SingleMind

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

We wanted a working demo with some functionality by the new year, and the product successfully made sound by Christmas. Within two and a half months, we could hear it was going to work. The initial set of work was set out in an extremely concentrated way which was great.

The first phase is being used as a demo, but we're refining and extending the technology. Currently, it's on hold as we wait for funding to come in. I intend to continue working with SingleMind for a significant amount of time.

During the first three demos, the person turned around and said they had goosebumps. Anyone using the demo should have goosebumps. SingleMind continues to exceed any measurable metric we give them.

How did SingleMind perform from a project management standpoint?

Their performance is exemplary. The lines of communication are always clear, and they are extremely responsive. No one has ever turned around and said they couldn't do something. They always come back with a solution, cost, schedule, and clear breakdown of the work involved. All I need is transparency and clarity about information and deadlines, and they've hit everything.

Their project management is personal, and I don't feel like they're working on anything else. I have their full attention when I need it. I have all the information I need about what they do, where they are, and what it costs.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They've gone far beyond the brief, and put in more energy and imagination than the budget would normally command. They've assured us that our project is great. In a way, they've become partners rather than contractors. I wasn’t expecting that, but it has been one of the best things.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

To get the most from them, take them information about what you want to achieve rather than how you expect they'll do it. The reason we work so well together is because I told them which results I was looking for and what I was going to put into it. They're great at envisioning the complex connection between those two things. They were hungry for the diagrams and technical information, and they understand the effect that we want this to have.

The other thing that helps it work is the fact that I'm prepared to spend face-to-face time with them mapping it out. That helps everyone understand what we want and how we're going to achieve it. We don't get frustrated because we know exactly who they are. We've seen them work, which is important for us. It was great to spend time hacking out ideas and ensuring they would work.

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

The first year after we opened the new website, our online sales increased 45%. People can find what they’re looking for. I’m always surprised at what people actually end up buying — the search and browse function is clearly working properly if people are able to find the more esoteric pieces they order. The website was very well received compared to our previous site that completely lacked a search function. We’re really happy with it.

How did Single Mind perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed exceptionally well, especially with them being on the West Coast. Their response time is very quick. I’m always amazed. We do things at lots of different times. Sometimes when we have to do scheduled maintenance, we’ll do it around midnight on the East Coast, which means they’re still starting it at 9:00 pm their time. I know they’re not actually a 24-hour shop, but I feel covered 24 hours a day.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They don’t nickel and dime us. They give me very honest answers. I don’t feel like they’re constantly trying to upsell me on doing certain things. Since it has been about five years, in the next year or so we’re going to have to make the investment again to build a new site. They’re going to be on the list of people who I want to submit a proposal. I’ve talked to them a lot about it and they have offered to do research for me regarding a new site’s path. 

I value their honesty most. They give realistic answers. I’ve been talking about moving off of Drupal onto another platform and they’ve been honest that it’s not their expertise but they’re willing to take a look and see what we’re doing. 

It’s been a very good, open, honest relationship. At times where they do have to bill for certain things, it’s very upfront. I understand what’s happening. Overall, there is good communication and honesty. I’ve really been satisfied with our relationship with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The only issue is because they are based in Portland, sometimes if I’m at work early in the morning and I see something is wrong, it might take them a couple of hours to get back to me. They’re actually really good at being on our time. I can usually get a response by 6:00 or 7:00 am on the West Coast.

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

One of the products we worked with them on was a three-year development product. That project was really great for us because we have a long term engagement with the client.

The fact that we keep going back to them also says something. We typically don’t work with vendors that don’t deliver and have success with, and we’ve continued to have success with Single Mind Consulting. The reliability and stability of the solutions they provide are solid. Every development project has hiccups and hitches, but they are usually related to either shifts and requirements from the customer or just unclear things that we may have missed for educations and designs. Everything has been great with Single Mind.

How did Single Mind Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re great. Sometimes we were running them from our Scrum; our project management and Agile framework, and sometimes they’re doing it on their end. The way we work with them is flexible. They’re amenable to utilizing either our or their project management styles, and we typically use Jira and Pivotal.

What distinguishes Single Mind Consulting from other providers?

Their CEO has a lot of candor, and we work really well together as executives. I really appreciate his honesty and just his ability to adapt and work with us as projects change. It’s hard to be a subcontractor of a contractor, so we really appreciate their flexibility in working with us. When we bring them onto projects, we do great work and can be flexible with one another to get the right solution done.

Is there anything Single Mind Consulting could have improved or done differently?

Nothing that’s relevant now. We’ve been working with them so long that every issue in the past has been addressed.

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

I like the way Single Mind handles the business. They know what they’re doing, they’re very intelligent, they have a lot of experience and they cared about us. We would have conversations, write up statements of work, make sure we understood what the issue was. They were always there to handle problems on a weekend or at night. They were responsive, attentive, and just nice people to deal with.

I don’t have specific metrics. Being a salesperson, I’m concerned with whether it works, if my customers have complaints, and whether there are problems. That’s how I gauge if it works. A lot of people use our invitations; they’re very popular. The fact is, our product is running today faster and better than it has in years. Single Mind kept it going for many years, and that’s a sign of success to me.

We haven’t had any problems in quite some time, but there were periods of time when we did, such as the memory leakage issue. The system would run so slowly, it would take minutes to change a page. Those problems have been addressed by Cort and our hosting partners.

How did Single Mind Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well. They really don’t do anything until they have a defined statement of work. We sit down and talk about our goals, timelines, and what we expect this thing to do when it’s done. Once they go through that analysis, they assign somebody to the team who works on it. We have regular meetings to check in on the progress. I thought that was a good skill. I had no problems with the timeliness of their work. We used Basecamp, and that was very handy. We could get on there with the engineers and Cort when we had a problem or an update. We had good tools for team collaboration.

What did you find most impressive about Single Mind Consulting?

In a world where there are lots of engineers, it’s really the personalities of the people you work with, who understand what you’re trying to do and share interest in helping you achieve your goals. I’ve been through countless difficulties with a variety of engineering companies. If you don’t find the right one, and you have conflict about some basic stuff, it really gets in the way of achieving your objectives. I never had any problems with Cort and his team. Calls were always made and emails returned. I was never chasing them for information. They were on top of things and always gave me information, or at least they had updates when I called.

Are there any areas Single Mind Consulting could improve?

No. It’s very complex stuff. It’s like creating a painting; you don’t know how it’s going to turn out until you see it. Not being a technology guy myself, I had to have confidence that the team I worked with picked the right tools, all the things that go into the mix. I left that up to them, and I thought they gave good advice.