Code & Pepper

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We're a digital agency specializing in content marketing, performance marketing, and platform design and development. I'm one of the co-founders of the company and responsible for platform design and build, including websites, web and native applications, and email marketing.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper?

We wanted to find an external partner to work with for application development.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They're 100-percent responsible for native app development for Android and iOS. We handle the UI and UX side of things and liaise with clients. Their team acts as a white label provider and appoints skillsets from lead development to project management and native app development.

They've helped us deploy a mobile app for a client, with functionalities including registration, login, user profiles, dashboards, social feed, gamification, and the ability to pull in data from a wearable and present it in a graphically pleasing way. It displays editorial content, tips, and videos within the app itself.

It uses the Laravel framework, but there are a few functionalities developed on the Android native stack for integration with a watch app that syncs with the mobile one. The two can talk to each other and facilitate data transfer.

We’ve also engaged them on other types of work, including WordPress support and full site builds.

What is the team dynamic?

Code & Pepper assigned three resources for our work, including a project manager.

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper?

They approached us for design help on their website around 2 years ago. I was quite impressed with them, and even though we didn’t end up designing their website, I remembered the group. When I needed help, I called them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Code & Pepper in January 2017. We have an ongoing relationship regarding the two native apps currently in the marketplace.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

I’ve heard complimentary remarks from colleagues. Customer feedback has also been good.

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint?

After committing to a task, they deliver on time and have been responsive. We communicate through Google Hangouts, Slack, and Trello.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The quality of their work is in line with ours. Our lead developer has described them as a Polish version of our company.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They start quite early and finish early. In regards with scheduling, the differences in time zones can be frustrating.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Be clear about time expectations.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

The University of St. Gallen in Switzerland is running an online database project for industrial policy. We process policies which affect the international distribution of trade, services, investment and labor force migration.

What is your position?

I am a project manager for the university.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper?

We needed help in updating our database, not only in terms of structure but also with regard to the tools used by our team for feeding information into it and managing the presentation of that information on our front page.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Our database management project is the only one in which we've worked with Code & Pepper. The work was divided into 4 stages. We first had to set up the new database structure; it had many more features, compared to our old system. The second stage was for front page design and UX [user experience] elements. We are currently deploying and testing the backend tools which will be used by my team.

The development was done using PHP. Drupal and other platforms were considered, but Code & Pepper proposed that we program the system from the bottom up. I think that the database technology is MySQL.

I maintained constant contact with 2 members of their team. I have seen emails from other colleagues of theirs, but I don't know what the actual team size and work distribution were.

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper?

We found them through a reference from a colleague. We solicited bids for this project from around 9 shops (5 local and 4 offshore ones) with similar capabilities to Code & Pepper. They won the bid in the end.

We drew up a scope document before requesting offers from any company. Based on it, Code & Pepper was asked to submit an initial offer. We selected four teams in total with which we pursued further talks and got more details about the final form of the contract. The final draft was for a four-stage project with a fixed price.

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

The total agreed-upon development cost was $65,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started the work in November of 2015. We are within the last development phase and we plan to finish in July 2016.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

We are testing the work provided by Code & Pepper. If anything happens to be inadequate for my users' needs, this is more my problem than Code & Pepper's. They've stuck to my specifications closely. I set up the documentation and we've had discussions about how it would ultimately look. Code & Pepper had many constructive criticisms and they've solved numerous problems for us. Anything missing at this point is more my fault than theirs.

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint?

The first phases of our work were completed on time. The current stage is subject to conclude by the end of the month, which seems likely at this point.

We communicated through weekly emails and phone calls with one of my two contact persons at Code & Pepper in order to manage the work. The project was initially handled by one person, but as we went deeper into the development phase, I started talking to the lead developer at Code & Pepper as well. We agreed on what the next steps should be using email and nothing else. 

What distinguishes Code & Pepper from other providers?

My experience is not great in this field, but judging from our other bids, Code & Pepper stood out as a very involved group. Even though they had a short period of time for it, they put a lot of thought into the proposal. We could tell that Code & Pepper understood what we were about and had researched our existing site and the nature of its activity. Also, they had addressed the problems which we had with the original drafts of our contract in terms of timing and scope.

Early on, Code & Pepper made us understand the process and provided a workshop session during the last phase of the selection when they were one of two contestants left. UX design was offered as the first stage, which was not the case for some of their competition, who proposed developing the code first. Code & Pepper had a practical approach from the start, which is what made us choose them in the end. While discussing this topic with colleagues of mine who are knowledgeable of programming, I was told what I should look for in requirements. Code & Pepper ticked all the boxes.

Is there anything Code & Pepper could have improved or done differently?

At the moment, we are sailing smoothly. During another project which ran on my watch, we actually had to part ways with the supplier. They hadn't kept us in the loop and the communication was quite bad. Maybe because of the fact that we alerted Code & Pepper of our previous supplier change, they were more alert than normal. Whatever the case, we've had no issues so far. My working relationship with their two contacts is very good, and Code & Pepper has been very flexible. I don't know how often this comes up with a client, but we've had to adjust some database items in the beginning, making a compromise in order to reduce development time. They adapted perfectly and found a solution for us. We've always had discussions instead of conflicts.

Even though English is not their native language, this hasn't been an impediment in our work. There are occasional typos, but this hasn't been a problem.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your organization.

Our platform puts corporations and institutions that have training needs in touch with academics. We have created a marketplace for this area with the aim of alleviating the lack of transparency within it. We work remotely from Poland and Switzerland. Our business is based in Ireland and was started in October 2015.

What is your position?

I am a co-founder and the general manager of the company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What business challenge were you trying to address with Code & Pepper?

We needed to have our solution designed, developed, and launched. We don't have the technical skills here, so we were forced to partner with a development company.

SOLUTION

Please describe the scope of their involvement.

Code & Pepper have developed a web-based PHP application for my company. We are currently discussing whether or not to port it to another platform, like Ruby on Rails, in order to create a commercial version of it. They put together a custom test version of my application in the course of three months.

Their team consisted of a project manager, one developer, and one UI/UX [user interface/user experience] designer who was replaced during the project because of poor performance. We communicate mostly using Slack.

How did you come to work with Code & Pepper?

I found them through a friend who was in touch with entrepreneurs at the university where he worked. One of those had evaluated a few different Polish developers for his start-up. He met with 12 companies and went through a request for proposal process. I asked him about a provider that I could use and he mentioned Code & Pepper. I researched them out of curiosity and, when the need arose, I got in touch with them. The first screening and quality check was done by someone whose advice I took.

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

The total cost for our prototype was around $11,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

The first phase of the project was completed in March 2016. I am going through a funding phase at the end of which I will decide whether to continue my work with Code & Pepper or not. I would like to work with them in the future.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Could you share any statistics or metrics from this engagement?

In general, their output quality was good. The only area in which there were delays was design. I wouldn't judge them very hard in this respect because this is typical for the Polish market. The design of a product also varies by country, depending on its target audience. In our case, it was initially lacking in creativity. The second designer who worked on our project was much better. He gave us a bit of a delay, but it wasn't significant. Code & Pepper was quick on suggesting a new person for us. Their designer was an outside collaborator in any case.

How did Code & Pepper perform from a project management standpoint?

We've discussed cost limits and received a detailed hourly sheet. Their productivity was broken down into individual resources and the tasks on which they worked. We have reached a maximum cost at the moment, but we will be discussing upcoming development phases.

Communication was done through Slack. It allowed us to drop notes in real time on our progress and receive responses within minutes. We didn't see the need for any heavier project management tools.

What distinguishes Code & Pepper from other providers?

I liked the fact that their two founders are very different people. One of them [Adam Pogorzelski] is in charge of business development. He knows how to convert the input I give to him from a business point of view to more technical requirements for his partner [Lukasz Korol]. Code & Pepper would not function as well without the complementary skills held by their principals. The communication and follow-ups flow very well between us. The company is small enough to pay attention to us.

Is there anything Code & Pepper could have improved or done differently?

In my opinion, the Slack communication worked well, and I liked the technical part of our collaboration. If we decide to move ahead with the next phase using them, the design part of the effort will need to be improved, though. The United States will be a big market for us, so we need to make sure that the app has the right feel. The issue is more cultural than technical. Overall, Code & Pepper has been very responsive to us. They're always just a phone call away. Even though they're only a 10- to 12-person team, I believe that they have the ability to grow.