"strategy"
How to Manage Budget and Deadlines on Agile Projects
Software projects are notorious for taking longer than expected to deliver. As a result, those projects cost more than…
The Dangers, and Benefits, of Software Fidelity
Cost is a fundamental constraint of all software projects. Engineering software is a complex practice, full of rabbit trails…
Five Things Every Executive Needs to Know about Ideation
All successful people are big dreamers - creative in every aspect of managing their career. However, when in a position of…
Five Things Every CEO Needs to Know about Software Design
There is an old adage, “Design is thinking made visible.” This is an absolute truth in the digital age. As a CEO it is…
Debunking the Parable of the Product Roadmap
Last year I went on a speaking tour across the United States. During that time, I attended many Agile conferences, meetup…
Build a better product by spending less time planning.
I’m a morning person. I enjoy rising early to plan my day and anticipate what I’ll accomplish. This routine provides clarity…
Why your developers should think more like a designer
Software exists to create an experience for a user, be it solving a problem or some other business value. Any development…
Supporting Your Team When They’re Working Remotely
The status of the Coronavirus has now reached the level of a pandemic. Major sports leagues, concerts, schools and…
Should You Refine or Redesign?
For any regional or national brand, a website redesign is a substantial project on many fronts. It can take months, even…
A Culture of Caring Part 1: Managing Your Team in a Work from Home World
Not too long ago, the concept of “working from home” was out of reach for the majority of Americans. Resources didn’t allow…
A Culture of Caring Part 2: Managing Your Newly Remote Team in Unprecedented Times
Many of us had no idea that our work worlds would be turned upside down when we first heard “Covid-19” on the news. Yet here…
What are the 4 Types of System Integration
Many companies use multiple systems in their everyday business operations. One system might act as a CMS for ecommerce…
What is Data Encryption and Why Is It Important?
A majority of businesses today have quite a lot of private information and data stored digitally, whether it’s in the cloud…
Challenges When Finding The Right Implementation Partner
When it comes to implementing software solutions, organizations often face the challenge of finding a suitable…
The Complexities of Software Implementation
Software implementation is a complex process that requires careful planning, development, testing, and deployment. Despite…
Time for Discovery to be a First Class Citizen
It’s time to recognize the immense value of the discovery process within the software development workflow, and to make it a…
How Venture Capital Decides On The Start Ups They Work With
Venture capital (VC) firms are known for their critical role in funding and supporting early-stage start-ups with high…
How to Block and Counter Sales Objections Like a Black Belt
Selling software is a lot like martial arts - bare with me here. As a salesperson, handling objections can feel like going…
Lessons from the Orchard: When Selling, Think Like a Farmer First
As long as I've been in sales the one thing that always rings true is - investing in customer relationships is like planting…
"Cooking up" The Right Team
Hey everyone, it's your pal Steve Fox here. And I've got a piping hot business tip for you - treating your employees right…
How to Improve Search Engine Ranking in 2021 Using Google Lighthouse
Google continuously makes changes to its algorithm throughout the year, but the first quarter of 2021 should bring some…
Walkthrough of a Google Lighthouse Report
In our recent post, How to Improve Search Engine Ranking in 2021 Using Google Lighthouse, I reviewed Google Lighthouse, how…
What is Customer-Centric Web Design & Why Is It So Important?
People that are unable to identify what a company actually does, or if they grow frustrated while trying to find out more…
The Cart Before the Horse: How System Integration Needs an Overhaul
What do you think when you hear this analogy? Probably you’re doing something out of order. How do we determine order? I…
Custom Software or Out of the Box For Your Manufacturing Process
Improving throughput on a plant floor can be a challenging task in any manufacturing process. The most effective way to…
How to Help Increase Ecommerce Sales Using Google Images
Did you know that approximately 75% of internet users in the United States regularly search for visual content before they…
How to Improve User Experience Using Path to Purchase
Each consumer has their own unique customer journey when they buy from your online catalog. Similarly, there are paths of…
What the Dominos ADA Court Ruling Means for Website Owners
For anyone not familiar with the ruling made by the Ninth District Court of Appeals on Tuesday, they found that Domino’s…
What can Marie Kondo and Tidying Up Teach Us About Marketing
If you’re not familiar with Marie Kondo, she is a recently famous organizing consultant, best-selling author and star of the…
Can You Afford to Have Your Content Go Unnoticed?
We’ve all heard it a million times - content is king. We get it. Content you post online needs to be relevant, useful,…
5 Tips For Using UX to Ensure Development Success
Your stakeholders are on board. You have your development team scheduled and ready to go. You’ve drafted requirements based…
Lifespan of Social Media Posts in 2021: How Long Do They Last?
Knowing the lifespan of your social posts can help you better plan your marketing strategy. We explore what those lifespans…
7 Ways to Optimize Your Ecommerce Product Pages
Our Path to Purchase Map provides key metrics, benchmarks and best practices when evaluating the overall effectiveness of…
How to Increase Your E-commerce Conversions & Sales
As any business owner or marketing manager who deals with e-commerce knows, increasing website conversions and sales is…
COVID-19: Free E-commerce Support for Retailers in Need.
The Refinery has felt our share of economic struggle over the last 19 years. I started the company in 2001 during the…
E-commerce SEO & How to Increase Organic Traffic
Building a strong SEO foundation will give search engines the information they need to determine how relevant your content…
How to Increase Website Traffic & Sales with Videos
A well thought out and professionally executed video strategy can be a game changer for any company. People love to watch…
2020 Digital Shelf Virtual Summit Session
Our CEO, Josh Walsh, was invited to take part in a conversation with Salsify as part of their Digital Shelf Institute, the…
How to Create Buyer Personas to Better Understand Your Customers
If you’re selling products or promoting services you offer online, you likely have a good idea who your customers are. This…
10 Ecommerce Holiday Planning Tips for 2020
The year 2020 has been a crazy one to say the least. Covid-19, masks, social distancing, businesses closing, and the list…
The Pros and Cons of Custom Software Devices in Healthcare
The healthcare industry is quite unique when it comes to technology. One of the main reasons for this is that industry…
My Journey to The Refinery
In today’s market you have to make it your job to find a job. You have to be diligent and not get discouraged, because…
RFP in's and out's
So your company has decided to go forward with a digital solution. The team has been put together and the idea has the green…
Extracting Business Intelligence from SAP
SAP builds some of the most widely used software for businesses in the world Concur, BTP, Arena, Aktie, and Hana as…
Warehouse Improvements
Modern day warehousing can be a highly efficient system and produce higher throughput by implementing the right changes. One…
Ways to Improve Advanced Manufacturing
The manufacturing industry is becoming increasingly complex. When profits are at stake, one of the most important things to…