Leaders Matrix Overview - Beta

SourcingLine, a leading provider of company directories and data, is now offering research on top companies in select service areas. We follow a proprietary methodology to independently assess a company's ability to deliver on its service promise and its focus on a specific service area. The outcome is the Leaders Matrix, a graphical representation of the top services firms in a given market.

The leaders matrix has two key dimensions, Ability to Deliver and Focus. The criteria for each are detailed below.

Ability to Deliver

The Ability to Deliver dimension is comprised of three different evaluation criteria. Each provider is scored from 1 to 10 on each criteria and the values are combined to give the overall Ability to Deliver. 

1. Profile - We consider the following questions in developing the profile score:

• Profile completeness - Does the service company provide a complete profile covering their offerings, skills and experience?
• Profile quality - Is the company information presented in a clear and professional manner that inspires confidence? Does their corporate website also provide consistent, high quality information.
• Reputation - Has the firm developed a strong reputation and authority in their chosen sector? Is this reputation reflected in independent metrics?

2. Portfolio - Our portfolio evaluation focuses on projects the companies have completed. Key questions include the following:

• Portfolio depth - How deep is the company's experience and how many projects have they submitted for review?
• Portfolio quality - How well are the projects presented and do they inspire confidence?
• Proof points of focus - How well do the projects align with the stated focus of the company?

3. References - A key part of our evaluation criteria is checking client references. We contact current and former clients and get their input on a range of qualitative and quantitative topics. Ratings include the following elements:

• Quality - Quality of services and deliverable.
• Schedule - Ability to meet deadlines and meet agreed project schedules.
• Cost - Overall value and conformance to cost estimates.
• Professionalism - Service providers's professionalism including responsiveness, flexibility and communication.

Focus

The Focus dimension is comprised of one or two levels of self reported criteria. Providers submit quantitative data on their areas of focus, essentially the percentage of the work they do in key areas. While having some of the common limitations of self reporting, the methodology requires a firm to quantify their focus and does not allow over reporting in multiple areas. For example, if a firm spends 80% of their time on Web Design, they could not report a similar value for Mobile Application Development.

Each Leaders Matrix integrates one or two areas of focus, depending on the breadth of the market being evaluated. For example, Mobile Application Development has one focus criteria, while iPhone Application Development has two (mobile application development and iPhone application development).