Strategies 360

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder and CEO of a design and development studio. Today, we specialize in VR and AR, but have done a lot of web and mobile development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Strategies 360?

We were looking for a high-quality, affordable company to supplement our development resources. A client of ours needed the bar to be high and we wanted someone who could move quickly and work with us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve done a lot of web development for us, particularly backend development. Some of the more interesting projects included touchscreen design for a local commercial real estate center. We did the design work and they helped develop the capability. Another project included a student success link we designed and they developed. In that instance, we handed off visual assets to them and they did the backend web development. They’ve done a lot of WordPress work for us, but have worked in other technologies as well.

What is the team composition?

They have an outsource model. They have some project managers that separate our requirements and understand the specifics of what we’re trying to achieve. They manage a multi-resource offshore team.

How did you come to work with Strategies 360?

We’ve worked with their founder when they were still Upwards Technology. We hired them through our personal connection to him.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $50,000 and $100,000 with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in summer 2013 and still work together.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

From an anecdotal perspective, we saved money using a qualified offshore team. It’s difficult to find a team with the same quality we can find in North America. The cost savings are probably the biggest metric.

How did Strategies 360 perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re excellent, well-organized and very responsive to changes and incoming requests. They hit all their deadlines and we have no complaints about the work they produced. Their interface and communication were really great. We typically communicate through a combination of email and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They are great partners. Their ability to understand complex requirements and produce results with very little oversight is impressive. Their speed and the quality of their work is noteworthy, especially when it comes to web development. They’re responsive and act quickly whenever we have issues. They’re great at completing bug fixes or anything like that.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This is a minor issue, but it would be helpful to have a bit more transparency in their development strategy. Sometimes we were going blind in hopes they’d deliver what we signed up for. If we requested information, I’m sure they would provide it. It would be good for them to be more proactive and explain the development decisions they’re making.