How a global talent agency transformed development reporting with Bloomfilter

Overview

Disrupt or be disrupted

With the recent advances of Artificial Intelligence, the proliferation of streaming services, and the myriad of other technological advances within entertainment, it's no shock that Hollywood is being transformed. It’s a world that’s become a game of “disrupt or be disrupted” with technology being the differentiating factor.

Michael Keithley is not standing at the sideline during this transformation. For years, Michael has invested heavily in software platforms, both custom and off-the-shelf with customization, to ensure that their agents, assistants, and coordinators have best-in-class tooling to do their jobs and stay competitive in this new technology-led market.

Michael knows a thing or two about disruption. He has been named a Top 100 CIO by STEMconnector, part of the Business Transformation 150 by Constellation Research, and is an advisor to top venture capital firms including Greylock and Sequoia.

“Whether or not we like it, ” says Michael Keithley, CIO of a global talent agency, “technology is here to stay. We need to invest in technologies that are transformative in our industry. Every company is a technology company now; we’re no different.”

We need to invest in technologies that are transformative in our industry. Every company is a technology company now; we’re no different.

However due to the unique nature of their business, Michael has been unable to answer three basic questions about their software development efforts:

What are we going to get?
When are we going to get it?
How much is it going to cost?

Challenge

Communicate progress accurately and build confidence within the organization

Michael builds and releases a complex platform that spans multiple use cases and touches every employee, external and internal stakeholders, and is used at a high volume. Some of the platform challenges include:

Master data management (MDM)
High up-time
Custom Analytics & Algorithms
Mobile and Web experiences
Low Latency
Multi-industry support

Each one of these areas requires unique and complicated processes in order to achieve the results needed for the fast-moving entertainment market. On top of that, each part of the platform is managed by different teams, sometimes external, which adds an extra layer of complexity as it all comes together to meet the agencies’ needs.

Different teams. Bespoke release processes. Rapid growth. This all spells difficulty in managing the SDLC and being able to accurately report progress.

Solution

From “green, green, green, red” reporting to Bloomfilter, “a paradigm shift in how to create alignment.”

Michael was trying to manage these complex processes, weekly meetings and reporting with “power points.”

“I feel like it’s groundhog's day. Every week I go into my program status meetings with my team and I hear the same thing: it's all going great. How can it be going great? We’re two months behind schedule and there is no end in sight. The powerpoints I receive aren’t worth the paper they are printed on most of the time. ”

And then, Bloomfilter.

“Bloomfilter has been game-changing in the way my team understands the progress on their programs and projects. We use the advanced analytics and process tooling to pinpoint problems and see right through our most opaque roadblocks to create insights we’ve never had before”

We use the advanced analytics and process tooling to pinpoint problems and see right through our most opaque roadblocks to create insights we’ve never had before

Since Bloomfilter, Michael will not “even open the powerpoints” anymore.

Remember the complexity of Michael’s SDLC?

For Michael and his team, being able to accurately measure their process and outcomes, ensures that the organization as a whole has confidence in their ability to implement the technology required to keep them competitive in the entertainment industry.

And thanks to Bloomfilter, the executive team now has “a common platform and language that all key stakeholders including the CEO and COO use to discuss the key outcomes that they are investing in.”

Overview

A fully understood SDLC that builds confidence and trust

"Bloomfilter has excelled at illuminating issues in our key objectives and initiatives that are preventing teams from getting their work done and hitting their commitments. What I didn’t expect was how useful the conversations that the platform created within my immediate team and around the business.”

What I didn’t expect was how useful the conversations that the platform created within my immediate team and around the business

Our “Initiatives” functionality has been critical for Michael as he reports the true progress of the company's investments in technology, and not just for their custom software development efforts.

In addition, Michael uses the “Financials” module to align expectations with the Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) team to ensure that they are getting the insight that they need to continue to invest in technology at the rate that is required. "I was amazed how easy it was to setup and use Bloomfilter within my teams."

Ultimately, Bloomfilter creates a confidence in the technology department that has never been there before. Project and Program leaders can quickly leverage Bloomfilter and analyze their teams from many different levels; whether that is Initiatives, Team, Portfolio, or even Sprint level. They can effortlessly move up and down the stack of information needed to properly lead and manage technology investments, in a way that they couldn’t before.

“Bloomfilter helps me visualize our progress in a way that I have never been able to do in my 30+ year career. It’s a real game changer.”

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