Everyone’s journey to working with Highland is wildly different, but once we actually get started it is stunningly similar.
Maybe you’re part of a large enterprise and you’ve just wrapped a six-month phase of RFIs, RFPs, meetings with procurement, and executive approvals. Maybe you’re an army-of-one and you made the decision in a week. Maybe you’ve been transitioning away from a different partner for several years and it is time to finally make the leap.
The point is that chapter is finally over and it is time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Rejoice! This is a huge milestone in your project.
But… now what?
Well, being a digital experience agency and all, we have put a perhaps unreasonable amount of thought into this very question. So here’s what to expect when you’re starting a custom software project at Highland.
BEFORE KICK-OFF
Logistics
After getting the paperwork and legal out of the way, we can get an official start date locked in.
We like kicking off projects when we’re face-to-face with our clients. Given this, we’ll discuss the where and when. We love hosting in our Chicago office (we’re downtown in The Loop!) but we’re also happy to visit your location. We’ll often decide where to go based on travel constraints. For example, if you have a team of 10 and we have a team of 2, it probably makes sense for us to come to you.
Tool Onboarding
In the time between planning logistics and the kick-off day, we’ll onboard you to our tools. This happens via a quick video call. We’ll make sure you can log in and have a general familiarity with each tool and why we use them.
There are three core tools you’ll be using: Slack, Jira, and Confluence.
Slack
Highlanders rarely email each other. Instead, We have Slack channels for every project, initiative, and team. If you’re not used to communicating this way, it can be overwhelming at first. Be sure to let us know your preferences and we’ll help show you how to make Slack a bit quieter. Personally, I have all badges and notifications disabled.
