RoleModel Software

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Coordinator of Program Administration of Methodist Home for Children

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Work with at-risk youth and families to provide resources and promote sustained change to their quality of life.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire RoleModel Software to accomplish?

• Develop a behavior model tracking software for our staff to allow them to utilize our model easier and to allow our agency to report data more efficiently

SOLUTION

How did you find RoleModel Software?

Online Search

Why did you select RoleModel Software over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from RoleModel Software were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The primary goals of this effort will be:

1. Progressive Motivation System
2. Unanticipated Situations Workflow
3. Banked Signatures
4. New Report Time frame (All Time)
5. New Child (Client) Workflow
6. Skills Chart Improvements
7. Client Overview page additions
8. Additional features as prioritized by the Client 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Proposed deliverables from client which were reviewed daily, weekly, and at the end of the project in various forms.

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

RoleModel delivered on time in most regards. In hindsight, it would have been nice to begin with the larger project that required more testing. Overall, RoleModel Software was an extremely responsive, supportive, and flexible company to work with.

What was your primary form of communication with RoleModel Software?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

The daily check-ins were not only helpful to remain on track and keep communication open, but it was impressive how they were able to troubleshoot new issues on the fly while remaining focused on established deliverables as well. 

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

None.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the President of SEC Associates, Inc.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide TransparentCT® - The International Clinical Trial Disclosure Knowledge Base - a subscription-based, online source of information about international public transparency requirements for clinical trials.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire RoleModel Software to accomplish?

• Implement a major upgrade and migration of our software platform and application
• Provide specific software project development, test, rollout and maintenance support over a 10-year span
• Provide ongoing, non-specific software and technical support annually for more than 10 years

SOLUTION

How did you find RoleModel Software?

Referral

Why did you select RoleModel Software over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned
• Specific referral from our previous IT development and support provider

How many teammates from RoleModel Software were assigned to this project?

6-10 Employees

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

Over a 10+ year period, Rolemodel has implemented multiple software platform and application upgrades, updates and migrations for us. They have also provided ongoing technical support, including oversight/management of our platform and proactively handling urgent security upgrades as required or recommended.

They have successfully implemented specific software development projects for performance, user experience, and to keep our platform and application current and secure over the last 10 years. They also provided technical support throughout that time that included both emergency support and non-urgent but important matters.

They have truly been our "one stop shopping" source for our application which is used by as many as 14 of the top 20 global pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Every new software development project and platform or application upgrade and migration met our requirements and kept our major pharma customers online 24x7 throughout the past 10+ years

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

Our company just celebrated our 35th anniversary, and I have been running it nearly the entire time. In all my professional experience (including more than 6 years with IBM right out of university), I have never worked with a more professional or more effective group of project managers.

Over our 10+ years with Rolemodel, we have had only about 3 project managers, and they were all outstanding: easy and casual to work with, yet responsive to our needs and willing to do whatever was needed to meet our requirements. Their work ethic and sense of duty, responsibility and fairness to their customer is unmatched in my experience.

What was your primary form of communication with RoleModel Software?

Email or Messaging App

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

They are incredibly competent and effective, while making it easy to work with them on an ongoing basis. They won our trust and admiration early on for their business ethics and technical prowess, and they have only increased our estimation of them over the years we have worked together. In our 35 years in business, I cannot name another vendor that has earned our trust, respect and desire to keep on working with them like Rolemodel has.

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

I'm not going to say they are perfect, because they aren't. But I can't think of any substantive area for improvement. They need to just ensure they stay on track with what has made them so effective and successful, which is that they have their priorities and focus in the correct order.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the executive assistant at Upward Management Group, a company providing management solutions for rent-to-own providers. We service all customers across the country and help them with any rent-to-own payments and questions. Moreover, we provide accounting services, dealer support, customer service, and management.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We were using several different online platforms for collecting rent-to-own contracts, so we hired RoleModel Software to create a portal where we could import all those contracts so that we could easily search for them, find them, and generate new contracts.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RoleModel Software has helped us create a unified solution for our office. Before working with them, we developed a software system to generate PDF contracts, collect signatures, and auto-generate the calculated portions of the contract. However, they built the new portal from scratch. RoleModel Software’s scope has mainly included design and development work.

On our platform, we can collect and import rent-to-own contracts through various methods, search and find contracts, create new ones, and create user login credentials. To use this portal, users first go to its URL online, where they see a login screen to type their email and password.

Once logged in, users can access several different functions available to generate a new contract, process a sale order, and invoice us. Additionally, they can communicate directly with our accountants or our retrievals team to talk about their sales or other needs through this portal.

What is the team composition?

RoleModel Software has a very extensive team, including software developers and designers. Throughout our engagement, we’ve worked with around five people from their team, including John (Software Craftsperson), Logan (Software Engineer), and Caleb (CEO).

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

Our president is in another group. RoleModel Softwarewas recommended through that group during one of their meetings because they had previously developed a software portal for them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since April 2021. Our relationship has been on and off; we constantly go to RoleModel Software for new software iterations or implementations as we move forward. Still, we have ongoing communication with them. For example, whenever we have questions about design, we can get on a call, where they show us some design examples.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve been reaching out to our different vendors, dealers, and manufacturers to set them up on the portal, and we’ve received great feedback. The software is very easy to use and has a lot of good options for them. Thus, people seem to enjoy its features and functionality.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

RoleModel Software’s project management has been superb, so we have no complaints in that regard. They’re very quick to respond whenever we have questions. Additionally, whenever we find bugs or issues, they’re quick to jump on those and solve them immediately.

RoleModel Software’s communication is also great. I meet regularly with them over Zoom calls, during which they show me what they’re developing to get our feedback. Thus, anything that they produce is tested and approved by us. In addition to Zoom, we use Slack to communicate and Trello to manage the project. I have access to a Trello board to follow their progress, and I can ask them quick questions over Slack. Moreover, we use email to share documentation.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RoleModel Software’s most impressive qualities have been their communication and their ability to run with an idea. We’ve told them every detail about our business and how we do things. Based on this, they’ve been able to develop a platform that every individual in our office can use to make their job easier, so it has been great to see RoleModel Software bring this software piece to life. Moreover, they’re great at generating new ideas and creating whole models from what we describe to them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although RoleModel Software has been very upfront about what they need from us the entire time, they could have stressed more that we need to test the software more. Other than that, I have no constructive feedback — we’ve learned a lot from each other.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know and understand exactly how your organization operates so that you can explain your needs to RoleModel Software in an understandable way. Communication is key, so knowing how to communicate is very important.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of a company that builds and repairs boat docks in Lake Granbury, Texas.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We hired RoleModel for their software development services. Previously, our sales, design, and pricing estimates were made on pen and paper. It was old school and time-consuming. We needed software to change this. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Once we signed off on the engagement, RoleModel flew several teammates to our location. For about a day, we showed them all of our job sites and the way we built things, along with the challenges we face. They saw what we had to deal with, so they had a better idea of how they could help us. From there, they built the software from scratch. 

In terms of features, we could use the software on an iPad whenever we met clients that needed us to build boat docks. We used the software to design boat docks in front of the clients. The estimated price tag would appear along with the design. 

Moreover, we could send links to the design via email. We could change these designs on the fly, and clients simply needed to refresh their pages to update the render. They could then tell us if they liked the design. 

Further, the software was algorithmically written, which meant that it followed engineering rules when designing a boat dock. It allowed us to modify the design as long as the changes were within those rules. 

What is the team composition?

We worked with 4–5 teammates from RoleModel, including Curtis (Product Manager) and Malachi (Software Developer). 

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

I found RoleModel through Google. No one else was offering the same services as they did. No other team had experience in building boat docks, whereas RoleModel had built a few docks before. As a result, they earned my confidence. On top of that, they allowed me to make the payment via an installment agreement, which made it easier for us to hire them even with the large sum of money required. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000. This was the upfront cost of the software. However, we’ll also pay them royalties based on our revenue from the projects built using the software. 

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from August–December 2022. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

RoleModel created a piece of software that allowed us to build a 3D boat dock model with a price estimate, materials list, and blueprints within a few minutes right in front of the client. Because of this, we could give customers estimates without spending days or weeks as we did in the past. 

Many of our customers reacted to this well, and nobody else did anything like this. As a result, we emerged as a market leader in our business — we were able to charge premium prices and were booked for months. Since I was no longer spending too much time building designs and blueprints, I could spend my time on-site and check if the builders were building the docks properly. Simply put, the product helped us reduce errors drastically. 

Overall, we operated more efficiently because of the software and acquired better customers. It improved everything.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

RoleModel’s project management was incredible. They were truly organized. To manage the project, they used Trello. 

During the development process, we had Zoom calls every day and sent emails. It was a back-and-forth process, and they updated me on every challenge or bug they found. I didn’t simply write a check and wait for them to work — I was truly involved in the process. It was stressful at the time, but when the project was completed, we felt great. 

Moreover, RoleModel worked with me and my budget. Their services weren’t cheap, but we worked out an installment agreement. This made the transition a lot easier for us. I couldn’t have done the project without this arrangement. Overall, working with the RoleModel team was great. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was pleased with the fact that they could work remotely and still achieve something impressive. What they’d built for my industry was powerful. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I didn’t expect to spend so much time on the project. Having 30-minute phone calls daily didn’t sound bad initially, but I was exhausted after a few weeks. As a result, RoleModel should have a better way of communicating that to their clients. They must tell their customers that they’ll be bugging them a lot. In other words, RoleModel should ensure their client understands how much time they must dedicate to guiding the software team. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

As long as you guide RoleModel properly toward your goals and articulate your challenges and how you want to deal with them, they can build something powerful for you. You can’t simply write a check, walk away, and expect the software to be built for you — you must guide them. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Falcon Railings is the premier installer and manufacturer of glass railings for the SE US. I am the Director of Sales

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire RoleModel Software, and what were your goals?

We needed a quick and effective way to quote and provide a 3d representation of what our system looked like in the customers space to ensure a larger job conversion rate.

SOLUTION

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

I received a message on linkedin and started the process of understanding what they could do for us. We quickly got to know one another and found that what they provided was a perfect fit for what we needed. They were personable and understanding of our needs and wants and they provided an affordable payment structure and detailed plans on how they could accomplish our goals.

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

We started with a discovery process where they came to our facility and went through our railing systems and parts and we spent everyday for about 4 months on zoom calls with their designers until we had a workable product.

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

There were 5 people involved in our process ranging from developers, sales, and the owner of the company.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Outcomes are that we are able to do quotes faster and more efficiently. This resulted in a near 50% growth of our sales.

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

Great

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

They built software that was directly OUR system. They modeled it to look exactly like it would look after completion to our specs and designs

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

The quality of work was great, and we were very happy with them all around.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of operations for a cloud-based training and SaaS organization. We train individuals that might go to cloud-based solutions. Since cloud software updates frequently, we provide customized online training for organizations, continuously updating those solutions. We have a software called Learn, which stores the clients’ customized training.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We needed help to build our platform and create a new UX using Learn. We had software developers in-house, but we didn’t have the bandwidth or capabilities for software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

RoleModel Software has built the platform from the ground up. They’ve used Ruby on Rails, Heroku, Azure, CSS, HTML, GitHub, and more. We had previous interface versions, and they’ve built many features and functions into this new version. For example, clients can customize their information libraries based on their needs or what they’ve purchased. We can provide extreme user management based on our types of licenses. Also, we have welcome messaging and all kinds of email generation coming out of the system. RoleModel Software has built learning paths, assignments, and application support, which is an evolution of what we’ve done in the past.

Additionally, they’ve helped us train our software developers in the various languages they’ve built the tools in. They also provide ticket support for the system when we require an advanced level of knowledge.

What is the team composition?

We’ve had people coming in and out. We work with Caleb (CEO) and Roy (COO). Jonathan (Business Administration Manager) helps Roy with business management, and Tim (Sr. Software Craftsman) works with other programmers depending on their skill set.

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

It was an accident. We were talking to an organization that deployed entrepreneurial operating systems, and we told an iOS consultant that we were trying to put up a new version of Learn, so he recommended RoleModel Software.

We talked to many other software houses in the Czech Republic, India, and all over the world, trying to figure out who could help us build this, but we hit a lot of dead ends. Often, vendors wanted to retrofit us into a learning management system instead of making it from scratch. We brought RoleModel Software to talk, and they were willing to work with us to build it from scratch.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent close to $800,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began our conversations in May 2020, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We reached the MVP on time. We anticipate launching the new version in December 2021, and they met our expectations. Also, we had multiple iterations in the spring of this year. Overall, the team has made sure to reach all deliverables and requirements.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always on budget. As a matter of fact, we’ve gotten into a rhythm where they can give us information each month so we can cross-reference what we’re spending and make sure the bills are right.

On the other hand, we run agile software development, which means scrum. When we’re in an active iteration, we do daily stand-ups. All our team is part of it, and they keep us involved. We can make judgment calls and on-the-fly decisions if they need us to. Also, we have a great working relationship with their scrum masters, just in case something comes up during the iterations. Nonetheless, we always do a retrospective after an iteration, which means we do a team review on how we think the iteration went.

We usually use Trello for project management and GitHub to keep our code. For communication, they’re on Slack, and we’re on Teams. They’ve added us to their Slack, and we do Zoom or Teams calls depending on who’s in charge of the meeting.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They really listen to us, so we’re not afraid to tell them what we’re trying to do. Software houses often push you toward something that’s easier for them to configure, and RoleModel Software doesn’t do that. They aren’t scared of the unknown — on the contrary, they’re curious. They’ve come up with multiple ways to solve our problems.

Also, they’ve become a partner to our team, so we don't have to go through hoops to communicate or say what we think in an open environment. Sometimes project teams feel they’re done when they deliver, but they’re never done. They still give us recommendations and advice on what we might want to do. Overall, they care about our process and are very customer-oriented.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We have to cross-reference the billings, so they’re working with us to categorize how much is spent and where because our finance department wants it. If they could get into a rhythm where they provide that for all clients, I’m sure everybody would be happy. 

Also, they need to staff up. They’re starting to grow, so they’ll need more people. However, we always struggle to get resources, so we get them because we have the same problem.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be willing to communicate in multiple ways and be open and honest about what you’re trying to do. If you hold back, they won’t be able to solve all your requirements. Tell them your desired outcomes; they’ll give you options and their opinion. Although it might be scary, they’re willing to work with you to support you.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the president of a Christian leadership organization.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We were using a learning management software that we’d chosen from a number of different options, but we were still finding some things to be very difficult. The app version had a very low rating on the App store.

We decided if we were targeting millennials and Gen Z, we needed a strong mobile solution. RoleModel helped us with develop the app.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We mapped out what we needed the app to do and then RoleModel started development. The app is only for iOS, as only 7% of our users have Android devices. Our website is compatible on Android mobile devices, however.

Soon, their team is going to be adding additional features, like gamification capabilities and interactive functionality. In the future, they’ll create the Android version as well.

What is the team composition?

We’ve worked with a number of different technicians. Our main developer and point of contact is Mark. Scott did the graphics, and we also interacted with Caleb (CEO). We met with Caleb initially and talked with him about the project. Roy (COO) handles our contract and agreements.

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

We wanted to find a local company so that we could have a personal connection with them. They were like minded and had experience with our type of product.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $400,000 so far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since June 2021, and the app went live in February 2022. The project is currently in maintenance mode.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

There haven’t been any crashes so far. We ran a test group for one month involving 15 students, and several bugs turned up. Those were addressed before we moved our students into the app. There’s only been one small issue since launch, and we fixed it quickly.

We don’t have any quantitative metrics, as the app launched only last month, but all of our students are using the app and enjoying it. They love it.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We met every business day throughout all eight iterations of the development. These meetings lasted for around 10 minutes.

They were pretty close to hitting their timeline estimate. We mapped the project out to the day, and they were able to do it. Trello and Slack help us collaborate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They understood what I was asking them to do and could envision it because they’d done learning management system work before and had worked in education. I didn’t have to be too verbose in painting pictures for them because they knew where I was going. They took the data I gave them and were able to create what I was seeing. If there were some things I wasn’t clear on, they would let me know how it would typically work and paint their own picture.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I was just talking with their CEO about this yesterday, but they could be better about communicating what the cost and time is that something will take to fix. It’s not like they underperformed on that, but it’s always good to over-communicate those items.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would highly suggest meeting in person. We’ve done 3–4 times throughout the project. Anyone who’s interested needs to meet with them, as there’s something extra you get when you meet someone in person.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the general manager of Omega Industrial Safety. We provide industrial asset safety and protection products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We were purchased by a larger company and our owner, who is the inventor of the product, is retiring. As such, we needed to extract 34 years of tribal knowledge and put it into a form that could easily be defined and accepted as well as consistent with new employees as we hire them. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After initial conversations to decide on the path that we would take, Ken (Chief Product Officer & Founder) and his team visited us on-site to go through a discovery process. They looked at our products and talked to the people who manufactured the product, asking a lot of open-ended probing questions to rule out why we did things the way we did them. 

After that phase, they went into setting up a Trello board with all of the issues we had laid out. There, we set up a pathway and a prioritization list of which we would get done first. RoleModel then developed the product and got it to a point where we could begin beta testing and work out bugs. 

We’re continuing the development with them and are now in the third phase of the project. Their team uses LightningCAD to develop a 2D bird’s eye view that switches to 3D. We’re almost at a point where we’re ready to roll out the product to other business outs.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with Ken and two developers. 

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

They were referred by our group director of marketing.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve now spent $75,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with RoleModel in December 2021, and our partnership is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The product has not been completed yet, but RoleModel has set up a good structure where we could keep track of the progress of the development. We’ve been able to watch as their developer and designer went through different iterations of integrating the product into our software. Now that the product is integrated, we can actually go in and test it ourselves.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’ve managed the project flawlessly from presentation to execution. The whole team has done a phenomenal job of understanding our company, scoping the work and identifying key points, and eventually implementing the solution. 

Apart from Trello, we also use Teams. Sometimes, during meetings, they recognize issues before we see them, bring them to our attention, and immediately start to address the problem. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’m impressed with how they conducted the discovery phase in person. They came out to meet us and talk to our people, whereas other providers would simply do it over the phone. I didn’t expect them to do that, much less bring their entire team with them, and I liked that they sat across from us as it made for better dialog. That really set them above and beyond other providers.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing that we’ve come across so far. They’ve been an absolute pleasure and joy to work with. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Go into it with an open mind. You may have a preconceived thought of how your product actually works, but be open to whatever comes from your discussions with RoleModel.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior product manager for an international nonprofit organization and manage our team's technology solutions and development partner relationships. Our team manages a global volunteer base working across eight languages in nine countries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We were on our fourth version of an internally built platform to manage our volunteer base. Unfortunately, this platform was only working across two of our eight languages and had limited flexibility. We engaged RoleModel to build us a custom software platform after a thorough evaluation of many off-the-shelf solutions and various custom software development companies.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

To jumpstart the project, we put together a requirements document and gave it to RoleModel to let them know what we were hoping to achieve. Then, they started working on the platform. The team mainly focused on development, but they also brought in a couple of UX designers and facilitated the design process with our team. 

At present, we continue to engage with them for additional iteration-focused development on top of their ongoing support for the platform. 

For more background, one of the platform’s main features is multilingual and multi-regional support. As a result, the entire UI of the platform has been built to be fully translatable across any language including RTL languages. The platform also has customizable automations, which provide us the flexibility to visually configure the business logic occurring behind the scenes based on defined triggers.

What is the team composition?

We've worked with 10 members of the RoleModel team throughout the project. The active project team ranged from 5-7 team members and others where pulled in when needed. The core team consisted of a project manager, a lead software craftsman, developers, and UI/UX designers.

How did you come to work with  RoleModel Software?

I met RoleModel’s CEO at a technology conference. We reached out to them after evaluating several custom software development groups and receiving a competitor's quote that was more than double the cost. The competitor’s quote was also for modifications to an existing system, while RoleModel’s proposal allowed us to build a fully customized platform from the ground up. As a result, we decided to hire RoleModel.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $400,000 on the initial build of the platform.

What is the status of this engagement?

The primary development phase of the platform lasted from October 2020 through May 2021. We are also engaging RoleModel on an additional development iteration to build out specific features above and beyond the continued support they are providing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

For the first time, we have all of our volunteers across eight languages in nine countries on a single platform. With this new platform, we are able to build customized reports that give us visibility on data that we haven't previously been able to see.

Based on the configurability of the automations and the reports within the platform, we estimate that the platform will save our team hundreds of man-hours per week. On top of that, the built-in customization of the platform will let us expand our work more quickly than what would have been previously possible.

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

RoleModel’s project management skills and practices are superb. They’re always on time and organized, and they communicate clearly. In terms of tools, we use Trello to manage the project, and they use Slack for communication.

Moreover, they’ve done a wonderful job of ushering our team into the agile software development process. Their team leads our two-week iterations with daily stand-ups, bi-weekly demos of the working software, and regular retrospectives. Overall, these practices have given us full confidence that the RoleModel team always works on our highest-priority tasks.

What did you find most impressive about them?

RoleModel is committed to continually learning and improving. Because of this and their valuable retrospective practices, any areas for improvement (and there were very few) were transparently raised to the team's awareness and improved upon throughout the project. They continue to be one of our most valued development partners.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. That’s because RoleModel is committed to continuous learning and improvement. Because of their retrospective practices, any areas of improvement we’ve seen throughout the project have been raised to the team’s awareness and improved upon quickly. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To maximize your project's success, ensure that you have a dedicated project manager internally to work with their team and that the necessary internal stakeholders are involved to make decisions and test solutions promptly. Their development team works rapidly and quickly navigates around any blocked tasks. As a result, delays in product decisions or internal dependencies will be the primary delayers of progress.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of technology and services for C12, a peer advisory group for CEOs and business owners. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with RoleModel Software?

We had been using four separate systems to run our franchise organization, and we needed to build proprietary software to narrow the number down. Initially, we engaged a different company, but they failed when they tried to customize off-the-shelf software for us. Ultimately, we walked away with nothing except user stories. As a result, we reached out to RoleModel to build the platform for us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

In the beginning, we used the user stories we collected from the previous developer and gave them to RoleModel. The team then built the system using Ruby on Rails to help us calculate and collect revenue data. The system also helped us maintain a community for both our franchise owners and end customers. On top of that, it had a meeting management feature. The team then connected that system to a CRM. 

The software has recently been launched to franchise owners and members. However, we continue to work with RoleModel to further develop the platform and make changes to it.

What is the team composition?

Around 6–8 people have been assigned to the development process. The team consists of a lead craftsman, an assistant lead, and two developers and designers. 

How did you come to work with RoleModel Software?

I worked with Caleb (CEO) in the past at a different company, and I contacted him for this project. We started talking and then formalized the engagement to build the software. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around $220,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The official engagement started in March 2021, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve successfully launched the software to 120 franchise owners in June 2021 and then to all of our 3,000 members in August 2021. We haven’t tracked any specific success metrics, but we’ve accomplished a little more than our original scope of launch. Overall, we’ve had great customer satisfaction. 

How did RoleModel Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re strong in terms of project management. Our primary communication is through Slack. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

RoleModel works closely with us as they develop the software at a rapid pace. Our team has had a branding refresh to avoid doing the software design twice, and we’ve used that to push their team to produce software quickly. They’ve done an amazing job at that, and the experience has been great. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

One area of improvement for them involves coaching clients around change management. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Lean in and connect with the RoleModel team. They have great members that are truly a joy to work with; they’re high-quality people.