Warp Development

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Chief Technical Officer of Sebenza

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide free wifi inside minibus taxis around South Africa.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Warp Development to accomplish?

• Build our new content platform web app
• Implement the design-heavy UI and behaviour
• Work with our other tech providers and partners in ingesting their content

SOLUTION

How did you find Warp Development?

Online Search

Why did you select Warp Development over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Warp Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Sebenza Wifi has operated for approximately three years, by fitting minibus taxis with GPS-enabled mobile wifi routers, and in doing so, creating a mechanism for ad-serving that incentivizes users to engage with Sebenza-aligned brands, in order to earn “SebenzaBucks” to use to buy breakout wifi into the larger internet. During these three years, the platform has undergone considerable evolution, including changes in CMS, process, ad serving and the content itself. 

In late 2022, Sebenza underwent a series of introspective research and strategy processes, to understand not only its place on the internet, but its purpose within the commuter ecosystem. Among a great many findings, it was clearly outlined that Sebenza was not merely a simple 1:1 mechanism that connected people to the internet, but was fast becoming a content portal in doing so. 

With this understanding in hand, it was further identified that the portal as it currently stood, was unsuitable as a scaleable, content-rich, personalisable interface, and required a complete rewrite, along with the larger ecosystem. To this end, Warp was commissioned to build a Flutter web and native app to accommodate this shift toward high-content, and to integrate into the larger ecosystem being developed by our internal dev team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Too early to tell right now, but it will be based on uptake and adoption, VAS sales, and ad media served.

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

The team was very responsive and agile to our needs - they interpreted our documentation well, and executed to my satisfaction.

What was your primary form of communication with Warp Development?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Warp were able to correctly identify our functional intent well, meaning that they shared our ambitions for what we wanted this software to be, and how we wanted it to behave.

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

Not really - it was by-and-large a faultless exercise.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

Business name: Saltare Technologies

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenges were you trying to address with Warp Development?

We had an idea to solve late payments with a discount for suppliers using a solution. However, we didn’t have the expertise to build it ourselves, so we decided to outsource the development process.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Frameworks used to build the solution

Frontend: Angular, Backend: ASP NET Core 6 (C#)

What was the team composition?

There are about six people from Warp Development working on my team, including a solutions architect, a frontend developer, a backend developer, a full stack developer, and a QA manager.

How did you come to work with Warp Development?

They were recommended by our CTO. Then, we looked into what they had achieved, and their work spoke for them.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in August 2021, and it’s an ongoing collaboration.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Thanks to Warp Development’s work, the navigation and functionality of our solution have definitely improved, as has our performance. This is a new product, so it’s currently being implemented on the client’s side, and a couple of prospects are trying it as a demo. Thus far, I’ve seen interest in this solution from people around the world on a daily basis.

How did Warp Development perform from a project management standpoint?

Warp Development’s project management is very good. We’ve used Jira for project management, as well as email and Microsoft (MS) Teams for communication.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Warp Development’s team spirit is outstanding. I’m in the UK, and they’re in Africa, but we’ve made our collaboration work so well that it feels as if we were in the same office. They’re very good at understanding what teamwork is all about, so we’ve been able to develop a great relationship.

Moreover, Warp Development’s expertise is impressive. If I explain something vaguely, they’re capable of understanding it immediately. They’re very critical and forward-thinking.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At the very start of the project, we had some communication challenges. However, those challenges were partly due to the fact that it was our first experience working with an outsourced team. Still, Warp Development rapidly understood our goals.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have confidence in them and create a relationship of mutual trust. You don’t need to push them around — they’re very smart and brilliant.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Tafelberg Furnishers is an established business with 59 years of service to the South African consumer. Selling everything from major appliances to toasters. My position here is Head of eCommerce.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Warp Development, and what were your goals?

Our website was a Wordpress website which was launched in 2017. It needed to be optimised for Google and provide a faster UX whilst providing a link to our current stockfile. Our goal was to upgrade the website, and upscale our ecommerce business.

SOLUTION

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

Our team took direction from an independant consultant who specializes in upscaling ecommerce businesses. Warp was a referral and after meeting with the team and completing a needs analysis, Warp was chosen as our partner for this project.

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

The existing website was used as a framework to build upon with the new Storefront model. Weekly updates, project check-in meetings assisted in getting goals established. Once deliverables were achieved and objectives met, testing began and we launched. This wasn't without its own set of hurdles unique to Tafelberg. We had to figure out an FTP solution for our live stock feed. Establish updating of the stockfile pricing etc. Integration of a 3PL was also key to getting this project completed.

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

We had the head of the department, a project manager and a developer work with myself and our team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

After launching our new website we have seen a marked increase in transactions. Key metrics include better conversion rates, faster mobile, better website ranking and a quicker more efficient platform.

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

I thought the project management style was thorough and to the point. Input and experience was invaluable. Jira was a great tool when completing the testing phase. The timeline could have been shortened but it goes without saying that we dealt with allot of unique to Tafelberg challenges that needed to be figured out with the team.

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

They were very responsive and to the point. Results orientated. Measured performance and a sense of teamwork.

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

Because I joined this project mid-way, it would have been good to find solutions to the FTP problem quicker which could have enabled us to launch sooner. I believe this problem was on the Tafelberg side but could have been driven harder on the other side to get things sorted. Having said that, we had periods of strong trade which brought the project to a standstill during these peak periods.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm the COO of an Aviation start-up based in the UK

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Warp Development, and what were your goals?

We were looking for a partner to accelerate our internal development and help get our initial product offering ready for a fixed deadline product launch

SOLUTION

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

We had been looking for the right partner for a little while when we were referred to WARP. Our initial meetings were positive and I think that they "got" us and we "got" them....it seemed like a good fit.

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

The brief was three-fold ... build front and back end components to complete the initial product launch, help test and validate data capture and help with making the platform more supportable in production. This covered React components through Cloud native services and pipeline build.

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

There were four people in the team, 3 senior engineers and a scrum master.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

The WARP team made a fast start getting into our code quickly and identifying both tweaks to the code and changes to ways of working to accelerate delivery in both the short and medium term. They grasped the product very quickly and this made feature development very straightforward. In addition the WARP team helped to upskill our internal resources.

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

We all agreed to adopt 2 week agile sprints managing stories in Jira and using google tools and slack for communication and coordination.

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

They have excellent engineers who have been able to understand our product very quickly to create one very joined up team who worked seamlessly together.

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

The thing we discussed a little was not to sit on problems and try and resolve them, but to escalate then to us to resolve...only small and trying to solve problems proactively isn't really something you don't want!

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I'm an executive at an automotive retail and service company.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Warp Development, and what were your goals?

We launched 3 new brands this year - each required their own individual website with different target audiences, CIs and expectations. As we do not have in-house web developers Warp was hired to develop the 3 WordPress sites.

SOLUTION

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

Being new brands we wanted quality at a reasonable price - it is challenging to strike a balance when budget is limited. 3 suppliers were approached and Warp provided the best value for money without compromising on quality.

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

3 websites were required - a kick-off meeting was held for each one following which potential themes for each were provided. Themes were then selected and the sites built in a demo environment. Changes were communicated and made. Once everyone was a 100% happy the sites were made live.

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

A senior account manager was our main point of contact. We also interacted with a strategy manager, and finance on the invoicing side.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

All 3 designs were on point from the get-go - easy to navigate and illustrated the brand exactly how we envisioned. Warp just got us and our brands

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

All Warp team members were readily available and willing to help. Their management style is very approachable and made us feel comfortable engaging with them. We were consistently in touch via email and phone. The demo site also enabled us to make comments online during the development which made the feedback loop a breeze.

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

Warp Development handled all 3 projects efficiently and professionally. The brief was fulfilled on time and on spec with minimal fuss. They were honest in their feedback and provided input were needed. It was easy to work with them.

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

NA

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Fines SA (Pty) Ltd

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Traffic fine portal 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Warp Development to accomplish?

• Build an app
• Software development

SOLUTION

How did you find Warp Development?

Other

Why did you select Warp Development over others?

Company values aligned

How many teammates from Warp Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

UX design for app to maximize ease of use for customers to view and pay traffic fines 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Look and feel of the app matches that of the online portal

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

Yes very much 

What was your primary form of communication with Warp Development?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

They had flexibility and good communication.

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

Launching on the app stores has been slow 

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner of Ngepi Camp

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Camping,lodging and tourism

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Warp Development to accomplish?

• Add additional functionality
• Upgrade to modern trends and make it moile friendly
• Rejuvenated our website

SOLUTION

How did you find Warp Development?

Referral

Why did you select Warp Development over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Warp Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Relook the website, keep the content and booking system, upgrade the plugins and sofware, consult on new look and feel wrt design and colour,  improve user friendliness, improve SEO and meta's

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Overall look and feel and feedback from current client base; increase in all aspects from google analytics

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

Excellent open and on-time communication, always highlighting risks to project time lines as well as mitigation plans.

What was your primary form of communication with Warp Development?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

We were impressed with their culture, can-do attitude, and willingness to change course based on my changing demands.

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

One area where there could be a slight improvement is in the project timeline. However, once we brought it up, the team was quick to address this and made sure to keep us in the loop going forward. The end result was absolutely worth the wait

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Client Services (IT) Director of The Incentive Company

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Online incentive and loyalty programmes.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Warp Development to accomplish?

• Redevelopment of bespoke software
• Refresh of UI and UX
• Assisting internal dev team with meeting project deadlines

SOLUTION

How did you find Warp Development?

Referral

Why did you select Warp Development over others?

• Pricing fit our budget
• Great culture fit
• Referred to me
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Warp Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Rebuild of our entire system (back-end and front-end), including new centralized repositories and client / supplier nodes to handle unique requests.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

• Key Milestone attainment
• Ease of burden on internal team

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

They communicate every step of the way and liaise with you on the best way forward on the build and design. It was imperative that they design using the tech stack our internal team are familiar with, and they've done this with ease. Where a project may be delayed, they communicate on time and pull in additional resources where necessary.

What was your primary form of communication with Warp Development?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

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

Their ability to put the right person on the job, request additional resources with reason and communication skills. 

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

Not that I can think of at the moment.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Director of Koonara

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Habe fun

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Warp Development to accomplish?

• Develop Software

SOLUTION

How did you find Warp Development?

Referral

Why did you select Warp Development over others?

Referred to me

How many teammates from Warp Development were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

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

Developed Software

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

Success

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

Yes - Super amazing

What was your primary form of communication with Warp Development?

Virtual Meeting

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

Everything. Better than any software company we have found - and we have used a lot.

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

none. They've done a perfect job.