BJSS

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the department CTO for a global bank. I’m in charge of delivering software and products that enable us to onboard customers through current accounts. We also provide offerings such as loans and credit card products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BJSS?

We wanted to improve the digital capability of our software and products delivery. Our system needed to be more lean and agile, and we wanted to work with a niche partner in the UK that was specialized in agile software delivery.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them one of our products and tasked them with the mission of creating a cross-functional team that would augment our dev team. They created a backlog of work and delivered on it. We’re also having some challenges with our pipelines and platforms that haven’t matured, so they also work on those tasks. They use JavaScript, Node.js, and React and have improved our tech abilities and digital products. 

What is the team composition? 

Their team includes a scrum master, agile project manager, tech lead, product owner, business analyst, architect, and a few UX/UI designers.

How did you come to work with BJSS?

A colleague recommended them. They were willing and able to work on our project, so we hired them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We partnered in November 2016, and the work is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

They were a critical part of forming what is now an incredibly successful organization. They helped define the model that has been adopted globally. Almost all of our UK customers are onboarded to a current account through the software they engineered.

How did BJSS perform from a project management standpoint?

Their team is on site, so we have clear communication. They do good work and integrate well with our internal team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re a smaller, more nimble organization that understands what an agile approach is and what makes a good digital product. They have strong industry-leading technical capabilities and experience in the type of work we wanted to get done. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

Some of the team members weren’t aligned well with our strategy, and they took us in a direction we didn’t want to go. However, those people have now left, and we’re back on track. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the head of the project management office for a division within EMIS Health, a supplier of health-related software across the health market. The majority of our market share is within the primary care field, where we provide software that holds patient records. The division I work for is related to big data or business intelligence.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with BJSS?

One of our strategic partners had a product they wanted to bring to market, which required integrating it with our own product. Our inability to provide that service was straining our relationship. We brought BJSS on to deliver that integration.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our product is primarily a web-based, desktop system for general practitioners and primary care administrators. It possesses administrative and individual medical record functionalities including anything to do with the patient’s records, medications, past problems. It’s also connected to a massive backend database that holds all patient records across the country. Our partner company is a prescribing support service. They provide software that takes an extract from our database, anonymizes it, and sends it to a third party that analyzes it and makes suggestions for medication changes based on either price of efficacy.

The integration BJSS is developing will send those recommendations back to our own system via a web portal to be accepted or rejected by clinicians. The decision is then logged in our core SQL database. Our desktop system runs on .NET while the integration utilizes JSON, HTML, and JavaScript.

What is the team composition?

We’re working with a project manager, a business analyst, a tech lead, a test lead, and six developers. I’m in contact with everyone regularly.

How did you come to work with BJSS?

We’d worked with them on several previous projects. As an organization, we hadn’t successfully engaged with external contractors in any form, and most of our development work had been carried out in-house. After bringing them on for a project that didn’t pan out, we asked them to do discovery for the integration, in conjunction with our strategic partner. A later decision was made between our partner and ourselves to have them do the development as well.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent around £600,000 ($792,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We’ve been working together since November 2018 and expect to finish around May 2019.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

BJSS has made significantly more progress than any of our internal teams could have. We won’t be able to speak about success until we cross the finish line, but BJSS’ work has put us in a fantastic position.

How did BJSS perform from a project management standpoint?

They put us to shame in this area in some respects, so I’m using them as a model for how we can improve internally. Their speed of work is superior to our native teams’, as is their code turnaround. They communicate well, but they could also better accept our own limitations. Our product has evolved significantly in the past 10–15 years, and we aren’t technically knowledgeable enough to provide BJSS with all the support they’re looking for.

Looking for alternate paths instead of relying on us so much would be more effective and efficient. Part of their hesitation comes from not wanting to breach the scope of work. I understand this concern, but we’re in a partnership, and they should trust us and not be too protective of their own position.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We’ve worked with other providers in the past, but they were of a different character, so it wouldn’t be an accurate comparison. Despite the communication challenges I’ve mentioned, BJSS has been quite aggressive in taking ownership of the project. They’re also doing an excellent job treading the fine line of politics between our partner and us. They’ve been open and honest with us as to what they felt comfortable promising and delivering, and they work a lot faster than us. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could perhaps have a better understanding of our organizational culture rather than being demanding of it. True, we haven’t made it easy on them, but we’re not the contractor. It would be in their interest to be more flexible and engaging with us. Overall, however, these are simply nitpicks.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

I work for Waitrose, and we are a grocer in the U.K. In terms of size, we are fifth in the U.K. In terms of our products, we're serving more of the upper-end of the market, so we're providing some great quality products, which are not inexpensive, but provide great value. Our customers are foodie-type people, so they love food and they love trying new stuff. In terms of the market, while we're relatively small, Waitrose has outperformed the market for the last 64 months, and we've grown our business every month. In terms of marginal performance, typically, the margin of our business would be two or three times greater than other grocers in the U.K.

Waitrose is on a journey of transforming its IT [information technology], both in terms of its capability and the modernity of its systems. Waitrose has grown very rapidly in the last five years, and many of its systems were built for a much smaller grocer than the company that we've become, which makes it difficult to adapt to the changing needs of the market. We're not really in a position to use technology as a strategic advantage, but given the highly competitive nature of the U.K. retail, it's absolutely key. As well as the systems being out of date, we have limited capability within our own technical team.

In what capacity do you serve Waitrose?

I'm head of IT delivery. I'm responsible for building and deploying any new applications or systems, or any changes to any of our existing applications. That cuts across all of our business divisions, from all the buying and merchandising our products to logistics, to the systems and branch all of our online systems.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with BJSS?

What I wanted to do was to work with a smaller company with really high-class software development engineers, who could help us set the standards, establish new ways of working, and help raise the gain of our team. I wanted people who could deliver a product but, at the same time, work with my team to raise the capability, knowledge, and understanding within my team. I really wasn't in a place for working with any of the larger software companies because it's hard working in business with these companies, and it's all about their revenue and their bottom line. Whereas companies like BJSS, they're in the game to make money because everyone is but, for them, what's more important is quality engineering and doing things the right way.

We had an application that we had built ourselves internally, and we wanted to make some fairly straightforward modifications to develop and improve the ways of working. When we looked at the initial estimates, they were very high. When I looked into the software application, we'd built basically the quality of the design of that application. The standard of it was really low, which was why it was going to be so expensive to add new stuff.

That's when I roped in BJSS, not just because of their technical expertise, but also because they were familiar with Agile development. We could write great custom software, and we could automate the whole software production process, from development to testing and deployment. We refactored the entire codebase with them. We automated all the testing, and we automated the deployment of the software upgrades. Previously, we had to visit every branch to upgrade software on that.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement in detail.

We used them on a number of things. The first project we used them on was staffing the grocery store. They use these handheld terminals for scanning products and scanning shelves to do inventory checks, count stocks, price changes, price markdowns, and so on. Those are the tools that are used all day, every day in a store, and they are an essential part of the operation.

They've got all that knowledge and skills around how to engineer a product like that using modern software development technologies and all the tools to develop and test the platform. A lot of the stuff was in Java, there was a bit of .NET on the handset, and there's a PP2 database for the back-end. We have a wide range of technologies there.

Subsequently, they've been helping us a lot with our e-commerce platform. They've been working with us to create a better-designed, better-managed service that will allow us to develop that platform. Now, they're working with us on looking at the future of our e-commerce platform, for technologies we want to use, how we would architect that, how we can integrate that with the plan for our service.

As part of that, we've just launched a new proposition in the market, which is called Pick Your Own Offers. Traditionally, you go into a supermarket and you are bombarded with an array of different offers: three for two; 10 percent off this; buy one, get one half-price; and so forth. We still have a lot of those promotions, but this proposition for our My Waitrose Club members allows customers to select the products that they would like a discount on and what offers best suit them. We've built a personalized customer offer engine, which is the first step in creating a platform to that personalized engagement with our customers. We built that in Amazon Web services, software developed in Java, providing a range of services that integrates software services, and so on. That's a flavor of what they've been doing for us.

How did you come to work with BJSS?

Somebody who had worked with them previously introduced me to BJSS, and they said they were a great company. When I looked into them, there were a number of things that impressed me. One, their recruitment policy. They do hire only the very best software engineers and software architects, and they have a very stringent recruitment process to make sure they do have the best people. Two, their experience with agile development, which was how we wanted to develop our prototype. 

Can you provide a sense of the size of the initiative in financial terms?

I would probably have to check, but I would imagine in the last 12 months, we've probably spent £2 million [approximately $3.1 million] with them.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

No. I don't have access to any metrics that I can share with you.

How did BJSS perform from a project management standpoint?

BJSS delivered the software they said they would, on time, within the predefined scope, to our technical specifications and at the cost that we agreed upon. In terms of engagement, I think everybody in our company has enjoyed working with them and found them very straightforward to do business with. They're not pushy, and they're not aggressive. They're very straightforward, and they're very matter of fact. They tell you as it is, without dressing it up and without making drama of it.

What distinguishes BJSS from other providers?

The caliber of their staff and their general approach and attitude really makes them standout. There are a couple of things that I have asked them to do that they didn't think was the right way to approach or the right thing for us to do, so they said, "No, you've asked us to do this work. We think you're doing the wrong thing for the following reasons; therefore, we don't want to do it. If you're going to insist on doing it that way, find someone else to do it." I found it to be hugely refreshing and very helpful. Those guys really look out for their clients and work in their best interests, even if the client doesn't necessarily realize it.

They've worked with some great clients, they're very open minded, and they're innovative. They're using the latest products, latest technologies, all open source. They're just very flexible, very dynamic, and they're a great bunch of people who just want to do a fantastic job, and are very happy to share their knowledge and their understanding. These guys are just passionate about what they do, and they just want other people to do stuff as well as they do. They're a really fun bunch of people to work with, and they deliver. They've done everything they said they would, for the price they said they would do it, and in the time they said they would do it.

In hindsight, are there areas in which they could improve, or things you might do differently?

There were some hiccups, but it was all signaled well ahead of time, discussed with us, explanations given, and remediation plans in place. There were bumps along the way, just things you would hit when you're in software development. Our functions turned out to be wrong. They don't work quite how we expected, but no problem. 

What advice, if any, would you give to a future client of theirs?

I would say don't pin them down to a specific set of requirements or a specific solution you want built. If you engage with them and discuss the outcome you wish to achieve, then I think that's where you get the most value out of them. They can turn up and write some software to meet the requirements you've given them, but actually, you get a lot more value in talking about the outcomes and what you want to achieve. They can help you define the solution and the requirements.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I work for a major IT [information technology] solutions firm. My specific part of the organization runs the largest foreign exchange trading platform in the industry.

What is your position?

I am the vice president.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with BJSS?

This particular project focused on collecting data for analysis and compliance purposes. We needed to create a platform that could receive real-time trading data and periodic batched data, on orders and matches as well as what our market data would look like to clients. We needed to be able to process that data for three basic use cases.

The first case was to generate alerts for our clients department, so we could make sure that all our clients are operating as they should be. The second was to generate a platform from which our support team could respond to questions from clients quickly. The third one was really for business intelligence modeling, "what-if" scenarios, so that we could plan for the future.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in detail?

We built this system from scratch with BJSS, but it is based on Apache Hadoop software. BJSS was the primary development team. They provided everything from software architecture and visual design to the actual functional development, QA [quality assurance], and project management. We're following an agile development process, so we actually do a monthly release. Agile development is one of BJSS's specialties. They actually brought the process with them to our team.

How did you come to work with BJSS?

They definitely had an advantage in that I've worked with them personally for more than 10 years on various projects. I reached out to them when we were looking at this project because I knew they had foreign exchange trading experience. I also knew they were very big on the Agile process. I also found out they had already done some projects dealing with big data, so they were a very good fit.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in financial terms?

It probably cost within the range of $1 to $5 million.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project has been in the works for about 18 months and is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback from this project?

I can provide two metrics that I feel are most important. First, the software that BJSS delivered as part of this project has been running for about a year, and we have yet to experience a software-specific failure, so the software has been very stable. It's one of the most reliable solutions we offer to our customers. The second metric is that the key stakeholders we're delivering to have been very satisfied. The majority of commentary that they've offered has revolved around enhancements rather than support requests. With BJSS, we've been able to deliver the enhancements stakeholders have asked for within a monthly cycle or two.

We didn't really have any issues from a project management perspective. When we brought BJSS on they brought the Agile methodology with them and really encouraged us to work with them on it. Because we completely embraced Agile, we do a weekly review of all the items we're trying to deliver, and we re-prioritize as necessary, and that has been good for the flow of the project.

Is there anything unique or special about BJSS that really makes them stand out?

Their maturity with agile certainly sets them apart. Everyone you talk to at BJSS has fully embraced it. It's a fantastic method, and they're great at coaching their clients through the process, especially if they're unfamiliar with the strategy.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

Not really. The only possible issue occurred in the first couple of weeks of our engagement. They had to search for the right resources to augment their existing team because their New York office was growing when we first engaged with them. I haven't had a problem with that since.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

It's frankly all about open communication and process transparency. Their whole process is geared around agile development, which only works if the stakeholder or end user is communicating the requirements and really talking through what it is that they're delivering.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company.

I work for one of Europe's largest media companies. Our services include Pay TV, IPTV, Web and mobile offerings, and broadband and landline phone offerings across the U.K. and Ireland, Germany, and Italy.

What is your position?

I am the CTO [chief technology officer].

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with BJSS?

We needed more people before we could start working on a particularly demanding project, which was to be built on both Web and mobile platforms. I engaged BJSS in order to land me a team of about 10 people initially, just to get some additional people within the team quickly and get going on the project.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of their involvement in detail?

BJSS acted as an external development resource. They had significant experience with high-volume data transactions, which was a specific area of expertise that we needed for this project. Our application would involve tracking and calculating live soccer scores. There's a huge amount of data involved, and we needed to compile that and then push it out to our end-users via the Web and mobile device as quickly as possible while the soccer matches are in progress.

Our mobile solution was developed for iOS and Android. We were looking primarily for senior developers, including architects as well, so all higher end. For the bulk of our work, we used a lower cost, less experienced company, but BJSS has been the sort of niche provider of experienced developers in the areas that I needed. The BJSS guys came in and augmented the existing teams that we had in operation.

How did you come to work with BJSS?

I had never worked with them previously, but I was already aware that BJSS had a good reputation within the U.K. market for providing services like this. Their office is about five minutes' walk from my office so their geographical location worked well for me.

Can you give a sense of the size of the initiative in financial terms?

The whole project cost more than $1 million during the course of the last two years [2014-2015].

What is the status of this engagement?

There are still a few things ongoing right now. They were part of the team that built an in-house content management system to replace an old legacy content management system. They were instrumental in the design, development and execution of that project.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics, metrics, or user feedback from this project?

I think BJSS's quality is high, there's no doubt about that. Our arrangement with them is that we get one of their individual employees to join up with our team. If they don't satisfy our requirements, then we send them back and get another, but we've not had to send anybody back, which means they have a 100 percent success rate in terms of the quality of their individuals.

Every single person they've assigned to us has been exceptional. The way that the BJSS guys have fit into the culture of the team and taken the time to understand our culture and our ways of working has also been successful.

The number of users that are using our platform continues to grow 20 percent year on year. [We] won the Digital Platform of the Year Award recently, and BJSS was integral to developing some key parts and points of the app. So, there've been some awards that we've won as a result of their work.

Is there anything unique or special about BJSS that really makes them stand out?

I've been delighted with BJSS's responsiveness and ability to deliver assigned work on time and within budget. We've used some project managers from BJSS as well, and they've helped to push forward our internal standards regarding how we manage and report of our own projects. They've been very impressive in that regard.

In retrospect, are there areas in which you think they could improve as a service provider?

There was an occasion earlier this year when I went to BJSS and asked them for a specific niche technology, but they didn't have the expertise to complete the task. I don't think it's a bad thing, but they were quite honest and said, "We don't have those particular skills in-house." Maybe they could improve on more clearly identifying their skill set instead of leaving me guessing. They could be more public about the skills that they do have.

What advice, if any, would you give a future client of theirs?

Definitely be open with BJSS, if you let them be a part of the culture of your team they will make every effort to blend in. Also, be very open minded about the additional value that BJSS can add because they'll become very experienced guys on the team. They'll do as they're told, and they'll do a great job, but let them offer more. Give them the ability to add value.