As a 150+ year old company, ABS has often had to evolve with the times. Over the centuries they had adapted as ships moved from wooden sailing vessels, to steam, to modern forms of vessel construction and propulsion.
Today's technology-forward world presents unique challenges and opportunities. ABS customers expect ordering complex vessel surveys and inspections to be as easy and convenient as ordering a ride share, or food from a local restaurant.
Keeping pace with these evolving customer expectations meant making fundamental changes in the way ABS delivers services to its customers and within its own business.
This time, evolution meant undergoing a digital transformation.
“I had lunch with David this time last year, and we talked about all of the various challenges I was facing in my organization: delivery, culture, and development of key technical talent. He came in and systematically knocked them out over the course of a year.”
We led a team of remote ABS developers in ABS delivery of a mobile solution unlike any other in the industry, including an app for iOS/Android and a text-based SMS app for use when customers were in places where their internet access was poor or frequently interrupted, such as the open sea.
These applications cut down on the time needed to schedule crucial vessel inspections and surveys, increasing sales while helping ABS make the seas safer.
We transformed the ABS development teams with product-focused agile development practices for faster, more reliable development.
This fundamentally changed the relationship between the IT organization and the business.
Instead of asking “why does IT cost so much?” business leaders began asking, “what else can you do for me?”
ABS needed to expand the flexibility and reach of their products and systems, which meant moving to the cloud.
We worked with the leadership team to build an understanding of the cloud, and developed a detailed plan for migrating the organization to the cloud that they felt comfortable with.
One of the key hallmarks of a successful consulting engagement is that you don’t just solve a single problem, you leave your client able to solve problems without you.
We took the time to identify key technical talent at ABS and bring them along for the ride. By guiding the growth of these key individuals during actual product delivery and launch, we left them able to tackle future product development efforts on their own.
We solve the problems that keep you up at night and leave your team with lasting solutions to solve the next problem before it even starts.
