Wavicle Data Solutions

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the director of data analytics for a travel center business that does retail operations for truck stops and supplies and distributes refined fuels across the US.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wavicle Data Solutions?

We were looking to modernize our infrastructure and move to a cloud-based solution.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Wavicle helped us go through the modernization and optimization of our data infrastructure and migrate into the cloud. They also consulted us on the best practices for the processes we needed to implement and improve upon.

What is the team composition?

We worked with several data engineers, data architects, and a project manager who oversaw our project's entire execution.

How did you come to work with Wavicle Data Solutions?

We came across Wavicle through a recommendation.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2021–August 2022.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Wavicle, we were able to improve our SLA (Service Level Agreement) for data delivery, which is a key metric for our organization.

Moreover, they helped us reduce our overall operational costs thanks to their cloud integration services.

How did Wavicle Data Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

They were highly responsive to our feedback, so we were able to communicate with them consistently, even outside of work hours.

We typically interfaced through email, phone, and WhatsApp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We were impressed with their collaborative approach, ability to build relationships, and consistent execution of their tasks.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There’s always room for improvement, but there’s nothing specific we want to call out since we were very satisfied with the partnership.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I’d advise you to overcommunicate, set expectations, and meet on a regular cadence.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of analytics and global data management at Vyaire Medical. We manufacture respiratory medical devices and have three major franchises: life-saving ventilators, respiratory diagnostics, and consumables such as masks and other single-use products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Wavicle Data Solutions?

We’re owned by a private equity firm that was formed by acquiring multiple smaller companies. Due to our multiple ERP systems, it was impossible to have a holistic view of relevant information about the whole organization. 

I did an initial evaluation and came up with a roadmap to solve the problem. Wavicle was our partner in implementing the integration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Wavicle has started as our analytical data partner, and they’ve now expanded their work into data integration, machine learning model development, data science work, and more.

Wavicle worked with me to build a roadmap for our analytics platform. They integrated a consolidated cloud-native data warehouse in AWS. They also built a cloud-based data warehouse reporting platform using AWS Glue, Amazon Redshift, and Amazon QuickSight. 

Wavicle also built a custom portal called Insight that hosted all our company’s information. They also worked on its UI and developed the app’s iOS and Android versions. 

Insight is accessible anywhere in the world, and it can run reports, display dashboards, and send notifications. The app allows our senior leaders and salespeople in the field to pull up a report and view information wherever they are. They can use that data to help customers make a decision. 

After that, Wavicle helped us develop a few more applications. One of them was Master Data Management, which had the same architecture as the first app. They also helped us deliver a digital product called Respiratory Knowledge Portal (RKP), which takes data from ventilators and ingests it into a data lake. 

Additionally, they worked on an automation learning data science platform and a clinical data platform similar to RKP, among many others.

What is the team composition?

We have about 14 projects running simultaneously, so we have anywhere between 60–65 Wavicle resources at any given point. 

Their managing partner is our primary contact for all our contracts and new projects. We assign architects and project managers across different projects.

How did you come to work with Wavicle Data Solutions?

I knew of Wavicle from a previous collaboration at another company. I used them to build a proof of concept, and they impressed me. I didn’t have the chance to implement that project because I left that company to join Vyaire Medical. 

We had three vendors competing for this project. Even though I had a previous relationship with Wavicle, I put them through the RFP process. They came out shining compared to the others in terms of technology, understanding the domain, and knowing how to take our complex programs and implement them in the cloud. 

Wavicle also has a flexible resourcing model. They gave me all their premium resources to help in our discovery process and understand the problem we were facing. They made sure we were comfortable working with the resources they assigned to us. 

Additionally, Wavicle’s pricing model was also very nominal compared to other vendors. Basically, the three major factors for choosing them were domain experience, flexibility, and sourcing cost.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $3.5 million per year on average.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2019, and it’s ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Our company’s data visibility has reached levels like never before. Before working with Wavicle, our reporting was siloed and spread around throughout the company because we’re present on all continents. Insight has allowed us to have a global perspective, and all the data reported there is accurate. All our top-level management uses it, and that’s a big success for us.

We had a shaky start in terms of the quality of their work. However, as we established processes, the quality improved. They handle a problem like a framework, and they don’t design something just for one particular need. Everything they’ve built so far has been on framework-based architecture, and that’s a big highlight for them.

How did Wavicle Data Solutions perform from a project management standpoint?

Wavicle’s project and program management are framework-based, which simplifies how we manage tasks. Their developers are mostly on target because we break down projects into components upfront. Through time, we improved the communication between our teams, and their domain expertise has grown. As such, we no longer experience project delays.

Internally, we follow an Agile methodology; we move fast, and Wavicle has to move fast as well. With that, resources are prone to making mistakes and having some accuracy issues. However, because the bar is low and we need solutions quickly, we are amenable to that as long as we all run fast.

Our teams work closely together, and when an issue arises, we all learn from that and make sure we don’t repeat the same mistake. We continue to iterate and improve the process. After just six months of working together, we’ve built a solid framework, and the number of errors has been minimized, and our turnaround time has improved. Initially, we’ve set a 60%–70% accuracy expectation, but it has become 90%–95%.   

Before we jump into sprint planning, we run a discovery session where we document all the high- and mid-level details and develop the architecture and roadmap for the project. 

Wavicle has different Scrum masters working on various projects that will take the requirements and design everything in Confluence. Once they complete this task, we transition to production. We use JIRA for data management and sprint planning; for leadership reporting, we use Monday.com. We review the portfolio monthly and Scrum boards weekly. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

Wavicle has domain expertise, flexibility, and a customer-first attitude. Additionally, they’re cost-effective. That’s a rare combination, and we have it with Wavicle. However, it takes both the vendor and the internal team to establish that, and it’s not that easy to achieve. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We always work on issues as we find them. We had some communication issues at the start of the pandemic, but it had become better now. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open with your problem statement with them. Wavicle will listen to it and come back with a solid proposal on how they can go forward. Also, put some trust in Wavicle’s team. 

We don’t look at big banners; we focus on the work quality and domain expertise — that’s how we landed on Wavicle, even though there are bigger IT vendors on the market. We’re not a multi-billion dollar organization that can pull some weight. A smaller agency has been better for us because they can give us enough importance. 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Director of Restaurant Technology & Innovation

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wavicle Data Solutions, and what were your goals?

Developing a custom Data Warehouse and BI Dashboarding tool

SOLUTION

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

Referral from a consulting partner

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

Design, Development, Testing and Productionalization of a customer BI Dashboarding tool

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

3-4 people on the core project team, plus one PM to oversee the project and resourcing from the Wavicle team

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall we are getting close to the ultimate deliverable, but the resourcing model and cost are coming out to more than what we expected. There are several learnings coming out of this project around better documentation and clarity prior to development that we will need to plan for going forward.

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

The PM has been very helpful in keeping the project on track and ensuring resources were aligned on the priorities.

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

I am impressed with the variety of their skillset and resourcing.

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

Trying to maintain consistent resources throughout the project. Switching one of our BI resources for 1 month really took the project off track during that time as the new resource had to be re-trained. This time very much had an impact on our deliverables and caused a lot of frustration within the team

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Global Technology Director Data & Analytics - McDonald's Corporation

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wavicle Data Solutions?

Talend Migration AWS Migration Architecture Business Analysis Data product development

SOLUTION

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

Prior engagements

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

Scoping, requirements, estimation, analysis, development, QA, deployment and hyper care

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

20.

• 1 Project manager
• 5 Analysts
• 10-15 Developers

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Using Wavicle’s accelerators and frameworks to automate the analysis, conversion, and testing tasks, we successfully converted all ETL jobs to Talend, saving 95% of the analysis work and 81% of the development effort.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Highly effective, structured project management practices and effective communication between the two teams, especially during QA, UAT and deployment.

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

Wavicle is a very trusted partner, they provided us with skilled analysts and developers on a number of complex data migration and development initiatives. They delivered high-quality services and expertise with consistency and an in-depth understanding of our ecosystem.

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

Keep doing what they are doing!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I work for a large QSR as a Senior Manager for Development

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Wavicle Data Solutions, and what were your goals?

Support our IT Delivery needs

SOLUTION

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

Long term running relationship and quality of delivery

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

Scope of work is wide in scope and expands acrosss several facets

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

Various

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Projects are delivered on time, within budget, and most importantly are of high customer satisfaction.

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

Operates in both Agile and Waterfall depending upon the scope of work.

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

Long term partnership

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

None at this time.