white photography, with very little color. Above all, we didn’t want to interrupt the reading experience of our users, which is almost antithetical to the web (if we’re not converting in some way, we’re not doing our jobs). Plank was able to carry all of this forward in a way which I felt was indicative of an incredibly thoughtful design process. Every time I look at the site, I remain impressed with that work.