What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
CD: We met our objectives. We finished the program smoothly and with the right level of scoping. We resolved the challenges faced by our front-office area conducting their business over email.
Streamliner Consulting had business, product, and processes knowledge and could translate all reengineering processes from layperson’s terms into technical language. They further converted it into development sprints for our other partner who helped us develop the platform. The team’s willingness to take on additional responsibilities—from requirements gathering to user testing—brought a lot of value to my colleague and me. It also enabled us to deliver the right product to the customer. We’d be open to working with Streamliner Consulting on future engagements.
How did Streamliner Consulting perform from a project management standpoint?
DS: Streamliner Consulting —and John in particular—has exhibited a great deal of dedication and urgency in completing deliverables. They have a high sense of customer relationship management. They keep the client in mind, and it’s ultimately up to us to implement the recommendations they make.
CD: John and Streamliner Consulting brought neutrality in some of the decisions we had to make. We have internal biases on how things should operate. However, their team helped us understand how to modify specific processes and why. Their insights came from their experience from similar-sized or larger engagements and their industry-level knowledge that we didn’t have in some cases.
What did you find most impressive about them?
CD: Streamliner Consulting’s work ethic, passion, and dedication stood out most. Whether it involved working weekends or late nights on new releases or testing, they never turned down a task. John even bridged his vacation with a visit to our London office to meet with many of the stakeholders. He engaged with the program on his personal time, and there was no charge to us for that.
DS: I’d also mention the tremendous depth of technical knowledge in the specialty Streamliner Consulting deals with. Several times, they offered solutions with explicit references to a technology we were working with, allowing our development teams to apply these solutions directly.
Are there any areas they could improve?
CD: No company’s perfect, but nothing major comes to mind. We had a strong engagement with Streamliner Consulting.
Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?
CD: Be clear about the scope that Streamliner Consulting has to deliver against, and be as transparent as possible on the stakeholders and audience they’re going to be dealing with. The obstacle we had—which Streamliner overcame pretty well—was having a geographically-dispersed audience across Asia, UK, and the US. John and Streamliner were here in the US, along with my colleague and me. In these cases, it’s important to explain things up front to companies like Streamliner Consulting. Remote calls are more difficult than face-to-face meetings.
Clients should also clearly articulate the timelines of delivery. If there’s slippage, it won’t be a surprise, and it won’t turn into pointing fingers. We didn’t have any of that because Streamliner Consulting was conscious about the scope, the stakeholders, and the timelines.
DS: Clients should be honest about their maturity level and should learn how their processes conform to industry best practices. Also, when bringing in a third-party consulting company or knowledge source like Streamliner Consulting, it’s essential to be willing to listen and implement their recommendations.
The project met all requirements, and Streamliner Consulting went above and beyond their initial scope to ensure a successful outcome. The team’s experience and technical knowledge informed their valuable insights. Close communication, diligence, and timely delivery made the project run smoothly.