Simple Thread

I’m the lead reliability engineer for Dominion Energy. We essentially control all of the power for Virginia and parts of North Carolina.

We have to run a multitude of computer-based simulations to understand whether or not the power grid is reliable. My group handles all of the data analytics on planned outages and had a ton of data that needed to be packaged in a way that an engineer or end-user could easily understand.

We worked with Simple Thread to build an interface that presents all of our data in a clear, concise, and logical format. Their team created the system’s first UI stage and then built the second UI stage. They’re currently working on a third project. Their team’s now spinning all of our analytics onto 12 new servers. Simple Thread has coded in Python.

The size of the team ebbs and flows depending on the complexity of the project’s stage. We initially worked with about six people and then 2–3 people full-time during the first project. During the second project, we worked with only two people because they already set up the majority of the design and infrastructure. We’re now working with three people full-time from Simple Thread.

My colleague previously worked with Simple Thread and recommended them. We also wanted to work with a local and smaller tech team that could rapidly deliver a product. When we first met with them, the whole organization joined. We discussed our problem and then set up several subsequent meetings.

We’ve spent $750,000 on this project.

We kicked off the first project with them in the summer of 2019, and our partnership's ongoing.

Simple Thread took a product that we couldn't present to engineers because it contained lines and lines of data and created a clean, beautiful, and easy-to-use UI. They helped us propel our analytics platform to where it needs to be. We’re considered industry leaders which wouldn’t be possible without Simple Thread.

We have a biweekly conference call and communicate via email too. We like their speed and hospitality. I’ve been in this industry for 25 years, and Simple Thread’s project management skills are as strong, if not stronger, than other agencies I’ve engaged. If they have a question, their team doesn’t sit on it. They let us know when they need our input to move the project forward.

I don’t think our first project would’ve been possible if we didn’t work with a local agency. I appreciate their communication too. With Simple Thread, there aren’t language or time barriers. Their team’s smart, young, and fast. They’re local and communicate well, so it’s been a pleasure working with them.

We just want them to continue growing their relationship with us. We consider them a key player in this platform. Justin (Partner & Engineer) needs to continue to grow his team and offer resources to us. We invested a lot of time in them, and I know they want to continue the relationship too.

Simple Thread can handle essentially any technical challenge but it’s important that you paint the picture for them. I would advise other clients to spend time taking notes, making slides, and developing white papers on their problems and then give Simple Thread those resources.

I’m the director of research in the custom applications consulting services department at the University of Virginia. We do custom software applications for anybody throughout the university.

We had to change the scope of the system; it was becoming more of an enterprise-wide system. We also wanted to implement automated testing.

Simple Thread helped build software, which we were developing as an in-house grants management system. It’s an enterprise-wide system that supports the research community for proposal development, award management, and other workflows. Their team helped us get up to speed with writing a test and implemented an automated testing infrastructure. They also helped implement the functional areas of the system including the electronic sponsor action requests. Basically, the component replaced a number of paper forms within the university into an electronic request and workflow system for first sponsor programs.

We worked with one contractor—David (Senior Software Engineer, Simple Thread).

My manager had a relationship with Simple Thread through the university. We looked for expertise in certain areas such as automated testing. We contacted their team and felt comfortable with their background as well as the type of services they could provide.

We ended up investing $525,000 over the course of a few years.

We started with David in November 2016 and the engagement ended last week.

There were four major areas of functionality that were implemented while David was on board and it wouldn’t have happened without him including automated testing, proposal development, non-funded agreement module, and the electronic sponsor action requests. Those four things all happened while David was with us. He was a key member of the team.

We handled the project management on our end because we had David on as an extra developer. Even though he worked remotely, we were engaged with him every day through ZOOM meetings and Slack. We’re an agile shop, so he participated in sprint ceremonies. His communication and availability were excellent. It was easy to keep him on task and know where he was in the process. Plus, he kept us up to date as far as what he was working on and how it was going. The engagement worked out fantastically.

Simple Thread was not a huge operation. All their developers are competent as well as their principals. Not only do they have their client’s best interest in mind, but they also understand the talent of the people they’re providing for their services. Bigger agencies have products or people that don’t work out because they’re just another body that moves through the company. Simple thread invests a lot to keep their staff up to date on technology. They provide top-notch talent to work on projects.

I don’t have anything negative to say.

Like any project, keep communication channels open so that everybody is on the same page. Not everybody at Simple Thread works on-site, so interact with their team daily to keep a pulse on what’s going on.

I’m the senior producer at SpangTV. We’re a Richmond based production company that works in all aspects of film and video. We’re primarily commercial based, but also create content for the web and television, amongst other applications.

We needed to freshen our website a bit, while also maintaining our WordPress backend solution. We were looking for a vendor to adjust the site to put it on par with industry standards.

Simple Thread changed the way our site functioned. The team kept our video content forward facing and also allowed us to keep using our backend video-hosting solution. They gave us a full bleed image and reel for our home page, and then subsequent pages with different drill-downs and reels for separate directors.

We worked directly with two members of the Simple Thread team, one of which was Brian (Director of Business Development, Simple Thread).

I knew one of their employees from outside of work. After viewing his work on their website, I reached out to him to try and gauge his technical knowledge; not only was he knowledgeable, but he was an expert. I decided from that point that I didn’t want to work with anyone else but him.

We began this project in January 2019 and completed it in April 2019.

The feedback on Simple Thread’s work was positive.

They performed great from a project management standpoint. Brian kept us on track, which isn’t always easy considering how busy we can get.

Working with them felt very much like a personal relationship. I was especially impressed with how they performed on a professional level.

No, not on this job. I definitely think they did outstanding work.

Potential customers shouldn't hesitate to select Simple Thread.

I am the COO of Dominion Due Diligence Group. We perform due diligence services for real estate transactions that use Federal Housing Administration-financed loans and mainly focus on multifamily housing.

We struggled to find a project management software that matched our needs because of the sheer volume of data that we work with. We operate in all 50 states, and we have about 30 terabytes worth of project data. Most of the off-the-shelf project management software packages can't support us. We hired Simple Thread to build a custom project management software for us.

Simple Thread managed our product from soup to nuts. We identified our pain points, but we had little idea as to what kind of solution would be suitable. Simple Thread conducted a business analysis, defined how our business runs, and determined what type of support we needed in our software. They ultimately designed and developed a Ruby-based solution. Though they built the software several years ago, we still have Simple Thread on a retainer to provide a certain number of support hours each month.

The firm’s two partners serve as our project managers and main points of contact. We also work with as many as three developers.

One of our IT systems technicians is well-networked in the Richmond and Central Virginia area, and he initially found Simple Thread through his connections. For large initiatives like this, we typically consider at least three firms. Simple Thread proved to be the best of our finalists.

The software package was probably about $80,000 by itself. Over the years, we’ve spent around $500,000 in all.

The main software development project spanned May 2013–February 2014.

We received an impressive software package. When we show it to clients, it’s common for them to request contact information for Simple Thread so that they can contact them regarding similar projects. With the new project management system, we’re far more productive than we ever were with off-the-shelf solutions.

We’re fortunate to have the firm’s two partners assigned to our project. They are some of the most experienced project managers that I’ve worked with. We have conference calls every other week that range from 15 minutes to an hour. In emergencies, the most we have to wait is an hour or two. The team is very responsive and reliable, and I can’t say that about all of our other vendors.

They’re easy to work with, which is why we’re still working with them. They’ve taken the time to understand our business, and when we give them a new challenge, we don’t have to reiterate why we need it or the risks involved. Simple Thread is thoroughly familiar with our business.

I’m under the impression that Simple Thread has struggled to grow or find quality developers at times. If we were to take on a significant initiative with them where we’d need their support for several months again, it would depend on their ability to find the appropriate resources.

I would recommend working with Simple Thread. They’re easy to work with, and they have smart people running the company.

I'm an IT support specialist at Outdoor Living Brands, a franchise business catering to the outdoor living market.

We were looking for a vendor to perform custom development on an existing pricing tool used by one of our brands.

Our list of action items included enhancing the UX of the software so end-users could navigate the pricing tool more efficiently.

Simple Thread was recommended to us by another agency. After speaking with the team, we were impressed by their professionalism and outstanding communication style. They also provided references that complemented their work.

The team first collaborated with internal stakeholders to define the project specifications and scope. They picked up where another specialist had left off on the pricing tool development. They accomplished a number of tasks and released the updated tool in a short amount of time.

The project team consisted of three specialists. Most of the communication was facilitated by Mike (Software Engineer, Simple Thread) and Brian (Director of Business Development, Simple Thread).

The Simple Thread team kept the software up-to-date and responsive to the needs of the end-user.

The team’s stellar project management was aided by ongoing communication about every aspect of development.

The team was able to personalize the business relationship through meaningful collaboration. It felt as though they had worked with us for several years rather than a few months.

I'm happy with the team’s work.