SolutionsIQ Helps the Washington Scholarship Coalition Match Students with Scholarships

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- SolutionsIQ (www.solutionsiq.com), a premier provider of distributed Agile software development, and Agile coaching, consulting, and training, today announced it has delivered vital Web site improvements for the Washington Scholarship Coalition. The enhancements to theWashBoard.org (www.thewashboard.org) have streamlined the process for students in the state of Washington to find and apply for scholarships and funding for higher education.

"Working with the SolutionsIQ team was a very high-quality experience," said Jeff Nicholls, project manager, Washington Scholarship Coalition. "Because of our close partnership there was a high percentage of 'getting it right the first time'. The fact that the team was very quick to become familiar technically with the application enabled us to run very quickly and efficiently. SolutionsIQ's Agile development methods are a great way to incorporate changes and deliver results quickly."

The new site, backed by local media coverage and a focused marketing effort to get more providers to list their scholarships, has attracted many new student-seekers (a 14 percent increase) and providers (+5 percent) since its deployment in late October. The Phase Two enhancements have generated excitement among providers who are looking forward to posting their scholarships for the upcoming academic year: nearly two-thirds of registered providers surveyed reported a "very good" or "great" experience on theWashBoard.org, and they consider the most important features of the site to be the fact that it is free, Washington-focused, and now has a range of flexible administrative options.

"We were pleased to help the Coalition with functionality improvements," said David Wylie, director of Agile Development Services for SolutionsIQ. "It's very important to match students with available scholarships, and the technical improvements we delivered have enhanced the process of searching and applying for funding. It's especially rewarding to reach low-income students and those who are the first in their families to seek a higher education."

With more than 30 years of experience, SolutionsIQ has a deep understanding of software delivery excellence. The company's broad range of consulting and training services are essential to any Agile project or transformation, and gives customers the tools and collaboration they need to succeed. SolutionsIQ is uniquely equipped to help organizations leverage modern Agile project management and software development methods to deliver solutions more reliably, with less risk and at lower cost.

More information about this initiative and theWashBoard.org is available at the Seattle Times (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2013215155_scholarships21m.html). SolutionsIQ's case study about the project is available on the company's Web site (http://www.solutionsiq.com/Resources/WashBoardCaseStudy.aspx).

About the Washington Scholarship Coalition

The Washington Scholarship Coalition is a public/private collaboration among foundations, state government, financial aid experts, and higher education professionals, established to improve access to higher education for students in Washington State. The Coalition seeks to ensure more students apply for scholarships; that the process of finding scholarships is made significantly simpler, more effective, and more engaging; and that data about both the supply of and demand for scholarship dollars becomes better understood.

About SolutionsIQ

SolutionsIQ is a leading provider of Agile consulting and training. The company offers a full array of technical consulting, software delivery, and talent acquisition services that together form a complete software development solution. For more than thirty years, SolutionsIQ has combined a hands-on approach with deep technical expertise to serve clients that range from the early stage startup to the Fortune 500.

SOURCE SolutionsIQ