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For over 25 years, we’ve combined our technical expertise with a partnership-focused approach𑁋delivering results that truly speak for themselves.

What truly sets us apart is how we engage with our partners. We take the time to understand what matters most to them, which is why every approach we take is uniquely tailored to their specific solution.

Discovery & Strategy

We kick off every project by working closely with you and your team in a discovery meeting to understand your vision and needs. Depending on the complexity and scale of our proposed solution, we’ll put together a team that includes project managers, designers, developers, or analysts, all tailored to your specific project. We’ll then present those custom solutions, discuss timelines, and clarify data requirements to make sure everyone is aligned from the start.

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Our design process is rooted in understanding your users and their behaviors. We gather user insights through research, interviews, and questionnaires which inform our design decisions. By focusing on user-centered and intentional designs, we create experiences that resonate with your audience.

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Our team works closely with you to create a solution that is both scalable and cost-effective. We keep the lines of communication open to ensure we're getting quick feedback from you at every stage. This allows us to continuously improve the solution and guarantee that we deliver the best possible results.

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As your partner, we view your solution as a long-term asset that we've designed to evolve alongside your growing needs. Projects typically unfold in multiple phases with each phase designed to optimize performance and ensure lasting success. Your dedicated team will equip you with actionable insights and best practices to keep you informed and supported with regular updates and performance improvements.

“Unlike large software companies where you’re just a number, Engage is a partner that listens, communicates, and adapts to our needs—not just for development, but for the years to come. That’s exactly what we were looking for, and we found it in Engage.”

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Latest News

5 Things to Keep in Mind for a Successful 3rd Party Integration

Written By
Dave Gambino
Tags
AMS

I’ve just returned from Review My AMS’s AMSfest where Teri Carden and company hosted a fantastic, boutique conference with 135 of their closest association exec, consultant and AMS vendor friends.

First, let me say that I love Chicago despite the insanely boring drive from St. Louis. Second, these are good people all around, so this was a worthwhile conference in my book. If you have the chance to go to the next one (tentatively later this year and in DC), I highly recommend it.

The event featured breakout sessions called Block & Tackles, and one that I attended and thought worthwhile was centered on 3rd Party Integrations led by Ben Muscolino of benel Solutions.

Integrations fall nicely into that complex type of work that makes our developers light up (they love a good hook up).

Inspired by the session, here are 5 things to keep in mind for a successful 3rd party integration to your AMS:

  1. Who is responsible for what? Defining early on in your project (or better still in your contract) who will be the responsible party for what (the AMS, the 3rd party, a development partner, or you) will lead to less finger pointing and diffusion of responsibility and more ownership of any issues.
  2. A friend of mine in real estate used to say “a written understanding makes for a longer friendship.” In software that can mean having a thorough and solid requirements document that details (thank you Kevin Baliozian from Medical Library Association for this share at the session).  Where you can’t (and this is more often the case), I’d encourage you to be open and understanding of an Agile approach.

I use the analogy of Joanna and Chip Gaines of the home renovation show Fixer Upper. In every episode, Chip uncovers something inside the walls that he hadn’t anticipated and Joanna must call the homeowner. She then suggests a change or new solution or removes that issue from the project if it puts things over budget.

This is really similar to what happens in software development.

Some things can’t be foreseen by even the best developers. It’s up to you to then decide how to embrace any change that’s needed.

  1. Identifying potential pitfalls and fail point possibilities will help with scheduling buffers and planning. It will also help you feel more on top of things if something goes wrong that you anticipated more so than if it happens unexpectedly.

See also #1 in this regard – whose job is it to fix something if it does break?

  1. How is this connection going to be done? API, Open API, REST API, SSO, Authentication?

Incidentally, this connection is far more likely to work if your providers have made the connection for someone else before. Be sure to ask your vendors for input on what software they’ve connected successfully in the past.

  1. How will you deal with upgrades needed in the future? Whether it’s your AMS, or the integrated piece that’s being upgraded, there’s a good chance the integration is going to break after an upgrade (on either side). How will you be prepared for that outcome? Have a plan.

Do you have an integration story? A horror story? Please share with me at jstone@engagesoftware.com and if I can incorporate how it could have been less scary or even avoided into this post, I will (in your email, please let me know if it’s ok to use your name).

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