Project Details and Scope
I met Doug (Co-Founder & CEO, Shrine Development) two years ago. During the first year of our project, he acted as a mentor because we hadn’t raised enough to have their services full-time. We talked every three or four months.
Once our unsuccessful engagement ended with the other company, we realized that we were in a position where we needed additional support. After raising the capital, we were able to bring on Doug and his team.
We’ve invested between $100,000–$200,000. We started working with Shrine Development in May 2019, and the engagement is ongoing. In total, we worked with six or seven people from their team.
Initially, we engaged with Shrine Development to clean up the MVP we created. We had worked on the first version with another company, and they ended up wasting our time. Shrine Development came in to finish everything up.
Shrine Development finished an iOS application that another company started. Originally, we thought the product was 80% done, but it turns out that it was only 20%. Their team came in to clean and perfect the application.
The app supports consumers and financial institutions. The majority of it involves end-users, but financial information can be shared with different parties.
Project Outcome and Feedback
Shrine Development finished the development of an MVP for a financial planning service. The team updated and cleaned the platform. The engagement is ongoing.
I appreciate their focus on communication. They run their company with the experience of being a startup. They go beyond being a development company, going into a mentorship role. Doug, in particular, knows what a product needs. He manages his team, setting the appropriate expectations for everyone involved.
From a project management standpoint, they’re phenomenal. We have daily calls with their developers and meet in person weekly. Overall, we have great communication. As far for tracking, their team set up milestones for us. We also have a project management software that allows everyone to see what’s being worked on, due dates, and other workflows.
Advice for future clients?
Take advantage of the way they excel at communication. If a customer is wondering if they should work with them, I suggest being vocal about their concerns and questions. Getting that out in the open at the beginning is a benefit.
