10Pearls

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of ARInspect, a data-driven platform that uses AR and AI to help optimize and automate inspection processes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearls?

We engaged 10Pearls to help us develop an MVP solution for our AI-enhanced software from scratch.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

10Pearls designed and developed an MVP of our platform that consisted of a web-based portal and Android app, using Angular JS and Native Android. They created wireframes and incorporated features that allow users to scan text and search a database for specific results.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager, who managed 16–20 others on their team.

How did you come to work with 10Pearls?

One of our investors was in the same network as 10Pearls, so they connected us. We then spoke to some of their references and many of their previous clients had great things to say about their work.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $200,000–$250,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together at the end of May 2018 and they finished the scope of work within three months.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

10Pearls delivered a highly functional, well-designed UI/UX. Both current and potential clients have been very impressed by their work. The MVP they delivered has been a key factor to our success as a startup, helping us make a good impression in the industry.

How did 10Pearls perform from a project management standpoint?

They were timely, organized, and readily available throughout the engagement. We held daily stand-ups until our requirements were refined, and then met twice a week. It was a very collaborative process overall. We used different project management tools, including Basecamp and Zeplin for developing wireframes.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their UI/UX team is very impressive and their technical expertise are second to none. They were also attentive to our needs and requirements, which allowed them to execute very well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. They did everything correctly.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

They move at a fast pace, so I would just recommend taking an active role in the collaboration to keep things moving along smoothly.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the former senior VP of a company that provides web development, SEO, and social media marketing services for the home remodeling market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearls?

We needed help building a new web platform that gave more visibility of our services to our clients.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

10Pearls designed and developed a dashboard platform from scratch on WordPress, allowing users to convert social media and web traffic into leads. They integrated Yext, as well as Google AdWords.

The dashboard helps customers discover ways to improve their lead conversion rates, giving them more autonomy in the types of services we provide. Internally, our team is able to monitor customer usage of the platform.

What is the team composition?

We worked with an onshore project manager, who managed a team in Pakistan that included a senior UI developer, QA lead, and senior engineer.

How did you come to work with 10Pearls?

The CEO and I found them through our membership within the Mindshare community. 10Pearls was one of their recommended vendors, and they were the best fit out of the three companies we interviewed.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $20,000 per month, and up to $40,000 on a couple particularly busy months.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in late 2014 and wrapped up the project by November 2015.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

10Pearls built a platform that's boosted productivity by about 30%, significantly reducing the workload of our customer service representatives. The platform empowers customers to be more self-reliant, while allowing our team to charge more for more efficient support.

How did 10Pearls perform from a project management standpoint?

Aside from a few hiccups in the beginning, their team was receptive to our feedback and flexible in their willingness to adapt to our needs. We managed most of the project through Jira and a shared coding platform.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There's usually issues with different cultures and timezones when working with an overseas provider, but that hasn't been an issue with 10Pearls. Their U.S.-based project manager is very transparent, accessible, and made it seem as though their team was next door.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We've already communicated it to them, but they can make some improvements in their onboarding process to set up expectations better.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Listen to their feedback and input–they know what they're talking about.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm a senior managing director at a global consulting firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearls?

We lost our primary programmer in 2010, so we needed a company to help us with software development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We use a product called TrialMax, which is a trial presentation software for attorneys. It allows us to pack various things a lawyer might need for a trial into one program for easy display and adaptation. We were moving towards Windows 7, but some pieces of TrialMax were developed a couple of decades prior. The first thing 10Pearls did for us was getting TrialMax run stable on Windows 7. That process took a couple of months and went very well. The program now functions in a Windows 7 environment with the updates they've made. Then, they added tablet functionality and a feature that allows us to play and edit video depositions. With the new improvements we can also generate reports from the software. They were able to implement everything we wanted, including customized features for our clients.

What is the team composition?

We had one primary point of contact, which changed a couple of times over the years. We didn't interface directly with the developers.

How did you come to work with them?

We put out an RFP to find a development partner. 10Pearls seemed the most knowledgeable. We also liked the fact that they reviewed the software and gave us specific suggestions prior to the completion of the RFP process.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent about $650,000 over seven years.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in July 2011 and the project was completed in June 2018. We now have in-house development capabilities.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

There are some third-party programs that do what TrialMax does, but TrialMax does it all better. Although that is our proprietary piece, we don't sell it to the public at large. 10Pearls was our development partner for seven years and they continued to improve the software for all those years. Our clients and even judges recognize that it's a superior software compared to off-the-shelf programs.

Also, when clients requested certain features from us, they were able to implement them in a timely fashion, making our clients happy.

How did they perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive and proactive. They were communicating with us frequently, letting us know when they needed more work.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to add new things to the software that used some old languages and strap a jet engine to it. Also, their turnaround times were very good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They had some turnover, which is how things work in their industry. Sometimes, new people had to get up to speed, but that didn't slow us down at all. Every new point of contact was very knowledgeable and proactive. Also, they were able to keep the costs down.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We provide professional IT consulting services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearls?

We wanted to use 10Pearls’ expertise to augment our capabilities to deliver a complete package solution to our client.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us develop an iOS app that tracks vehicle maintenance. The app includes security features. The app was hosted off of the cloud. We use Amazon Web Services for cloud services. They assisted with wireframes and documentation. They provided design work as well.

There’s some security testing in progress on the app and 10Pearls provides help with things that come up from time to time.

What is the team composition?

There were two developers I interacted with. There was also a project manager.

How did you come to work with 10Pearls?

I had known the owner for quite some time. They made a name for themselves for doing mobile apps. I wanted to give them an opportunity.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2017 and the work is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We received feedback from the end customer and they like the app a lot. When there were issues, they addressed them.

How did 10Pearls perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed pretty well. There were some challenges that we communicated to them. We use email and Skype. We also use Microsoft Project as an integrated project management schedule tool.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They deliver work on a timely basis. The quality of work is good.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They’ve taken corrective actions on project management personnel that was interacting with us. They’ve improved that area.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Interact with their project manager closely. Make sure there is involvement from your company with their project manager on a routine basis.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the founder and CEO of a healthcare firm that provides Medicaid managed care.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearl?

In order to expand our clientele and generate profits, we must identify those predisposed towards certain high-cost and high-risk health conditions. We manage healthcare for high-risk members to help mitigate medical expenses. We currently lack an integrated system to deliver care management; instead, we operate our business using ad-hoc SQL reports and Excel. We needed resources to develop an integrated analytics software.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

10Pearl invited 30 of our stakeholders to their design studio for two days to brainstorm platform ideas and establish the project goals. They then built wireframes and mockups and shared them with us through InVision. Synthesizing our feedback, they created a clickable demo, which features a user-friendly design, clean charts, and task queues. They’re currently proceeding into a full development stage and are preparing to migrate our data warehouse from Azure to AWS.

What is the team composition?

The core team includes a project manager, who facilitates daily tasks and meetings; two UX developers, who work remotely; and a data specialist, who primarily collaborates with our CIO and consultant to build the data and system infrastructure.

How did you come to work with 10Pearl?

I met their CEO through our mutual professional network. Although I researched other companies, I noticed 10Pearl’s high referral rate and award-winning reputation. They also boasted an impressive client base. I met with them a few times and liked what they had to say.

How much have you invested with them?

We prefer to keep the project cost confidential at this time.

What is the status of this engagement?

Work began in January 2018 and is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We value the amount of thought they’ve put into the software demo. So far, its functionality has generated positive feedback and excitement from our internal team.

In terms of collaboration, their two-day design studio encouraged an inclusive development process that pushed us to involve stakeholders beyond the subject-matter experts.

Furthermore, we appreciate that they learned enough about our business to have a thoughtful debate with us on system functionalities. As a result, they’re able to offer valuable insights that we haven’t considered or have overlooked.

How did 10Pearl perform from a project management standpoint?

They maintain tight timelines to ensure we adhere to our semi-weekly meetings and sufficiently review documents before communicating. We primarily collaborate through Basecamp and InVision, where we provide live feedback on the mockups and wireframes. This allows us to track comments from stakeholders across multiple departments and promotes transparency.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We admire their ambitious spirit and desire to exceed expectations. Not only do they want to succeed, they strive to produce functionally and visually unique software. That drive resonates through their entire team, from developers to executives.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Although Basecamp and InVision help foster a transparent collaboration, 10Pearls could benefit from incorporating a running list of comments and feedback. Occasionally, they would note a change that we made but would not include it in future memos. Only when confirming the change, would they provide us with their notes. A transparent running list of project tasks would serve all parties to ensure task completion.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Nothing comes to mind.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Broken Timber processes electronic payments. I was their CEO.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearls?

We initially brought them on to develop a mobile app with us.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They built a brand-new Android and iOS app over an existing gateway and integrated it with various other systems. It handles electronic payments from various inputs, including online and POS retailers. We already had a payment gateway, so the app was designed to build out our API and integrate it into that existing gateway. 10Pearls also provides maintenance and other support services.

What is the team composition?

There is an assigned project manager. I’m not sure how big their team is, but work peaked at about 400 hours per month.

How did you come to work with 10Pearls?

We were outsourcing to a group in India and another in Canada. We wanted to consolidate and get more value for our money. A colleague worked with 10Pearls and recommended them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent over $1 million on our various projects with them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in 2013. The initial project wrapped up in 2016, but we assigned them other projects and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our cost went down and our quality went up, especially in terms of our delivery speeds. Our biggest issue with the old system was downtime. Even a short time offline in the middle of the night could upset clients running huge batches or moving money and cause major customer service problems. 10Pearls stabilized our platform and moved us to the cloud to avoid outages. They’re instrumental in increasing system uptime. We’ve ended our contracts with the other firms because 10Pearls did such good work.

How did 10pearls perform from a project management standpoint?

I don’t work with them every day. I get updates from them and everything seems to work well. To my knowledge, the rest of my team interacts with them through Basecamp.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We got things done with minimal iterations. They were flexible if we had to change specifications or make updates for clients. They deliver quickly on requests and finish projects within a fraction of the time it took our old vendors. We also appreciate that they’re local to us and can work during our regular workday.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I don’t have anything they should change, but will always be happier with a lower price tag.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Communicate with them and don’t worry about overcommunicating. They’re willing to talk.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the founder of Compliant Clouds. Our company is both a software and cybersecurity product. We enable companies to meet security requirements while performing their normal business activities. The way we design security into apps is also somewhat transparent to the user.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearls?

I came to 10Pearls with basically just a concept. I had several user stories that indicated what I wanted users to experience, as well as extensive security requirements to lay into this software application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

It was really a two-part engagement. First, they made an interactive mockup. From a user experience perspective, it considered workflows, from log ins to file management and email integration. They defined the product’s look and feel like, which let me start the preliminary marketing aspects, and let the development team create a detailed cost estimate. They used an Azure platform which is integrate with a CMS and content Microsoft Outlook email for the primary infrastructure and software integration.

10Pearls was able to make my dream into a reality. As part of our design team, they created a mockup of the product. As a security team, they designed the security architecture. Ultimately, as a development team, they built the product itself. They were there from the beginning all the way until now. We're currently in market, selling the product to companies.

What is the team composition?

On the user experience side, I had dedicated project managers throughout. We also had five or six UI/UX developers for the first part of the engagement, the interactive mockup. For the second half, I had both an onsite project manager and an offshore technical project manager, as well as a team of 15-17 developers.

How did you come to work with 10Pearls?

I stumbled upon 10Pearls by searching for “best software development firms” on Google. They were featured in several blog posts. I sent them an email, and their founder responded on the weekend saying our project sounded great, and that he'd love to meet within two days. Even at the outset of the engagement, he brought in the leadership to say our idea seemed worth pursuing.

I went through 2-3 providers prior, and ended up terminating those contracts because neither could meet both our software development and security requirements. Of the many software development teams out there, few understand security requirements relative to the government and government contractors. 10Pearls was the one that did. Of 10 quotes I solicited, they weren't the cheapest, but were by the least risky, and I could tell they knew exactly what to do and how they would go about it.

What is the status of this engagement?

The mock-up was a six-week engagement from March to May 2017. We did the development engagement for three and a half months, from September to December 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They developed a product that was marketable, and I landed my first customer within two weeks of going live. They met all the requirements for both the design and the security aspects. You can't get much better than what they completed. It was pretty remarkable.

One of the best things they did was to come in on time and on budget. That's unheard of in the software development world. Usually, the costs doubles by the end of engagement. As a startup, I didn't have a padded capitalization budget where I’d raised twice the stated amount to build the product. They accommodated my narrow budget margin.

How did 10Pearls perform from a project management standpoint?

I was absolutely happy with the level of communication. We used Jira, email, and mostly Slack. I’d been a bit nervous about using a blended shore team, in terms of the geographical separation and the quality of oral and written communication, but they were fantastic. They intuitively understood exactly what I was going for.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their leadership is what ultimately distinguishes them from their competitors. The CTO and Chief Security Officer really wanted their customers to succeed, and delivered both the technology and security that's necessary for success.

Are there any areas they could improve?

When they presented options, they gave them each equal weight, even if there was an array of five to choose from. Perhaps they could give a clear recommendation for what they think is best, and present the other options as secondary.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

The level of detail in my requirements enabled 10Pearls to succeed. Come to them with your ideal requirements, and they can turn them into a reality. My overall experience was so great that I trusted them in a lot of ways for areas in which I didn't know the answers. Even when I only had a general concept of what I wanted, they were able to extrapolate great new solutions. They gave me the kind of feedback that always kept the project going.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the Chief Product Officer of Zubie, a connected car company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearls?

We were a startup that had secure funding, and we were on an aggressive path to launch a consumer-facing product within 4 months. We’d developed hardware, but needed to develop the entire software stack and mobile application.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped with all aspects of our early launch. We approached 10Pearls with the requirements to build an entire software layer that allowed us to collect data coming from car devices and analyze it. We would then use this location, activity, and driving behavior information and present it in the form of a mobile app and web service.

They initially started by developing the UX for the mobile app, but ended up helping us with iOS and Android development as well. They used DHTML [Dynamic HTML] to build the custom SaaS [software-as-a-service] web service platform.

What is the team dynamic?

During peak development, we used up to 30 people from their team. We communicated with their 5–6 onshore contacts on a daily basis, including their senior team, architects, and managers. We also communicated on an as-needed basis with the key offshore team members, including the team lead and certain engineers.

How did you come to work with 10Pearls?

I brought them in for another company several years ago to develop our mobile strategy and help launch our first mobile app. Since then, I’ve engaged with them in some form for every other company I’ve been at.

How much have you invested in them?

We spent over $1,000,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started this project in May 2013, and it was finished in July 2013.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We were in the consumer-connected car space, which meant we provided apps and services that normal individuals, such as families, used. The user experience and quality of the product were what we based our business on. We grew to be the second most prominent connected-car provider in the U.S., and also had a monopoly in Germany. We did pretty well, and we’ve also maintained a 4-star rating on Amazon. Our success, in large part, is due to 10Pearls’s work.

How did 10Pearls perform from a project management standpoint?

They were excellent. I wouldn’t have used them for as long as we did and across as many companies as I have if I weren’t satisfied with their work. One of the key advantages they brought was their ability to provide a lot of flexibility. As a startup, needs change dramatically on a daily basis, and requirements are never permanent. They are very adaptable and able to support such changes, whether it has to do with resources, project strategies, budgeting, or capital capabilities.

We mostly communicated via phone and email. We’re both located in Washington, D.C., so I would often meet with them at their headquarters.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They combine a strong vision for the types of services they wish to provide in order to grow their business along with the need and respect for their customers’ needs. Generally, I found that they were usually a couple steps ahead of us as we moved from areas in which we needed help.

Initially, we started using them just for the UX, but quickly moved into engineering, backend engineering, and then QA. I highlight their ability to provide and seamlessly blend a full portfolio of services that companies need, whether they’re a startup or large organization, when I recommend them to friends.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I suggest thinking about 10Pearls as more of a long-term partner instead of just focusing on what needs to be done within the first 2–4 weeks. They become invaluable, and potential clients will really want to rely on them beyond that initial timeframe. Being able to think about it as more than a partnership always yields better results.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am a founder of a cloud-based investment research portal that predominantly covers hedge funds. We provide information, analysis, intelligence, and analytical tools to help investors make decisions about where to allocate their time and investments.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearls?

The small size of our internal development team necessitated more resources to allow us to build a new frontend design and user interface, as well as to improve our overall functionality. 10Pearls’ team was scalable and their work was cost effective, which made them an excellent solution for our needs.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Their primary task was a frontend and user interface re-design. Our most immediate need was a new landing page, a re-imagination of the architecture for how a client or prospect would first experience the website and its navigation. Its previous iteration was a pure database, and 10Pearls made the site much more straightforward to use. Their next task was to build out a complex search and filter function for the whole website, allowing the user to sort funds with different attributes and parameters using sliders. They worked on the Django platform with Python as their primary code language, although the majority of the frontend was completed in both HTML and Javascript.

What is the team dynamic?

10Pearls provided a technical project manager with whom I liaised, and he incorporated either front- or backend developers to work with our internal team as needed. He also facilitated the transfer of code and knowledge to our in-house team, to allow us to better integrate their work with the final product on our end. In addition to the manager, their team typically involved two developers and one designer whose involvement depended on the work being done on any individual day.

How did you come to work with 10Pearls?

I was referred to 10Pearls by an acquaintance that knew the CEO, Imraan Aftab, and offered to make an introduction.

How much have you invested with them?

We have invested roughly $30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The initial project we began in May of 2017 ended in August. However, it is an ongoing relationship, in that we intend to hire them again in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The most in-demand feature that 10Pearls developed for us was the search and filter function. We track our client and prospect feedback closely, and since the website’s redesign, we have received positive responses from between 25 to 30 unique users.

How did 10Pearls perform from a project management standpoint?

Overall, their level of communication was very good. They used Basecamp to update us on their progress in real time, and we had a standing meeting at the beginning of every week during the project period. Their team was able to meet any deadlines we provided, and if they were delayed, they informed us in advance to allow for the adjustment of our schedules. In those rare instances, the delay was usually due to something on our end rather than being their fault.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their comprehensive approach to development was unique and effective. It felt like you had one partner, when in reality a team of 10Pearls’ finest were working on your behalf. They were able to scale their team size depending on our needs, from bringing in technically skilled backend developers to thoughtful designers, all of which provided us with high value at a lower cost. We have likely not utilized their full capabilities yet, which I am looking forward to seeing in the future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Because 10Pearls was working in conjunction with our internal development team, there were some natural growing pains. This primarily lay with our need for greater preparedness in terms of team expansion and duty relegation. During the project, a couple of scheduled meetings were canceled without forewarning, although that did not inhibit their ability to meet our overarching deadlines.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you have in-house developers that will be collaborating closely with an outside team, make sure prior to the start of the project that your staff are comfortable being as transparent as possible. The more able you are to isolate your own information technology and then be able to share the rest of your technical capabilities, the more efficient this type of relationship will be. Beginning with an internal conversation about your own team’s level of comfort with outside workers will encourage a productive start to any similar collaborative effort.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CTO of a telemedicine company. We build a SaaS product that enables system-wide telehealth for hospitals and healthcare providers.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with 10Pearls?

We needed to augment our existing team in order to handle the development of our products.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They assist the in-house team in developing all aspects of our platform. They’re full stack developers working on node, angular, and postscripts. 10Pearls is responsible for our user-facing websites, legacy mobile app, admin back-end, and APIs.

What is the team dynamic?

I meet with their lead project manager and technical lead, respectively. The number of developers is 5–20, but it depends on the resources required.

How did you come to work with 10Pearls?

We reviewed a dozen other local companies and chose them based on quality and pricing.

How much have you invested with them?

We spend $1,500,000–$2,000,000 per year.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2015 and the relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Based on the Jira tickets we track, they have done great in terms of productivity and quality. They have reliably delivered on what was asked of them and done so on time.

How did 10Pearls perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management is very strong. We have scheduled meetings 2–3 times a week with their lead project manager. The technical lead is there as well. The three of us go over the status of work items as laid out in Jira. During those meetings, they have all of the questions lined up and ready to go and do a great job of relaying that information to the developers.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their English is phenomenal, especially compared to other offshore companies we have worked with in the past, and been very consistent in terms of turnaround. They get the job done, work hard, and are very responsive. I’ve never had to question if I should replace them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I would not trust them exclusively to execute on a big project. But, I’d say that’s true when working with any offshore company. It’s better to have a stakeholder in-house, working with them, to drive the strategy and architecture of the project.