Pros
iPipeline (Internet Pipeline) is a rapidly growing company with its headquarters located in Exton, PA, USA. The company provides software solutions for the Life Insurance and Annuities product suite. In essence, the company is focused on replacing a historically paper-based industry with world-class internet-based solutions hosted in their data center (i.e., a SaaS environment). Although currently the vast majority of their clients are US-based, their vision is to expand their clientele to a world-wide presence. As of the date of this post, the company has a presence in Canada, the United Kingdom, and is exploring opportunities in Japan as well as other non-US locations. The company demographic is generally composed of a young population (employees in their 20s, 30s, and 40s) with a very strong management team having an extensive background in the Life Insurance and Annuities domains who demand a business culture that reflects values rooted in innovation, excellence, and integrity.
Cons
As with any software development company which is growing very rapidly, the impacts of technology change, customer demands for rapid delivery of products to market coupled with a focus on high-quality and rich functionality, presents challenges that the company faces on a daily basis. The company is undergoing an internal revolution to adopt the principals and practices of agile software development. Having worked in the software development industry for over 30 years, I know that switching from the traditional 'waterfall' software development approach to the 'agile' approach is very difficult. It takes time, discipline, ongoing training, consistent and comprehensive communication, and strong management support. Although these characteristics are present throughout the company, the adoption is never fast enough. The company's clients are feeling this fundamental shift and that transition can be difficult for them simply because it does take time. As a result, many of their clients are having difficulty in seeing the true value of this shift which is sometimes reflected on those employees who are in direct contact with those clients.
