Six Feet Up, Inc.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the founder of FLASH Scientific Technologies. At FLASH, we develop cutting edge algorithms and technology to pair with emerging datasets and elastic computing to solve complex problems and give weather insights never thought possible, including accurate lightning strike predictions.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Six Feet Up, Inc., and what were your goals?

When we came to Six Feet Up, we had a proprietary algorithm and an idea that would allow us to predict lightning strikes. We needed an application that could pull, read and process the data — from sources including weather radars and location-specific information like altitude, moisture, wind direction and temperature — both quickly and accurately.

In just a few months, Six Feet Up was able to take our idea from a Jupyter Notebook to production ready and cloud native. They helped us optimize the Python code structure, build an API with Django, and deploy the serverless and scalable application using AWS Lambda and AWS Fargate.

SOLUTION

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

One of Six Feet Up’s former clients recommended I reach out to them. After talking with them a bit, I was very impressed by their approach. It was much more personal than business-to-business. Calvin and Gabrielle knew what they had to offer — and they knew which developers would be best to solve our problem. With Six Feet Up, we were able to hit the ground running compared to the other software firms we were looking at at the time.

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

Working with our lead engineer, Will Howard, Six Feet Up developers optimized the existing Python code for the application. They then created an API that could communicate data from the algorithm to a Django application deployed using AWS Lambda and AWS Fargate. Two keys to the success of this project were validating and measuring the accuracy of the lightning strike predictions, and keeping the algorithm separate so that it could still be optimized by meteorologists without disrupting data collection. Six Feet Up managed all of this beautifully.

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

We worked closely with Calvin and Gabrielle, Six Feet Up’s founders, and Carol helped manage the project. Two of their developers, Peter and Glenn, were also very involved in making this project a success.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Six Feet Up’s expertise in intelligently accessing data in different ways (AWS Lamba vs. AWS Fargate) led to a reduction in cost for the project. It’s not just about creating programs; it’s about creating new efficient programs that cut your long-term costs. And on top of that, we have a working product that generates accurate lightning strike predictions with 99.6% accuracy.

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

Six Feet Up has a very good management style, and I really like that it’s all inclusive. They ask you what you want, and they are very clear about deliverables. They tell you what they can do, how many people they have to do it, and what they can provide. We are very appreciative of is the upfront pricing. There are no surprises, and we very much welcome that style of management.

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

The vast knowledge base that each employee has is very impressive. Everyone has different specialties, but when you work with Six Feet Up, you know you’re going to get what you need — and they’re going to bring ideas and solutions you hadn’t thought of. They’re going to challenge you a bit, but in good ways that will help improve the product.

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

Like everyone, we always want more. If there was anything to improve, it would be having constant access to their software engineers.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the CIO at a transportation and logistics company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Six Feet Up, Inc., and what were your goals?

I’ve worked with Six Feet Up on a variety of projects both at my current job and with my former employer. Most notably, Six Feet Up helped my team complete a significant Django upgrade (1.x to 2.0) and helped navigate the upgrade to Python 3.

SOLUTION

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

I was very intentional in hiring Six Feet Up. I wanted to work with the best consulting group that I could find, and I narrowed my search down to two companies. I decided to go with Six Feet Up for several reasons including:

Six Feet Up is not only a great Django shop, but the company also specializes in Plone; Six Feet Up has established a leadership role in the tech world; and Six Feet Up is innovative and the company is constantly expanding its capabilities.

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

One of the most notable projects Six Feet Up and I worked together on was helping my company modernize its Django environment. Calvin Hendryx-Parker, Six Feet Up’s CTO, came to our office to host a workshop and developed a white paper that actuated two generations of work.

The white paper gave my team the action items required to complete the upgrade independently. My development team made mistakes while completing the upgrade, but Six Feet Up shared regular, strategic advice which helped us carefully plan and sucessfully execute the upgrade.

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

Over the years, I’ve worked with several people at Six Feet Up. Everyone I’ve worked with is different, but each person is professional, committed and passionate. Specifically, I’ve worked with Calvin (CTO), Gabrielle (CEO), Carol (VP of Sales), Chrissy (Senior Developer), Rob (Senior Developer) and Caleb (Developer).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Six Feet Up delivers expert work with virtually no errors, and they don’t cut corners. I’ve worked with Six Feet Up on a variety of projects for more than 8 years, and I’ve never had them deliver a project that failed. Six Feet Up is the best in the business.

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

The team at Six Feet Up is great about sharing regular project updates and keeping the client in the loop regarding timelines and deliverables. I also really appreciate how Six Feet Up estimates project costs. For one project, it was going to be too costly for me to hire Six Feet Up.

We mutually agreed that I would be better off using a different vendor with a more junior staff, and Six Feet Up shared lower-cost alternatives that wouldn’t benefit them financially. The team’s honesty and professionalism are the reasons I keep going back to Six Feet Up, Inc.

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

I really like the people at Six Feet Up. Their expertise and quality of work is exceptional. While many organizations have committed and passionate employees, at Six Feet Up, it’s by design. Calvin and Gabrielle are intentional about building their company in a certain way. In fact, they use personality/skill matching, and they are committed to that.

Additionally, Calvin is very involved in the tech and open source communities, and he regularly shares his insight. In fact, Calvin established a group of CTOs and CIOs — called TechX — that meets regularly to discuss the latest trends and best practices. Being a part of that group is a great perk!

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

I really have not real complaints about SFU.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I’m the engineering manager at a data analytics company. We built and manage a proprietary wholesale management platform.  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Six Feet Up, Inc., and what were your goals?

My company built a leading wholesale management platform that needs to be continuously optimized for speed and ease of use. Some of our projects have ambiguity, and we don't have a lot of like-defined tickets for people to work through. The Six Feet Up team was able to think outside of the box, embed themselves with our team, and help figure out the best solution. 

SOLUTION

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

The reasons we went with Six Feet Up are three-fold.

• First — the immediacy of the project. Six Feet Up was able to put three engineers in front of us very quickly. We met the developers and onboarded them quickly, which was a priority for this project.
• Second — the price. Six Feet Up’s hourly rate was reasonable, and the expense was within our budget.
• Third — the experience and seniority of the developers. Six Feet Up’s developers have unique skill sets, are self-starters and are very experienced, both with our tech stack but across the tech industry. 

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

We needed expert developers who could be onboarded and start working with a complicated tech stack quickly. Specifically, the backend of the platform is developed in Python using Django as the framework, and it uses a PostgreSQL database. In front of Django, the platform has a GraphQL server which communicates with Python using gRPC. The GraphQL server uses Apollo. A Kubernetes pipeline, combined with Jenkins, allows developers to merge and release new features into production the same day they are created.

On the frontend, the company uses React and TypeScript. The speed at which Six Feet Up’s team onboarded was an immediate testament to their experience and skill. Once onboarded, the team helped identify performance problems and implement solutions; optimize the platform’s backend and frontend; and develop new and update existing features. 

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

I have regular feedback loops with:

• Carol (VP of Sales)

The developer team:

• Roché (Senior Developer)
• Anthony (Senior Developer)
• Shane (Senior Developer)
• Peter (Senior Developer)
• Robert (Senior Developer)
• Rob (Senior Developer)

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From identifying the root of performance problems, to refactoring the existing codebase, adding indexes, implementing caching, testing the user experience and sharing insights that will make the frontend more user-friendly, Six Feet Up developers have provided value that will continue to advance our platform to the next level of scalability. For example, one Six Feet Up-built feature was estimated to take two months to complete.

Roché was leading the charge on the implementation, and, using an out-of-the-box approach, he finished the project in just a couple of weeks. In short, he blew expectations out of the water. Additionally, the Six Feet Up team has improved the response time for some actions on the platform from four seconds to less than one second.

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

The Six Feet Up team shares daily progress reports, and Carol is regularly checking in to make sure we have everything we need. 

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

Six Feet Up developers are rock solid — they’re solid contributors.

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

Nope!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am a Global Protocol Specialist working for a large National Laboratory. Our programs conduct security training course globally.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Six Feet Up, Inc., and what were your goals?

Our department conducts approximately 800 training events both domestically and internationally. We needed a comprehensive system to handle registration and course material distribution globally.

We had been using Plone sites for function but would have to create a new site from scratch every time which was time consuming for our staff. We needed to update our platform and create a simple, user-friendly system for our staff.

SOLUTION

How did you select Six Feet Up, Inc. and what were the deciding factors?

Six Feet Up is one of the few companies that has extensive experience using and developing Plone Sites. We have a very unique set of requirements that are constantly changing and Six Feet Up has been able to handle our urgent changes and additions in a timely fashion, at reasonable cost, while meeting our customers deadlines.

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

We starting with a training course for 20 staff members and then moved into system development. We started with a joint three department project consisting of our main Multi-conference System and then added additional work for each department's individual customer's needs.

We then added additional projects for other departments as well. We have weekly meetings on our projects. Six Feet Up also provides us with monthly server maintenance which includes all updates to the Plone software on the updates and additions we request to the system.

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

Our Six Feet Up team consists of six personnel. We have two project managers and four systems architects/development programmers.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

With the upgrades and additions to our system we have been to streamline our processes, improve our services and product for our customers and bring in new work based on the improvements to our expanded system.

We are now providing our customers collaboration sites that make it easier for them to work together from anywhere on the global which is a direct result of the system improvements work we have done together.

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

We have weekly Zoom calls and use a shared drop-box to keep track of the many projects we have going. We have developed a good working relationship.

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

What is find most impressive is their ability to work with our constantly changing requirements and needs with ease. They are always available to help with any issue or problem quickly no matter what time of day it is.

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

We honestly can say that we have had no issues, concerns or problems with any of work that Six Feet Up has provided to us. They are a complete pleasure to work with.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m with the communications office of the Purdue University College of Engineering. Our responsibility is to maintain prints, designs, websites, emails, and anything that the college uses to market or communicate with its audiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Six Feet Up, Inc.?

We were looking to migrate our entire web space into a new CMS on the web. Our previous Python-based CMS, Zope, was getting extremely old, having been introduced in 2001. We could design and maintain websites, but we were running into some security concerns and modernization issues. We were no longer able to keep up with the latest trends due to Zope’s limitations. 

We contacted Six Feet Up to help us with the migration process because they had expertise in working with a more modern CMS and because our college has roughly 30,000 web pages, which was a lot for our small team of four to handle. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

By and large, most of the work and the initial discussions were done over virtual meetings but the discovery work was done in person. There were a few instances where their team traveled to meet with us and go over the parameters and specifications details of the migration project. 

Six Feet Up then helped us move into a new CMS called Plone, which is a much more modernized version of Zope. It was the most advantageous choice for us because Plone was also built on a Python-based language, like our old platform. It made more sense, from a cost standpoint, to keep the same language instead of completely switching to something like Drupal or WordPress. They set up the server so that the migration of the 30,000 webpages could begin.

What is the team composition?

I worked with around 5–6 people. Gabrielle (CEO & Co-Founder) was the lead point of contact. There was also her spouse, Calvin (CTO & Co-Founder). Carol (VP of Sales) was in charge of all project management, collecting information, and keeping things organized.

Chrissy (Senior Python Developer) was the lead developer in charge of our project and helped with a lot of the technical aspects. Kim (VP Engineering) worked on a lot of the server setup and cloud aspects of modernizing the college’s backend.

How did you come to work with Six Feet Up, Inc.?

At the time, we were looking around to see what options were available for us to update and modernize our CMS. One of my colleagues attended a conference for the Python programming language, where Six Feet Up was in attendance as a presenter. My colleague saw that they were experts and knew how Python is used in some of the different applications within the CMS we’re looking to move into. 

We began discussing the project with them, laying out the scope and the timelines. From there, they were able to come up with an estimate for us.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested under $350,000, with a $10,000 tolerance.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project officially ran between April 2018–June 2020. We had our final wrap-up just after COVID-19 really started to take hold.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We cannot yet determine how efficiently we’re able to move some of our sites from the old framework to the new one as we’ve just started that process and are still getting our feet under us. It’s taken us a long time to move our sites over, and this is still ongoing so it’s hard to give anything specific at the moment. However, we’re very happy and couldn’t have been more pleased with their work.

Our team was very complimentary of everything we've done with Six Feet Up. We've started with additional projects unrelated to this one just because we enjoy working with them so much. It was a very positive experience.

How did Six Feet Up, Inc. perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly meetings where we went over the state of the work and any difficulties we were running into. They had very detailed checklists and were always prepared; we never caught them off guard on anything. Anytime we had a question, they were ready with an answer, even during the early discovery and estimation process. They just blew me away with how well they conveyed their process and expectations.

Anytime we had a request for support or needed more detail, they were right on top of it, every step of the way. They were extremely responsive and when we had a question or ran into an issue, Six Feet Up made themselves extremely available to support us. They responded to emails within a day — within minutes, in most cases, and at all hours.

They didn’t bill us for anything that they didn’t consider to be part of the original scope. They simply fixed issues to ensure that it worked the way we expected it to. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were a very progressive, entrepreneurial-minded startup and were on the leading edge of efficiency, making sure that the time they spent with us was maximized in every way.

Their expertise was impressive. They didn’t just peddle knowledge; they showed that they were passionate about it from the get-go. They always approached any task with enthusiasm and optimism, which we found contagious and made us extremely excited to work with them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is more on our team than theirs but they could have dug a little deeper during the discovery process and when figuring out the scope. We were asking them to put a quote together as fast as possible which perhaps led to some steps being missed. 

They would’ve come up with an estimate that was a little more on the nose had they asked more questions about some aspects of the project. Then again, that could probably be on us as we should have been ready to give them more information. They delivered above and beyond what we expected and everything was a pleasure. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re going to start a project with Six Feet Up, make sure all your ducks are in a row. They’re going to try their best to draw that out of you as they go but it’s always extremely helpful to have a clear idea of what it is you need upfront. You can always rely on them to provide advice on what they think is the best way to move forward, but you ought to know ahead of time what you're looking to do down to the most specific detail. It also helps them quote something closer to your budget.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the CEO of a Business Management Platform

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

All-in-one business management platform for coaches  

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Six Feet Up, Inc. to accomplish?

• Code review
• Fix an issue we were having with a third party API

SOLUTION

How did you find Six Feet Up, Inc.?

Referral

Why did you select Six Feet Up, Inc. over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Six Feet Up, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Improve performance of Cronofy, SES notifications and Stripe
Top priorities:
● #1 Investigate issues with scheduling tool - Cronofy
○ Cronofy implementation verification or core product issue
● #2 Investigate issues with Stripe promo codes not working as expected
○ Implementation issue with subscriptions and coach services. Affiliate and coach promo codes set up
● #3 AWS issues
○ Event Bridge Scheduler
○ Investigate SES notifications
● Capture additional issues as identified during evaluation

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Improved performance of scheduler

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

They are efficient, straightforward, and organized.

What was your primary form of communication with Six Feet Up, Inc.?

Virtual Meeting

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

Their culture, partnership, and positive attitude. Amazing team to work with, not only talented but kind hearted, understanding, and straight-forward. 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Six Feet Up, Inc. could have done differently?

No

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

 I am the Managing Director of a real estate company 

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Real Estate Consulting and Valuation

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Six Feet Up, Inc. to accomplish?

• Initially, our main goal was to secure and stabilize our internal Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The application — written using Python and Node.js and hosted on the Google Cloud Platform — handles contracts, evaluations, employee assignments, and other essential tasks:

1. Upgrade the core framework of the application
2. Implement testing for 85% of the application
3. Add new user-requested features
4. Fix existing bugs and handle other maintenance issues
5. Deploy all these updates to a production environment, ensuring a seamless transition

• After the upgrade, we transitioned to smaller, ad-hoc projects to meet our evolving business needs.

SOLUTION

How did you find Six Feet Up, Inc.?

Referral

Why did you select Six Feet Up, Inc. over others?

• Referred to me
• Technical Expertise

How many teammates from Six Feet Up, Inc. were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

The scope of work was multifaceted. Upon meeting Six Feet Up, it became apparent that the Six Feet Up team had the expertise to navigate, upgrade and maintain our EPR system — a complex app which had been built over years and sometimes lacked best practices and documentation. Six Feet Up provided development and deployment services — initially containerizing the application’s services, and then creating a repeatable Terraform deployment plan. 

This infrastructure improvement made it possible for us to have a failover environment and to test new features in staging environments. The Six Feet Up team also implemented features that address users’ needs and simplify the day-to-day management of the application. Key deliverables included: 

1. Core Framework Upgrade: Upgrade the Pyramid framework from version 1.7 to version 1.10. 2. 
2. Testing: Develop and implement tests to cover 85% of the application. 
3. New Features: Implement additional functionalities such as the ability for employees to add office locations and improve access control for Google Drive folders. 
4. Deployment Plan: Create and implement a repeatable Terraform deployment plan for rolling out these updates. 
5. Bug Fixes and Maintenance: Resolve existing bugs and maintenance issues in the application. 

Overall, I appreciate Six Feet Up’s adaptability in the scope of work. The team has been flexible in scaling up or down based on our budget constraints and needs, which has been extremely helpful.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It's hard to quantify, but Six Feet Up’s work in stabilizing and securing the backend has been invaluable. We have peace of mind knowing that we can recover quickly in case of a catastrophe. Additionally, Six Feet Up accomplished all of our goals and key objectives. They helped us not only improve the robustness and reliability of our application, but these improvements also ensure that we continue to have a competitive edge in our industry:

1. Framework Upgrade: Successfully upgraded to Pyramid version 1.10, ensuring we're working with the latest and most secure version of the framework. 
2. Coverage: Achieved an 85% test coverage, thereby minimizing the risks of undetected issues or bugs in the application. 
3. New Features: Successfully added features that allow employees to add office locations and improved access control mechanisms for Google Drive folders, thus enhancing user experience and productivity. 
4. Staging and Failover: Developed a failover environment and can now test new features in a staging environment before they go live. This has significantly reduced the risks associated with rolling out new features and updates. 
5. Operational Efficiency: Day-to-day management of the application has been simplified, making it easier for staff to focus on strategic tasks rather than getting bogged down by operational inefficiencies.

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

he project management has been effective with regular status updates, and the team is proactive in identifying changes in timelines. When Carol stepped in to re-resource the project, it was a game-changer in making sure we stayed on track. Overall, Six Feet Up has been excellent at bridging the gap between developer speak and our business needs. They ask the right questions and circle back quickly if they needs clarification, which I find extremely helpful.

What was your primary form of communication with Six Feet Up, Inc.?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

After interviewing and discussions with the team, it was evident that Six Feet Up had the necessary skill set to meet our requirements. Six Feet Up, Inc.’s level of communication and flexibility in scaling the support we needed really stands out to me. We recently moved to maintenance mode, which has been a business advantage for us. We couldn't achieve this level of flexibility with an in-house developer.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Six Feet Up, Inc. could have done differently?

Initially, it felt like progress was slow. However, Carol intervened to ensure the project was adequately resourced, which turned things around for us.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the CIO of a top 10 Accounting and Professional Services firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Six Feet Up, Inc.?

We needed help evaluating Plone to determine if it would meet our CMS needs.

SOLUTION

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

We searched online and worked our network of other professionals to find Six Feet Up. Stellar reputation. Highly regarded. Easy decision.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

They consulted with our Web and Solutions team to guide us through Plone and to answer all our questions. They helped us implement a test environment and held our hand through a series of dumb questions. Helped us from making unnecessary mistakes in our early stages.

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

We worked with two. Both very strong and know their craft!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Would definitely hire them again!

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Very effective.

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

We were amazed by the depth of their knowledge and expertise related to Python and Plone.

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

None.