Theodo

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the strategy manager of a healthcare supply company. We provide medical supplies for skin conditions and wounds to the NHS.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Theodo?

We needed to digitize the measurement and ordering process for our products. Previously, we had a paper-based system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a web application from the ground up to meet our needs. The app guides users through the ordering process and generates an order form that fits all user specifications. We provided them with some pre-existing UI content and brand collateral. I’m not sure what they used to build the back end of the app, but it’s hosted in GitHub. They’ve delivered a minimum viable product that’s now going through real-world testing.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with five people from their team. They provided us with a project director, an HR coach, two developers, and an architect.

How did you come to work with Theodo?

I found them through Internet searches and review platforms including Clutch.

How much have you invested with them? 

We spent between £60,000–£70,000 (approximately $83,000–$97,000 USD) with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from December 2020–March 2021. We’ll be working with them again in the near future, though.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We don’t have any quantifiable metrics yet since the app hasn’t launched, but it has been well-received in all our customer testing so far.

How did Theodo perform from a project management standpoint?

They did well. There was high turnover during the discovery phase of our engagement, which was challenging. We communicated via email and Slack.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were flexible and challenged us to find the ideal solution for our business needs.

Are there any areas they could improve?

As mentioned earlier, there was high staff turnover. While that can be unavoidable, we also had issues with their adherence to deadlines.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear in explaining project requirements to them so they understand what you’re trying to achieve. Take the time to familiarize yourself with how their processes work as well. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of digital experience at Tempcover.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Theodo?

We wanted to release a new mobile app for iOS and Android. When we initially started shopping around, we wanted a slick experience for the user, so we were leaning towards a native iOS and a native Android app – two separate apps, but in the end, we decided that a single React Native app was the best option for us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They delivered an easy-to-use, intuitive app that focused on moving our repeat customers away from the web where they often come through quite expensive PPC ads. The team used React Native, which had the benefit of being able to build the apps simultaneously, reducing cost and time.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Pac (Project Director), who ran the administrative side of the project, Alex (Agile Coach), who served as our agile coach, and two developers.

How did you come to work with Theodo?

After speaking to a number of companies, we found that Theodo was much more closely aligned with our way of working. They seemed like they would be a good fit and were keen to work the way that we work while integrating their expertise. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement lasted from December 2019–March 2020. We did a beta release of the app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve seen a lot of new customers registering, and the policies are going through the app as expected. Some of the feedback we’ve heard from the customers is that the experience is a lot better than that of our old app. They’ve definitely given us the foundation to hit and exceed all of the targets that we had for the app. 

How did Theodo perform from a project management standpoint?

They are very meticulous in their planning. We did 1-week sprints, which is a little different from our 2-week sprints. This meant that if there were any slowdowns or obstacles, they would be addressed much quicker. 

They had skills matrixes to asses the level that our internal developers were learning at.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Theodo integrated and adapted their work style to suit our needs. The team was also quick to pick up on any issues we had and took the project personally. They worked outside of the scope of their work to help us as needed. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We hired Theodo to do the frontend work whilst our in-house team focused on the API requirements. Because Theodo didn't have full visibility on the backend, project management was a challenge in this respect and, whilst not entirely their fault, a solution to this was never really found, and we missed our proposed release deadline.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

One element that’s great about Theodo is that they’re the experts, and they told us how things should be done while allowing us to run our company the way we wanted. So, I would advise other customers to keep that balance as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m part of the Admiral Group Plc, an international insurance group that is primarily active in the UK, but we also have projects in France, Italy, Spain, and the US. I’m CEO of Admiral Group Plc’s French home insurance segment, Homebrella.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Theodo?

Home insurance is a completely new area for Admiral Group Plc. I joined the company in the middle of last year to lead this initiative. We had a very short timeframe to bring an MVP to market. Although my team had an idea of how we wanted the product to look and function, along with general insurance experience, we didn’t have any IT resources. We hired Theodo to act as our IT team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theodo helped us create an all-in-one insurance business. They built our website MVP and developed its backend to handle insurance business functions, such as collecting and issue payments, tracking sales, and monitoring various guarantee levels for different clients. The backend acts as a living database so that we can always track clients and know who has canceled or renewed. They also developed the site’s frontend, making the site easy-to-use. My team’s graphic designer came up with PSD mockups, and then it was up to Theodo to turn those into a working site.

Theodo did a lot of API integrations, such as to enable our payment platform and so that our clients can e-sign contracts. They integrated the site with AWS and made all of the necessary server parameters related to that.

Once we launched the MVP, Theodo provided IT support and helped us respond to the changing needs of our new business. For example, we realized that clients wanted to be able to pay monthly rather than annually, so Theodo implemented a monthly payment solution.

Theodo no longer provides support, but they’re helping us hire an internal development team. They correct technical tests and are available to do interviews when we have any doubts. Once we finish the hiring process, the plan is that Theodo will help train the new resources. They’ll work alongside the new team for a couple of months and teach them everything they’ve done and how we work.

What is the team composition?

First, we dealt with a commercial director who negotiated the whole package. We then worked with a scrum master who was responsible for organizing and prioritizing different business needs to facilitate the developers. There was a head developer/architect who acted as the technical lead and was responsible for developing the main strategy. Two junior developers provided capacity and bandwidth, and they also participated in defining the approach and strategy.

How did you come to work with Theodo?

Theodo had experience working with Admiral Group Plc, specifically its segments in short-term car insurance and financial services. My team received positive feedback regarding Theodo, such as that they know what they’re doing and can respond to needs. We submitted RFPs to 1–2 other agencies before settling on Theodo.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we’ve spent €600,000 (approximately $655,800 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Our work together began in September 2018, and we launched the MVP that January. Theodo stayed on as our IT branch for another six months. In July 2019, my team felt confident enough to hire our own internal development team, a process that Theodo is currently helping us with.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We achieved our objective of having an MVP on the market by January. We probably would’ve launched it even earlier than that, but we got delayed by certain bottlenecks that were outside the scope of Theodo’s work.

How did Theodo perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed above and beyond expectations. Theodo deployed the Agile methodology and worked off of point estimations, such as points per developer per week. We also tracked more conceptual business goals, like our business being able to perform a certain function, and monitored how long implementing such a function took.

Theodo acted as partial owners of our business KPIs, such as our customer promotor score or ability to respond to customers within two days. We gave them some responsibility over the KPIs so that they’d be more inclined to propose solutions.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This is a tough question for me since I don’t have much experience working with other providers of this type. However, I can say that they weren’t afraid to speak their honest opinion if they thought we were doing something incorrectly. Then, we’d work together to find a way to improve the situation. I very much appreciated their candidness and openness to putting the project’s objective before their own commercial objective.

Theodo has also adapted to our needs. Having them help with recruitment is completely outside their scope of normal work, but they can provide value to us because they understand who we are. They tailor their resources to what we need. It’s nice having a partner rather than just an employee.

Are there any areas they could improve?

The one thing I think they could do a better job at is relaying the value that businesses get from working with them. They’re an expensive partner to have; while working with them full-force, we were spending €10,000–12,000 (approximately $10,930–13,100 USD) per week. A business manager might have trouble justifying these costs.

I’ve realized that Theodo does provide a lot of value, clarity of vision, and efficient project advancement. They provide so much value that it’s arguably less expensive to work with them than to try to do certain work yourself. For this reason, they should be better about demonstrating the value they provide.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a financial services organization in Wales that specializes in car finance and unsecured personal loans. I’m currently a test analyst, but at the time of the project, I was a product owner.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address Theodo?

We hired Theodo to build our online quote engine.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theodo was tasked with building our car finance quote engine from scratch. Their team used AWS, JavaScript, and Python for development. The platform plugs into our backend. They also integrated the engine with a number of external features, including a car web service that identifies and looks at cars, standard financing, and an HPI Check, which makes sure a vehicle isn’t stolen or damaged. Their team managed our technical infrastructure and worked it to a place where we could eventually take it over from our end.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a Scrum master, an architect, and two developers.

How did you come to work with Theodo?

They were recommended and were already working for a subsection of our company. When I first joined the company, their team had just started with us.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we invested £500,000 (approximately $611,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Theodo from January 2017–April 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The websites were moved in-house, but many people are disappointed that we’re not continuing our engagement with Theodo. We concentrated on our goal to increase the click to quote conversion. We noticed a significant increase of people in London getting quotes with us through the improvements we made with Theodo.

How did Theodo perform from a project management standpoint?

The assigned Scrum master was helpful and organized. They gave the project an excellent regimen. We always knew what and when we were completing work. There’s a significant distance between their London office and us in Wales. We would visit each other’s office once a week, but a majority of communication was done through WhatsApp, phone, or Google Hangouts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They harness the agile methodology well, taking a big team and operation and applying it seamlessly. Internally, there’s been positive feedback regarding how they implemented the process. We’ve been able to take it over within our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I don’t think so. They were great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open-minded with Theodo. I enjoyed the consistent feedback while working with them. We regularly went to them with ideas for the website and business that they would challenge and question them. Clients should be prepared for a healthy challenge. It’s nice to see the value and investment we’ll be receiving within their changes.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of product for an insurance firm that sells short-term motor insurance for people who want to borrow someone else’s car. A lot of other insurance companies sell this as an aspect of their main insurance policy, but we wanted to sell it as a standalone product allowing for different times and prices when borrowing others’ cars.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Theodo?

We wanted to make sure we could get something out to the market quickly to see if it would be useful. We wanted to create a justifiable business case for the service.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theodo developed our platform, where we sell short-term motor insurance. The build took about seven weeks, and then we continued to reiterate it. After this, we built an app and other products with their team. They were our IT team for all of our products and helped us in scaling our own in-house team.

How did you come to work with Theodo?

We talked to a lot of agencies. Theodo was recommended to our team. After having a conversation with their CEO, we thought they were great.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Theodo in November 2016, and the engagement ended in February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

It was good for us to work with Theodo. We could've done a better job looking at the customer profiles, but having a live product encouraged us to better prioritize and fix those things. 

Their team was pivotal in training and teaching us in agile development. They were helpful partners in learning about how we wanted the structure to be and the culture we wanted to be exhibited within our engineering team.

How did Theodo perform from a project management standpoint?

I trusted Theodo. Their team was committed and passionate, communicating on a daily basis. They had a lot of conversations with our project directors. Every week, we had a face-to-face planning session with their developers, along with the daily work they did with their team. While we saw each other twice a week, the other times, we communicated via Slack and with a regular video call every morning. We were always kept in the loop.

Their team had a great process and system. If there was any danger of missing a deadline, they were strict in explaining why and what for. I was always pretty confident working with their team when it came to that. Overall, they were excellent at keeping us accountable for the work that we’re doing and making sure that what we do is valuable.

In the earlier days, the culture that they brought was helpful in regards to training our team for a speedy delivery. Theodo’s legacy lives on in our company.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their developers became invested in the work. They care, not only from a technical angle but also from a business angle. While they consider it from a different perspective, their team likes to see the project through. Theodo is an intelligent group that takes an interest in what the customers want or what the market says. They’re not just developers for hire because they take real ownership.

I also appreciate that they don’t hide problems. They hold themselves and my team accountable. Their team takes any feedback and delivers constructive opinions in return. They also love a challenge.

Are there any areas they could improve?

It would’ve been nice to have a bit more support from Theodo on areas outside of pure development, like information security. I do believe they have more people that work in that area now, but they didn’t when we started working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients need to consider what they actually need. Theodo will challenge you to make sure that what you’re delivering is what you need. They try to cut out unnecessary things. Be prepared to explain your requirements. Have deadlines and deliverables in place. If a customer hasn’t decided what their project is, Theodo can assist with that as well.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a vice president for a leasing company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Theodo?

We have existing systems to manage our baseline lease-and-lend portfolio. However, we have a range of other processes that we oversee manually. We started looking for software solutions to increase our automation efficiency. That's where Theodo came in.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theodo is building a sophisticated software solution using 20 different modules controlling back-office and operational functions. One involves inventory management—the sales team can input leads and ongoing deals, keep track of expected dates and financials, and receive approval from the management team. Another module lets the operations team reconcile bank account statements against system activity. In addition, Theodo helped us create a module to send invoices to customers and receive invoices from suppliers. Lastly, they developed a workflow that allows us to manage these different pieces.

The project is a collaborative effort between our team and Theodo. Theodo’s involvement started as purely frontend development. The team used React Redux to build it to connect our backend, which we wrote using the Grails framework and a GraphQL API. Over time, Theodo’s involvement grew to full-stack development.

What is the team composition?

Our relationship started with Sadiq (CEO, Theodo). From there, we received what Theodo calls a light team: a half-time architect, a full-time developer, and a part-time agile coach. We’ve since ramped up the team slightly to add another full-time developer.

How did you come to work with Theodo?

An old colleague of mine had used Theodo’s services and recommended them to us. In our initial conversations, I was very impressed with Theodo’s methodology and team members. I’ve continued to be impressed since we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent about $500,000–$1 million

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2018, and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our system has unusual metrics: the size of the team that would use the solution is reasonably small, so they process high-value transactions at low volumes. As a result, our metrics are not around the number of users but rather user satisfaction. We use a 1-to-5 rating system to measure how people feel about using the software. Our previous submissions received many ratings of 1 or 2 out of 5. The solution we’ve built so far with Theodo receives mostly 4.5 or 5 out of 5 ratings. We’re pleased with the positive feedback.

How did Theodo perform from a project management standpoint?

Our engagement is outstanding and highly collaborative. We have a close relationship with Theodo’s CEO and CTO, who’s also our project architect. They’re incredibly diligent and transparent; we always know their plans and our staffing options. Theodo has a policy of regularly cycling developers to keep them working on different projects. We all receive advance notice about who’s moving when, and we always get the right mix of people on the project.

From a high-level perspective, our agile coach has been excellent for day-to-day management. They keep the project moving and ensure that the team is self-sufficient. We don’t have to waste valuable time managing Theodo, which we appreciate.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The Theodo team works well as a package. We’re not managing a couple of contracted developers on loan; we’re working very closely with a tightly-knit team. As a unit, they’re also highly independent, which is an excellent value proposition. Their quality of work and personnel are outstanding as well. Theodo has been a pleasure to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything—I’ve been extremely happy with Theodo. My colleagues are pleased with their coaching staff and the work they’ve delivered so far. We also have regular discussions about how we can improve, but there hasn’t been anything major to complain about.

Any advice for potential customers?

I was new to the world of Scrum and agile methodology before we started the project. However, I’ve learned from Theodo throughout the development process. Theodo also provides a positive work environment from my outside perspective. They seem to have an excellent culture and opportunities for team members to learn more and do the projects they want to do.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of engineering for a consultancy. Our work is discrete and so this review will remain anonymous.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Theodo?

The technology that formed the backbone of our business was aging. We needed additional support to write new code and upskill our existing staff. Also, although it wasn’t intentioned initially, it became apparent in our discussions with Theodo that we should change processes within and across our organization.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theodo provides web development services. We all worked together across workshops to figure out wireframes and specifications. Theodo facilitated quite a bit of that. Although they didn’t come along and provide documentation or plans, they were integral to bringing those plans together.

We use several new technologies with significant buzz for our stack. We have React and TypeScript on the frontend, and PHP, AWS Lambda, and AWS DynamoDB on the backend.

What is the team composition?

We've had a maximum of 3–4 developers at one time. On top of that, we work with an architect and an agile coach.

How did you come to work with Theodo?

We found Theodo in a directory of nearby London businesses. We met with them and other firms several times to discuss how they wanted to approach the problem and work with us. Many of the approaches required planning the project years into the future. We didn’t feel we’d be able to do that. Theodo’s approach seemed the most flexible and sensible, and the way they described it won us over.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent £300,000 (approximately $375,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

Theodo wrote the first lines of code in December 2018, but the bulk of the team started in January 2019. The work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The project is still underway, so it’s too early to tell results. We provide Theodo feedback every week per their request.

How did Theodo perform from a project management standpoint?

We don’t have any specific deadlines. We work one week to the next, making promises only 5–6 days out. The team meets expectations most of the time. Theodo’s valuable methodology becomes visible when things do not go to plan. It’s immediately being problem-solved, analyzed and measured. Root causes are always found, and theories tested.

Theodo has a great take on kaizen, and it’s the best I’ve seen.

What did you find most impressive about them?

This engagement feels less like a supplier relationship and more like a genuine partnership. Theodo goes above and beyond to understand the parts of our organization that don't directly touch the project. Then we work to fix it. Thanks to them, everyone feels a part of the initiative. They’ve almost become part of the organization, even though it’s temporary. That feels quite unique.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Theodo has a set of principles that they created, modified, and mastered over their existence. They were willing to meet us halfway on some of them at the beginning of the project. However, I think that the project would be in better shape if they’d forced us to adhere to their principles.

It’s a bit of a difficult situation: in the worst-case scenario, them sticking to their principles might've meant that we ended the relationship after 12 weeks. However, if they pushed us to explain why we can’t plan that far ahead or provide a team that fits better, we’d be in a more productive place. As it is, we ended up with a process at the start that was only half-agile, which really didn’t work. In the last month, Theodo has come to us with a proposal that is more aligned to their full methodology.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m a product manager for an online media platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Theodo?

While we're a traditionally B2B company, we decided to try a more consumer-focused concept. However, we lacked the internal development resources to make it happen.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theodo built a consumer-facing website to directly share content both on the site and through cross-posting on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. They also made the administrative infrastructure off of which it runs.

We started with a few workshops to refine our requirements and project goals. Once we had a firm grasp on what we wanted, we mapped out the project and wrote user stories. Our design resource worked with a design resource at Theodo to lay out the website. After that, the development phase began.

The website drew functionality from one of our existing sites as well as infrastructure such as AWS. We built the backend database and CMS in Django.

What is the team composition?

We had a lead developer, two full-time developers, and a project manager. The project manager was our main point of contact, but we also had an account level contact and daily communication with the whole team.

How did you come to work with Theodo?

As soon as we got our project case and funding approved, we began the search for local developers. We spoke to 5–6 different companies and Theodo emerged as the clear leader. They impressed us at every turn during that process.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project lasted from September–November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Theodo delivered what we expected. All our requirements were met without going over our projected timeline or budget. The website has since soft-launched, but it has still achieved our goals for conversion rates and praise from users, illustrating how well it works. 

We learned a lot from working with Theodo as well. They showed us a new, fully agile process that we’ve since incorporated into our company once we saw the benefits.

How did Theodo perform from a project management standpoint?

I’d have no hesitation recommending Theodo from a project management standpoint. We couldn’t have asked for more. The team gave us daily updates and proactively contacted us whether things were going well or they had issues. I was in their office once a week, and we had a dedicated Slack channel between our teams and WhatsApp for informal communication. We used Trello to track tasks and progress.

What did you find most impressive about them?

It took us a couple of weeks to learn the way that Theodo likes to work, but once we got it, we saw the massive benefits of it. It’s a huge reason why we’d work with their team again without hesitation.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I’ve already spoken to the team at Theodo about this, but we would have liked more assistance on the design front. The site functions properly and well, but I feel that the design could’ve been a little slicker and more attractive. I’ve been assured that the team is working on a process to address that in the future.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I work at VLSI Research Europe, a market research company that specializes in providing data for the semiconductor industry. Our business collects data from the sector, performs analysis, then aggregates the information into a data set that will sell to our clients. I’m based in the UK, but we have offices in the US and Japan.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Theodo UK?

Traditionally, our company provided data sets through Excel. That process was a bit outdated, so we started looking at other interactive and easier ways to present data. We contracted Theodo UK to create an MVP prototype of an online platform for showcasing data to our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Theodo UK developed a web platform using Django on the backend and React on the frontend. We scoped out what we wanted to do beforehand, providing their team with wireframes, data sets, and other information. After going over the proposal, they translated that into a web product.

What is the team composition?

On the project, we worked with a senior developer, a junior developer, and a scrum master.

How did you come to work with Theodo UK?

I spent a few days searching online for different developers. After gathering a list of ten, I had an instructor course with each of them. We chose Theodo UK for a number of reasons. During our sales call, they focused on the challenges we were facing and what we were trying to achieve. This gave me the confidence that their team was trying to do the best for us. We’re also still in the learning phase when it comes to software products. Theodo UK allowed me to sit in their offices throughout the project. Other companies weren’t offering that kind of transparency and communication. I’m not sure if they offer this to everyone, but in our case, it was helpful.

How much have you invested with them?

The project cost around €37,000 (approximately $46,000 USD) plus VAT.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Theodo UK from January–February 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their team completed the project within a quick timeframe.

How did Theodo UK perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management style was excellent. Using the agile methodology, the scrum master kept everything on track. He executed signposting the deadlines, making sure barriers were out of the way. As far as meeting deadlines, there were no issues. We managed to achieve more than what we were expecting at the start of the project. Trello was our main project management tool. As I mentioned, they allowed me to work in their office. Most of the time, I could talk to them directly. We occasionally had phone calls.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I didn’t have a lot of experience to compare it to, but I was impressed with Theodo UK. Using Django and React, they’ve completed a lot of projects with that technology base. They had several templates to get their work moving quickly. I was surprised with how far we got within the first couple of days because of how rapidly they got the processes in place. The senior developer was also very knowledgeable.

Are there any areas they could improve?

This may not have been crucial because it was an MVP, but there weren’t any UX designers in-house for us to use. The design of the app came from the other developers and me because of the lack of resources.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the corporate development director at a care company that operates in the southeast of England. We have about a thousand members on staff.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Theodo UK?

One particular set of our services is assisting adults with learning disabilities. We were using paper records to show their progress toward personal goals through ticking off boxes. It was extremely two-dimensional, and we wanted to create a platform that brought our patients’ progress to life through media. We hired Theodo UK to build a digital solution that gave us the ability to mirror individual goals with their progress.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We’ve actually piloted two child care applications to test the functionality with a variety of services. We knew that those apps were a test because our primary work is with adults. Our team went to Theodo UK with that experience and asked them to build a suitable application for our client base. They took the concepts before helping us work the systems and processes behind them.

Theodo UK was involved in two sides of the project. They assisted with the development of our admin portal that allows us to create customer and staff profiles along with goal frameworks for each individual user. A lot of our clients have varying physical and learning disabilities. Each customer could have five or six goals that include tasks like finding a job or traveling independently, or even simple objectives like holding a fork. These features were based in the backend of the system.

Their team also built the app for iOS and Android. From that, a support worker that’s assigned to a customer can view what they’re working on. They can create a “moment,” that showcases an event that a user completed during the day. Support workers can describe the task or event, upload images and videos, and assign a specific goal that fits the customer.

Another one of the functions within the application involves activities. Customers can share an activity they completed, but also assign their personal goals. Two people can go to the store. For one, that task might meet the goal of traveling independently, and for the other, it might mean that they fulfilled their goal of managing money. We’ve built a system that makes it easy to have multi-customer journeys.

What is the team composition?

We had an agile coach that was my point of contact. We also worked with two developers, and at the point of escalation, we had a project director.

How did you come to work with Theodo UK?

We researched online for developers that had experience in the health and care sector. After putting a few feelers out, Theodo UK was the first company to respond, while also having the relevant experience. We had a call where we discussed the initial stages of our ideas. Our team related to theirs well and felt that they understood what we were trying to achieve. Theodo UK was keen to explore this new subject area.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested between $60,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with Theodo UK in April 2019, and the engagement ended in June 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The application has been warmly received. It replaced the paper process we had, which was universally disliked. We’ve got a nice business driver for people wanting to adopt the new system. There hasn’t been a direct impact on business yet. At the moment, we’re only using the app in one center, and there are 28 in our area. We’re having a regional rollout this month where we will see the benefits at scale.

One of our challenges has been the fact that our platform is an MVP. Some of our workforce is used to highly-polished user applications. Our mission was to develop an MVP in six weeks, so we could quickly use it for our business. Overall, all positive feedback. Everyone is happy with the functionality. They find the app easy to use and intuitive.   

How did Theodo UK perform from a project management standpoint?

The entire process was strong. This is our team’s first experience working with this type of project and with a tech development company that uses an agile methodology. Theodo UK proactively made sure we were keeping up and understanding every step of the process in order to manage our expectations. They work very quickly, which is also something we weren’t used to.

Since we’re based on a local authority IT platform, that restricts the number of systems we can use. I know that this was a frustration for them, and we relied on phone calls for immediate issues and emails for less urgent matters. We tended to plan meetings by booking them within our diaries to make sure we had opportunities to discuss the project. Trello was our project management tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I was impressed with how much energy Theodo UK put into the six-week process. Even though they were hired for development, their team worked hard to understand the business context of the project. As a result, this enhanced the product. They willingly worked at all levels, giving us more support than other customers due to our lack of tech capabilities.

Are there any areas they could improve?

While they’re skilled in development, they could have a stronger approach and plan when it comes to user testing. We’ve had to reset testing a few times to get it right. I would’ve thought they would’ve had a standard format for that. I also felt that the project closure wasn’t as neat as it could’ve been. Because it was a time-based arrangement, there were a few loose ends because we ran out of time. Once a contract ends, it’s quite difficult to get more done. Having a clearer project closure would helpful. Overall, Theodo UK was fantastic to work with.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Clients need to take the amount of time they need to commit seriously. Theodo UK was upfront about that in the beginning. You can’t take that lightly. If you’re not ready and can’t keep up to their pace, you’ll be left behind and end up burning money. My advice would be to figure out the timing at the start to make sure your side of the arrangement will be a willing participant.