What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We're very pleased with their quality of work. I’m especially attentive when we deploy client-facing items. It’s important to make sure that everything works well and we're not getting any negative feedback. We did run into a couple of small issues but SmartLogic was able to quickly resolve those issues. Other than that, everything worked fine.
We could trust SmartLogic to be honest when they said the item was ready for us to review or release. I've worked with teams in the past who deliver something that works only in the bare minimum sense. When SmartLogic delivers, it’s actually ready to go. We’d have feedback on some small things but they’d figured out 95% of what’s needed. They know how to handle complicated technical tasks such as importing data and figuring out how to get the user to progressively categorize it. They did a great job delivering wireframes and figuring out all the connected pieces and did it in the established timeline.
How did SmartLogic perform from a project management standpoint?
SmartLogic did a great job. We did our homework and gave them detailed specifications on what needed to get done. Once we figured out the objectives from our side, they took over the projects from there. They did a really good job at not just the development work but actually managing the projects as well. It very much felt as if they owned the projects. They let us know what they needed from us. The most limited resource I have is my time. It was really nice from my perspective to have their own project management. That's one less thing for me to worry about.
They were pretty rigorous with their meeting schedule. We would do a daily standup meeting and a weekly iteration meeting. We were in contact with them over Slack and they also had us in their backlog. Depending on how big the issue was, SmartLogic would either address it in the daily standup meeting or ask if we could do a quick call to discuss. We were in constant communication. There weren't any surprises throughout the process, which was great.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The way take ownership of the project management was impressive. We didn't feel as if we were constantly pushing them to provide updates for you. We just went through a product launch with another firm who was lackadaisical about what we needed to do before the launch date. That wouldn't have happened if we're working with SmartLogic. They’re much more methodical. Their quality of work also stands out. They thought about all the different components and deliver a product that we can be proud of.
Are there any areas they could improve?
Getting our projects on their schedule is the only thing they could address. They were clear that they couldn't get the LastPass importer started until November, but I would have liked to have done it in October. Maybe that's on us for not reaching out to them earlier. It wound up working fine in the end but it was a little bit stressful at first. Everything was great once we actually got locked in and committed to a date.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
With any software project, the more you have clear in your own mind the better the project is going to be for them. SmartLogic is able to push to make sure that you've thought about the objectives upfront. The good thing about them is that they will deliver on exactly what you ask for. However, if you've made a bunch of assumptions about what your customers want, they're going to deliver the wrong thing and you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.
The new features meet the needs of the end users and the in-house team is impressed with SmartLogic’s collaborative approach and commitment. Highly proactive, SmartLogic brings valuable ideas to the table, while their superb project management makes them easy to work with.