Custom Web App Dev for Consulting Firm
OnCenter helps business leaders make wise decisions with adaptive strategies. NineTwoThree developed the web application to visualize the strategies.
Please describe your company and your position there.
I am a Partner at OnCenter, a strategy consulting firm.
For what projects/services did your company hire NineTwoThree Studio, and what were your goals?
We hired NineTwoThree to build a custom web app platform that helps users/teams organize strategies and goals, all on one page. OnCenter had prototyped the "Strategy Timeline" deliverable for several years in Google Slides, with worthwhile success with clients. We wanted a faster, more simple-to-use tool that allowed us to quickly build strategies on the fly. Our goal was to have a platform we could onboard users to quickly and they could dive in right away to work on their company, department, or personal strategies.
How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?
We had a personal referral from a trusted friend who is currently building another project with them. This referral was huge. Andrew's professionalism, Tanya's operational communication, and the dev team's delivery was all super helpful and informative in helping us make a decision.
Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.
The project was a ~2-3 month build of a web-app. It functions similarly to a Trello/Kanban board with different "cards" that represent "Priorities" and "Objectives." The phases revolved around building out key components of the software -- first the information hierarchy, then the iterative arrows, then finally the "Present" mode. We used Slack and Monday.com for consistent communication.
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
Tanya (VP of Operations) and Anna (Project Account Manager) worked very closely with us on a weekly basis to communicate the updates to the software, and the questions/responses from the Dev team. I am unsure on what their positions are.
Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?
Normally, Strategy Timelines would take hours and hours to build. With the software, it takes us minutes for us to thoughtfully introduce and build strategies that can easily help our prospects and clients with their toughest strategic questions.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
Phenomenally quick to respond. Very thoughtful with keen attention to detail. Clear, to the point yet very kind. We loved the warmth that paired well with the precise execution of exactly what we wanted. Worldclass timeliness and execution.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Deep empathetic care for us as clients, paired with respect of our time, budget, and requests. They're the dream team. We literally get both -- great products with great service at a great price. I couldn't have asked for anything more from them.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
During the development of the SOW, if there were any areas you thought we might want to include, offer your feedback for features then if possible!
All companies need management tools that aid in seeing the big picture and achieving company goals and tasks. OnCenter is a strategy consultancy that brings design into the boardroom; specializing in improving planning, deep engagement, and effective execution.
OnCenter wanted to create a visual tool to help company leaders set clear goals long into the future, and coordinate efforts between departments to ultimately grow their business together. While there are similar tools on the market, they can have a steep learning curve or lack effective visual tools for presenting information.
NineTwoThree has developed the Strategy Timeline web application that seamlessly organizes a company strategy and coordinates efforts between teams.
It’s important that a strategy tool helps to validate and verify that tasks are done in a logical order. For this to occur, we had to create an arrow system between the goal cards for users to see how everything connects. It was also important that users had the ability to see changes to the goal cards happen in real time to properly collaborate.
The main challenge when creating these features was that there was no effective library solution that enables those connections, while also allowing the user the ability to move goal cards (and their connecting arrows) over the timeline.
We created a custom solution to ensure the arrow connections between the goal cards worked properly with minimum overlap for a better visual experience. Technologically, this was not a trivial task because of the system’s natural tendency to create excess overlap. The algorithm we made efficiently connects goal cards between each other in a clear way no matter how they are organized.
Additionally, the application was developed to allow leaders to edit the connections and placement of the goal cards in real time. This meant that users could see other users that are editing the timeline move the goal cards without having to refresh the page. That type of real time collaboration produces efficient conversations in a remote-work setting or working meetings, because it makes it easy for people to see how goals are moved around relative to the other ones.
The Strategy Timeline planning tool developed by NineTwoThree provides a simple tool for leaders to effectively organize company goals and priorities. By providing a visual representation of objectives through time, the application allows leaders to produce effective flow-down to teams and communication to key company leaders. Ultimately, this ensures the company is taking aligned action and promotes understanding across business units. Learn more about how OnCenter helps businesses here.
