Black Pepper Software Ltd - Out of Business

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior project manager at a UK-based company that builds technical infrastructures for exhibitions and tradeshows all over the world.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

We tasked Black Pepper Software Ltd. with creating an app for an international pharmaceutical company for use globally at multiple trade shows across the world.

The proposed app was to display current running clinical trials used by medical representatives to aid them in communicating medical trial status for various oncological conditions to suitable prescribers.

One of the biggest challenges with a global app of this nature is the differing regulations around the world, meaning the content and wording may be invalid in other regions. 

We needed iOS, Android, and Windows kiosk versions of the apps that all shared the exact same dataset. We also required offline data caching functionality so that the app would continue to work when used in places without internet connection

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our team ascertained our clients’ goals and relayed these to Black Pepper Software Ltd. They initiated a strategy to survey the intended users of the app to determine the information that should be included, its importance, and intended use.

Black Pepper Software Ltd. designed the UX and a custom framework to allow the Windows exhibition app and the internal iOS to be enterally in sync. This also collected real-time data from official sources of the status and location of any trial and place them on a world map.

What is the team composition?

We have several account mangers looking after our clients’ needs and translating them into feasible requests. We had our in-house developer assuming the role of 'project owner.'

How did you come to work with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

They were recommended to us by colleagues in the industry.

How much have you invested in them?

We’ve spent over £100,000 (approximately $128,000 USD) with them so far on numerous apps, and there are many future projects in the pipeline. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in March 2019. The engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

On the second update of the aforementioned app, we asked Black Pepper Software Ltd. to add in a content management system that allowed us to make changes live. This has been successfully used on several occasions, allowing live updating of the app. It is incredibly important to achieve this rapidly due to the everchanging regulations, as one incorrect statement could render the app ‘illegal’ and unusable.

They also have built a streamlined solution to allow screenshots of the app to be generated (which is a requirement for medical archiving). This creates a 550+ page PDF file and has saved the team vast amounts of time.

How did Black Pepper Software Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They're superb! The team use Slack to communicate, and we are kept up to date daily with a short ‘stand up’ meeting. They also use other project management tools, which we were invited to use but have never had the need.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their estimation of project timing has been exceptional. So far, we've been ahead of schedule on every project, we've been able to use gained time to further enhance the final product beyond that of what we had promised our client.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Having now worked with Black Pepper Software Ltd. on numerous projects, we love the way they work. Everything has always been done as expected, and no budget has overrun. We can learn from them!

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the head of IT operations at a non-profit organization. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

We currently have over 400,000 members. We needed to renew our membership platform and make it scalable, so that it could cope with high volumes of traffic. We were looking for a vendor to help us. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Pepper Software Ltd. worked collaboratively with our in-house developers to renew our membership platform. They managed both design and development. The platform uses a new technology that Black Pepper Software Ltd. helped us get comfortable with. They used tester-driven development, which worked out very well. 

What is the team composition? 

We worked with a project manager, a frontend developer, a backend developer, and a UX designer.

How did you come to work with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

We found them through a Google search. We wanted to work with a local company that would become a partner to us, and Black Pepper Software Ltd. is only two hours away from us.

What is the status of this engagement? 

We worked with them between May–September 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system went live in the timeframe that we needed, and now our members can renew their membership through their own portal. Membership is a massive part of our business, so it was a high-stakes project. Another big impact that Black Pepper Software Ltd. made on our business was helping us embed new tools and methodologies into our IT department. We now continue to use many of the tools that they've set up for us.

How did Black Pepper Software Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint? 

They use agile methodology, and it was useful for us to embed their practices into our business. We mostly used Jira and Slack for day-to-day communication. In addition, they sent us regular reports with all the updates. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They're very rigorous and can handle difficult projects. They helped us translate the complexity of the project into something that works for our users. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. We were happy with both design and development.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Stay engaged and make sure you understand the agile methodology–it took us 12 months to get our heads around that.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the director of a nonprofit solutions provider. I approached Black Pepper software with an idea for a new business concept involving a bespoke web application. I had a commercial view on what the project might achieve but was not a software engineer, so I required a technical partner to appraise the opportunity, provide feedback, and produce an R&D prototype to test in the market. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Pepper Software Ltd. ?

To discuss and work up a simple prototype for my business idea to test on initial clients and see if there was a market demand. 

What were your goals for this project?

To build a workable MVP to test on a few initial customers and see if they thought it worthy of further development

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Black Pepper Software was recommended to me by an institutional funder that they had previously worked for, having helped develop an enterprise-ready solution

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

We discussed initial project concepts, simple workflows, and how to create a simple prototype. Black Pepper then offered to help me create the prototype to test with initial market clients and see if worthy of further development.

What was the team composition?

The team composition was led by one of the DIrectors of Black Pepper Software. We were also helped by a project manager. The relevant members of the team depended on the part of the MVP we were working on (design, application flow, and database).

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

A basic MVP was produced and is currently being tested with a number of potential clients. Initial feedback is good and leads me to believe that there will be an option to turn this R&D project into something more substantial, largely based on the excellent product produced by the team.

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

The project management was simple, clear, and non-complicated. This was particularly helpful given the early stage,

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their teamwork was impressive, and they were keen to find every opportunity to improve the MVP. Although this was a very simple, minimal-functionality application, their professionalism was clear.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am an engineering lead for a trade finance network.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

I onboarded Black Pepper to help us with software development. 

What were your goals for this project?

The goal was to create a solution that would facilitate quick, cheap, and reliable finance transactions across a distributed architecture.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Another colleague recommended them. 

Describe the project and the services they provided in detail.

Black Pepper produced good quality software that has improved the scalability of our development process. 

What was the team composition?

The team consisted of a strong technical lead and three expert developers for C# and Angular.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any information that demonstrates the impact that this project has had on your business?

The pilot Black Pepper helped us launch has convinced our customer of the value of our solution. This would not have been possible without Black Pepper’s dedication to quality. 

How was project management arranged and how effective was it?

Black Pepper accurately estimates how much work they can fit into a deadline. There is no need to “supervise” them; we trust them and our communication via Slack and GitHub is more than sufficient. 

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Rather than focusing solely on delivering software, they are committed to honesty and to making their current organization function better. They have been invaluable to the growth of our engineering team.

Are there any areas for improvement?

Not particularly. They could be a little more tactful when offering constructive criticism during stressful times.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT Manager for a financial service firm.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

We needed someone to develop our portfolio management system using web technologies that we hadn’t used before.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They helped us decide which technologies to work with and then provided development services using Angular, Bootstrap, etc. They did a lot of paired programming so that they could leave the project and transferred that knowledge to our team. Our team picked up new skills in coding, testing and development, and working in an agile way thanks to their help.

 What is the team composition?

There was a project manager as well as a part-time architecture guru who oversaw practical things around adhering to the company’s security methodologies and resolving things around the new technologies and infrastructure. The rest of the team were developers.

How did you come to work with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

My husband had worked with the founders before.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent £1.5 million (approximately $1.85 million USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together between May 2017–2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The engagement we got from our users was off the scale. Fund managers don’t tend to be that interested in technology, but we got really good engagement with that project. The solution is robust and looks great. It was all branded, which we’ve never had before, and it’s a great selling tool for clients as well.

How did Black Pepper Software Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

Project management was very good, using Jira; they kept everyone honest. Their retrospectives were really even-handed, and they put a lot of thought into their retrospectives to continually improve.   

What did you find most impressive about them?

They want companies to be self-sufficient and are keen to help; they aren’t in it for the money.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They were really good partners who weren’t arrogant. Our team loved working with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and honest with them. Treat them as a partnership.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the CEO of Attraction World. We are the UK’s leading seller of theme park tickets.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

Our business is primarily conducted online, and our existing websites are 12 years old. We have suffered from our sites experiencing slow loading times and not being mobile-friendly. To compete in the modern environment, we needed a technology partner to relaunch our website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They had full responsibility to develop our website. We wanted to use an agile approach to the development, so we started from scratch, choosing not to incorporate our current sites into the new version.

We have a piece of software that powers all of our backend systems, including pricing, availability of tickets, and invoicing. We asked Black Pepper Software Ltd. to take care of the frontend experience. We have relied on them to design and develop the basket checkout journey, among other frontend elements. The website is largely developed in JavaScript using the React framework.

What is the team composition?

We had a team of five working on the site, including two full-time developers, a part-time project manager, a part-time user experience designer, and a part-time frontend developer.

How did you come to work with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

We seriously considered developing the website in-house before looking to an outside developer. We prioritized firms that could work with an agile approach. My CTO knew of Black Pepper Software Ltd.’s reputation in our area and suggested we meet with them to understand their process. Because they are local to us and we felt comfortable during our meeting, we thought they would be the ideal partner for us.

How much have you invested in them?

We have invested more than £200,000 (approximately $250,400 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began working with them in December 2018, and the work is still ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We have a go-live date in a few weeks, so consumers have not been on the site yet.

How did Black Pepper Software Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

The project manager at Black Pepper Software Ltd. has been incredibly involved and very invested in the project. He has worked hard to make sure that the resources at the various stages of the design and the development have been available for us. He makes sure that our requests or changes to the site are incorporated. We particularly appreciate the two-week iteration cycle that they use. We use those times to review what they’ve developed and discuss the plans for the upcoming two weeks. We communicate easily through Slack, and we track the workload through Jira.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their team truly stands out. We have been very impressed with all five members that we work with. They are experienced, talented, and able to understand what we’re looking for. They have gotten to know our business well and are mindful of what our customers look for.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At this point in the project, there is nothing obvious I can think of. The proof will be in the pudding when the website goes live and we start using it. It is looking promising, and we are excited about the site going live.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

We had a few workshops with the Black Pepper Software Ltd. team upfront where a lot of the Attraction World team explained what we do, what we like about what we currently do, and what we would like to do differently. That upfront investment pays off, and that was Black Pepper’s suggestion. I would recommend taking a similar approach to any other engagement.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior digital channels manager of a financial services company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

We decided to revamp the website. We needed web development support. It was simple to reach out to Black Pepper Software Ltd. to help us build something new and better.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Black Pepper Software Ltd. provided website and mobile app development. They managed our service that allows customers to place an order for travel money online and then go and collect it in the store on the date they choose. Customers could either place an order to reserve currency or check the rates. Rates were automatically loaded onto the website daily. The app and the website worked from the same backend. They also built a notification system where customers could set up a rate watch to receive email notifications regularly or when the rate was reaching certain levels, making it convenient for customers who then didn’t have to check the rates daily. 

They provided the front- and backend services. For the website, they used Google Web Toolkit. They provided constant support to maintain the website and the mobile app. We rebuilt the website from scratch except for the transactional funnel.

I told them I wanted the website to be accessible. They coded with that in mind so that navigation on the website was easy for a blind person or someone with a disability.

What is the team composition? 

There was a project manager, a couple of developers, and a senior UX designer who did all the heavy work at the beginning. Then, to keep the costs down, we had a junior designer who had been shadowing the senior designer working for us as well.

How did you come to work with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

They were hired before I started. They first started working together in 2008.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent approximately $50,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together on this project from July until November 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We knew we’d get a drop in traffic on the website because of the revamping and due to the delay in getting the branding and content. However, in response to building the website, the mobile app conversion doubled even though Black Pepper Software Ltd. didn’t change anything with the mobile app.

How did Black Pepper Software Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint?

They were proactive every step of the way. For example, in the beginning, we didn’t have the branding, but they helped us to find the website design that would work. They have an excellent UX designer. They worked in conjunction with one of our developers. It was like they were part of the team; it didn’t feel we were working with a supplier. The best word to describe them is pragmatic. We used GitHub, Jira, Slack, and sometimes email. They’re always available.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re pragmatic and incredibly friendly and easy-going, and I count some of them as friends. They’ve been helpful from the start. They had been running the website for many years, and I was new to the business. They explained a lot to me on how things work from a customer journey standpoint. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re easy to work with and flexible.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Know what you want and don’t want. Sometimes knowing what you don’t want answers more questions than knowing what you want. Provide boundaries for flexibility.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the CEO of a financial company. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

We were looking for a vendor to help us develop our software. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We gave them specific requirements and they executed them. They developed an internal software system for us that helps us manage the investment research process and present both qualitative and quantitative data financial models. The system uses a SQL database and has a web-based frontend. Black Pepper Software developed our first platform is 2017, and we're now going through the third development phase with them.

What is the team composition? 

We mostly work through our project manager.

How did you come to work with Black Pepper Software Ltd.?

We were looking for local developers, and Black Pepper Software seemed to be the best fit for our needs. 

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about £500,000 (approximately $628,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement? 

We started working with them in April 2017 and the relationship is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The system has become an integral part of our investment process and made that process more efficient. We've been growing and we're using the new system every day. It's helping us build better relationships with our clients and we've had some very positive feedback. Our investors are also reassured to see that we have a robust system where the intellectual property is ours. 

How did Black Pepper Software Ltd. perform from a project management standpoint? 

They use Jira for project management and we use Slack for communication. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

There are a lot of technical concepts that we're working within investment analysis that many IT specialists are not familiar with, but Black Pepper Software did their best to understand that side of things. They're very solutions-oriented and able to see our perspective. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. The communication has been very good and they let us know if there might be a delay. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be clear about your specifications and give them as much feedback as you can. The agile process works very well with them.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the managing director at a SAAS company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Black Pepper Software?

We mainly needed database optimization, performance improvement, data management, and enterprise architecture as well.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They provided guidance and advice about the architecture of our system. They also provided coding services and actually developed solutions for us to help with our bill process, and our agile work methodology. They refine how we deliver things, as well as solve our problems. Finally, they work on the database and data management.

They use SQL, C#, Elasticsearch, Xamarin.Forms, and Angular coding technologies.

Currently, they serve an advisory and consultative role. They touch base with me on certain ideas to get them validated and it happens less often.

What is the team composition?

One of the directors acted as enterprise architect. We also had four different members of staff, at different times. That team included two frontend Angular developers, one working in Xamarin.Forms, .NET with a SQL server, and one focused on SQL servers and C# performance improvements.

How did you come to work with Black Pepper Software?

I worked with them 15-20 years ago, but with another company, where they were consultants. I had a good experience working with them, which helped me choose them when I had my own company later on.

How much have you invested with them?

I’ve invested £200,000 (approximately $250,000 USD).

What is the status of this engagement?

We began this project in May 2016, and our engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The platform that we were developing had serious performance issues, and they really helped us to resolve them. They also helped us with strategies and techniques for performance improvements. We’ve actually reduced the cost of our cloud-hosting through those optimizations.

How did Black Pepper Software perform from a project management standpoint?

They performed very well from a project management standpoint. They communicate very clearly. Overall, they’re collaborative, thoughtful, and helpful. We used Jira to manage the software development lifecycle.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They can be trusted to solve the most complex problems anyone can throw at them. I’ve seen them for 15-20 years, and they’ve got done really impressive and complex projects. They can be trusted to deliver world-class solutions, and they are absolutely first-rate.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, they’re great; I wouldn’t be recommending them otherwise.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would advise potential customers to trust them. They really know what they’re talking about. If you go in with that trusting mindset, you’ll get an awful lot from the engagement.