Blackbird Lab

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Product and Technical Officer of (a/an) Software

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We create  Augmented Reality solutions for construction workers use critical data on the job site.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Blackbird Lab to accomplish?

• Build and maintain a portal and services system to operate in conjunction with the AR application.

SOLUTION

How did you find Blackbird Lab?

Referral

Why did you select Blackbird Lab over others?

• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

What was the size of Blackbird Lab’s team?

6-10 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We hired BlackBird to develop an enterprise ready ecosystem for user and content management including a web portal and support services to work in conjunction with our in-house developed mixed reality application. BlackBird developed a web portal with SSO and ACLs (Okta), billing integration (Stripe), and the ability for users to upload BIM models, as well as the supporting services and ETL pipeline (Azure, Kubernetes, Brigade, Realm) to convert models and make them available for use in our MR app.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Completed and maintained software and services solutions

What was your primary form of communication with Blackbird Lab?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The BlackBird team delivered on time regularly and communicated clearly about timing, any delays, etc.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The BlackBird team operated as a division of our company under the supervision, leadership, and in close conjunction with Engineering, Design, Product, and stakeholders. The team operated in a self sufficient manner, and communicated regularly with managers, peers, and stakeholders. The team operated as if they were in-house, with the same level of commitment and caring as the rest of our team.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Blackbird Lab could have done differently?

Occasionally there were challenges with language barriers, but that was typically overcome by direct meeting to show rather than tell others about an issue or idea.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the OS Senior Program manager of Flipp

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Flipp is your one-stop marketplace for savings and deals. Browse weekly digital flyers from retailers near you, or search for the items you need.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Blackbird Lab to accomplish?

• Expanding our access to a larger talent pool globally.

SOLUTION

How did you find Blackbird Lab?

Referral

Why did you select Blackbird Lab over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We leverage Blackbird for staff augmentation and managed service. They’ve helped us find top-quality software developers. Once the resources are hired, they help us with their onboarding process and then oversee the teammates on their side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

• Maintaining systems, and taking it to the next level.
• Finding top quality talent.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Their project management has each step defined. We use Jira for task management and Slack and Google Meet to communicate. Blackbird is very proactive with communication. Things were always delivered on time.

What was your primary form of communication with Blackbird Lab?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

What sticks out to me about Blackbird is its cultural alignment with us. Our culture is called ‘the three Hs’: humble, hungry, and highly intelligent. Having the talks with their talent acquisition team and working with the managed service teams, they’re very much in line with us, which sets them apart from other vendors I work with.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Blackbird Lab could have done differently?

Expanding globally outside of Ukraine to address timezone constraints.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the co-founder and CEO of a retail technology company. We’re building a platform that helps brands and audiences.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Blackbird Lab?

We wanted to build a product with a company that understood commerce better than most people. The first version was built by my co-founder, but it was a simple, bare-bones version. We wanted someone with experience, but we didn’t have much money to spend.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Blackbird Lab helps us with custom software development. They use MongoDB, JavaScript, Remix, Sanity, Storybook, GitHub, Apollo, and a ton of other stacks. We have a UX person on our side, and the team has built 80% of the solution we have now from the ground up. My co-founder has provided direction in his tickets, but they’ve also built without much direction.

What is the team composition?

We have a senior backend developer, an intermediate backend developer, and a junior frontend engineer on our team.

How did you come to work with Blackbird Lab?

I had prior experience working with Blackbird Lab; the company I previously worked for used to work with them. We had such a great experience that it only made sense to call them.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent between $20,000–$30,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2021, and our relationship is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We’ve built a culture together; we’re able to ask questions, and they build off a thought process. They’re thought leaders. Blackbird Lab isn’t a company where you just write a bunch of tickets and expect them to do the work.

How did Blackbird Lab perform from a project management standpoint?

They always take feedback and adapt really well. The team has done an excellent job. We used to have a daily scrum meeting in the morning. Now, we communicate via Slack and chat on a weekly and daily basis.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were able to deliver a fully functional MVP in two weeks. When we first set out to do it, we didn’t think it was possible. Moreover, Blackbird Lab is constantly improving. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there’s nothing I’d have them improve.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the co founder and head of product. Our company is an outsourced virtual cashier company that connects restaurants to professionally trained experienced virtual cashiers through a fully integrated technology platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blackbird Lab, and what were your goals?

We hired Blackbird Lab to develop a web and Android app for our virtual cashier service. The goal of this project was to create a fully integrated technology platform that connects restaurants to professionally trained experienced virtual cashiers.

The app was intended to enable seamless communication between the restaurant and virtual cashier, allowing for efficient and effective order taking. By developing this technology, our company hoped to streamline the virtual cashier service, making it easier for restaurants to manage their their operations and increase upsell done by cashiers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Technical Expertise: As we were looking for a vendor to develop a web and Android app for our virtual cashier service, we needed a vendor with technical expertise in these technologies. Blackbird Lab was selected for this project based on their expertise in building similar solutions. Relevant Experience: We also considered Blackbird Lab's experience in building solutions in the same industry.

This was important to ensure that they understood the specific requirements of our business. Price: Cost was an important factor in our decision-making process, and we sought a vendor who could deliver the project within our budget. Blackbird Lab's pricing was competitive and aligned with our budget. Communication and Collaboration: It was essential for us to work with a vendor that could communicate and collaborate effectively with our team.

Blackbird Lab's team demonstrated excellent communication skills and was receptive to feedback and changes throughout the project. Reputation: We researched Blackbird Lab's reputation in the industry and sought references from previous clients. Their positive reputation was a significant factor in our decision to select them for this project.

Timelines; Meeting our project timelines was crucial, and Blackbird Lab was able to provide a clear timeline and deliver the project on time, meeting all of our requirements.

Overall, the selection of Blackbird Lab as our vendor was based on a combination of these factors and their ability to understand our specific needs and deliver a high-quality solution that aligned with our goals.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

The scope of work for the project included building an Android and web application that would facilitate communication between virtual cashiers and restaurants, as well as an order management system. The project can be broken down into the following steps: Requirements gathering: Blackbird Lab worked with us to understand the specific requirements of the Android and web app, as well as the order management system.

• Design: Blackbird Lab designed the user interface and user experience for both the Android and web app, ensuring that the design was intuitive and user-friendly.
• Development: The Android and web app were built using Java and React respectively. Blackbird Lab used an agile development methodology to build the app, with a focus on delivering functionality in short sprints.
• Integration: The Android and web app were integrated with the order management system, ensuring that orders were accurately tracked and processed.
• Testing: Blackbird Lab carried out extensive testing to ensure that the app and order management system were bug-free and functioning as intended.
• Deployment: Once testing was complete, the Android and web app, along with the order management system, were deployed to a production environment.

Key deliverables of the project included:

• A fully functional Android and web app that enabled communication between virtual cashiers and restaurants.
• An order management system that tracked and processed orders accurately.
• A user-friendly interface for both the Android and web app that allowed for easy navigation and use.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

We worked with as a senior Web development, senior backend developer, senior android developer and a project manager.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We had an excellent experience working with Blackbird Lab on our Android and web app project. The team demonstrated a high level of technical expertise, as well as an understanding of our business needs and requirements. Throughout the project, the team was responsive and communicated effectively, keeping us informed about the progress and any changes that needed to be made.

Blackbird Lab's ability to work in an agile environment is valuable, allowing us to make changes and pivot the project as needed to meet our goals. The project was delivered on time and within budget, and the quality of the final product was outstanding.

Overall, Blackbird Lab's professionalism, technical expertise, and commitment to delivering a high-quality product were exceptional. We look forward to working with them on future projects and would highly recommend them to anyone in need of software development services."

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

We followed an agile approach and used Jira to keep organized. We had daily huddles, sprint grooming and background grooming sessions. The team was very responsive over slack too.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

I have worked with this team for the last three years. The most impressive thing is their professionalism and dedication to work. They're reliable and dependable. They deliver on the timelines they promise

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

I was very happy with their service. We could definitely do more in person collaboration in the future. With that being said the team delivered equally well remotely.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

VP, Digital. We have 350 locations across North America

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Blackbird Lab, and what were your goals?

We needed to modernize our technology layer. Goal was to build a brand new customer facing food order app to be built within 8 months

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Blackbird had previous experience in building complex native apps with strong attention to details and great architecture skills.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and technologies used.

Blackbird built the entire architecture for our new food ordering app using Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android and React for Web, powered by a custom built backend using Java and Kafka to transport data between platform. Key deliverables were quick proof of concept for key areas of the software.

How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

Total staff were around 18 people ranging from Technical Project Managers, Senior, Intermediate to Jr. Devs, QA automation and a Sr. Architect

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

We launched the project two weeks before our deadline. We were able to do a proper soft launch into the market before we rolled out our technology to our entire user based well into hundreds of thousands. Goal for the application was to support over $1M in monthly sales and it did that just fine. Very happy with their work the fact that the app scaled as required.

Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.

Best part of Blackbird was Technical project management and communication. Blackbird initiated daily calls with our product and design team to ensure clarity and priority of work was always understood & communicated. Timelines were communicated by Technical Project Managers as expected

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Blackbird's software experience, differentiated thinking and fluent English communication is what was very impressive, along with their ownership of work. We've never worked with a company where we don't have to push to get work done except for Blackbird Lab. Once we indicate the work that has to be done, we always felt at ease.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

They can take on a lot of work. They can be humble and not push back. I think they should push back on the client to prioritize work.