Emergent Software

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a city planner within a department of community planning and economic development.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

For the last couple years, a colleague and I have been managing a project to update our city's comprehensive plan. Traditionally, the document has been produced as a PDF that's several hundred pages long. We were looking for a way to make it more accessible and interactive by putting it online.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Subcontracted under another design firm, Emergent handled the backend development of the project. They built the website using Umbraco CMS, customizing the navigation of the various chapters of the comprehensive plan as requested.

What is the team composition?

Mike (Principle Engineer, Emergent Software) acted as our lead developer, but we also worked with a project manager.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

The design firm we hired through our RFP process wanted to subcontract their work with Emergent. We felt that both firms were a good fit, because they clearly understood what our requirements were and had a lot of creative ideas for how to make it happen in their interview.

How much have you invested with them?

We've invested around $100,000 in total, but that also includes the design work from our other vendor. I'm unsure what portion of that was spent on the backend work that Emergent provided.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with them from November 2017 to March 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The website allows users to successfully access specific parts of the city's comprehensive plan more quickly than in previous years. Users seem very happy with it overall—it's intuitive, beautiful, and modern. Any minor issues or bugs were addressed by Emergent's team quickly and thoroughly.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

Emergent's team is very responsive and easy to work with. They provided great ideas for some of the challenges that came up along the way and remained flexible and receptive to things we changed in the middle of the process.

While we did meet them in-person occasionally, most of our communication occurred through email, phone, and web meetings.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I'm most impressed by their level of professionalism. Despite the complexity of our project, they were able to turn it around quickly and thoroughly. They came up with a product that was better than what we originally envisioned.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Put a lot of thought into what you're trying to achieve with your product or website. Come into it with your own ideas, so they're able to craft it into something that matches your goals.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of Interest for Others Foundation, a nonprofit that gives bank customers a way to donate earned interest to various charities.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We needed a website that provides information to visitors about different charities. It also needed to be transactional, conducting money transfers from banks to charities.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I provided the functional specifications and an initial design to the team. They held interactive sessions with us to refine the look and feel of the site. They selected the back-end tools and development environment; the site is built on an SQL Server and uses open source web hosting.

The first version of the site took 4–6 weeks to code once I approved the technical design.

We got feedback from customers, then went back to Emergent for additional features and tweaks to the navigation. They also added automation on the backend to help process the money transfers and log transaction history. In total, there were three software releases over the course of a year, but the bulk of the work was done on the first release.

Emergent used two third-party tools—from a company called Plaid and a company called Strike—which allows the site to move money. The site is able to process payments via Automated Clearing House (ACH) bank transaction, credit card, debit card, or Apple pay.

What is the team dynamic?

There was one main project manager who we interacted with on a daily basis, and he had a team of 4–5 people. Additional specialists were brought in to work on security issues and the database.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

I was referred to them by a former colleague. I interviewed the project manager and developers before signing. I found them to be approachable and technically competent, so it was a good fit.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in November of 2016 and finished in October of 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The early feedback from the banks has been favorable in terms of compliance with the relevant banking regulations on security and protecting Personally Identifiable Information [PII].

The site just launched, but I have no doubt that its system will be able to accommodate more than 10,000 transactions a month.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

We had weekly or bi-weekly status phone calls with the project manager where he provided updates on timelines and deliverables. They were accurate and timely with invoices.

Some project deliverables were a day or two late, but they generally met the main deadlines.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Attention to customer satisfaction is their biggest strength. They made sure that we got the exact product that we wanted, as opposed to just what was agreed to on paper. They’re also very easy to work with.

Are there any areas they could improve?

There was an occasional misinterpretation of a functional requirement and a few of the algorithms and navigation schemes needed to be fixed. They've been very responsive to that feedback and quick to implement the corrections.  

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The individuals that you work with matters, so it's useful to interview and meet the team ahead of time.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the owner of 3rd Wave Computing, an IT consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

One of my clients wanted to do extensive custom web development requiring a SQL database. Having worked with Emergent on several projects, I knew this was one of their strengths. I subcontracted them as a full-fledged development team in order to meet my client’s requirements.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

If a client needs extensive development work done, I usually bring in Emergent right away. Then, we analyze the project together. They often recommend several alternatives. We decide on an approach and once the project is approved, I leave it to them to do most of the software development and database work. I monitor the project, conduct product testing, and interact with the client throughout.

Our most recent project together was the development of a custom, multi-lingual survey tool. It included custom reporting with multiple programming languages involved. Within the results coming from the survey, we included a lot of ways to filter different information and apply custom charting. The software has around 500 users and is able to run surveys simultaneously across the customer base. It currently runs on Microsoft Azure and we’ve added administrative tools to monitor the site

What is the team dynamic?

The team consisted of 5 individuals, 4 of which were database specialists or web developers. We also had 1 front-end/ graphic designer.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

I've had a previous working relationship with their vice president. Once he was with Emergent, it made sense to tap into that resource.

How much have you invested with them?

We have spent $120,000+ with Emergent Software over the last 2 years, covering a variety of project work. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2016, and the collaboration is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Their code is top-notch and every project they’ve worked on has met or exceeded expectations. In the case of the survey project, their initial deliverables were on time, and of such high quality that we continue to do additional projects with the same client. My company would not be experiencing this level of repeat business without Emergent.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re always on top of things. Regular reports from them keep me aware of where they stand. If there is an issue, Emergent readily communicates that in order to correct it. They never turn in an unfinished or untested product. Our correspondence is mostly through email and that has worked out great. Project management is a real strong point for them.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I’ve been in IT a long time and I’m always impressed with the quality of their deliverables. They do a great job of testing their own work and are sticklers for meeting deadlines.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They have a lot of practical knowledge regarding project management so the earlier you get them involved in the course of a project, the better the results will be.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a home improvement retail company that provides high-end tile to builders and homeowners for kitchen and bathroom remodels. I am the Chief Information Officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Emergent Software?

We had a .NET system from the early 2000s that needed updating. We wanted to add additional capabilities to our point of sale [POS] system to help our associates.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They’ve participated in several projects, including a freight management tool in our POS system. Prompts in the system allow associates to ship freight to customers’ home locations. Emergent was involved in the initial design, and came up with UI [user interface] options and backend design. They coded those elements, deployed them for testing, and integrated them into the POS system. They also helped organize a broad coupon management program.

Most of their work has been .NET-based; they’ve also done lightweight website programming and enabling in WinForms.

What is the team dynamic?

We interact with three people, including a project manager. They manage about 90% of development for each project, and bring in extra staff for certain pieces as they deem appropriate.

How did you come to work with Emergent Software?

I’ve known one of their co-owners for about 10 years, and worked with him at a previous company. I had an idea of their capabilities and skills, and approached them based upon my knowledge of their work.

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial project was from April to July 2017. We’ve come back to them for other projects since then.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Most of the work they’ve done embellished existing structures within the company, so there are no directly measurable statistics to support their impact. The tools they added have made interaction with the data much easier, which saves time for management and merchandising teams. We only get positive comments from the individuals who use the new tools.

How did Emergent Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re well organized, efficient, and detail oriented. They keep a checklist of questions and tasks, and were always prepared for meetings. They anticipated our questions, and were quick to answer.

We communicated mostly by email, and they met with us every other week with updates. We also used Skype occasionally, as well as an instant messaging service while they were in the middle of programming.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were thorough and understood our requests, and they built a solution quickly and efficiently.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Office Administrator of a retail company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Retail and Install sales of Windows and doors

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Emergent Software to accomplish?

• Create New updated Proposal system

SOLUTION

How did you find Emergent Software?

Online Search

Why did you select Emergent Software over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location

How many teammates from Emergent Software were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Emergent took our old Access-based system that was created back in 2006 and was able to create a new, updated Proposal system that will now be an asset to our company and will have support if needed. We can also work from anywhere as it is not a desktop app like the old one.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

They would keep us up to date every two weeks with a meeting letting us know what has been done, what needs to be done and where we we were with budget. And we would be able to test things on staging enviroment before it would go live.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

They are very timely and communiction was clear

What was your primary form of communication with Emergent Software?

Virtual Meeting

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

We appreciate their communication throughout the whole project and also the quick response time when we had questions or didn't understand something.

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

I think they have done great.