iPipe idea management system – Pharma innovation platform development

Tsiala Jobava

Last updated on March 2, 2026 | 12 min read

Introduction

New ideas surfaced constantly inside the global pharmaceutical company, which had long been known for encouraging innovation. What it lacked, however, was a clear and consistent way to capture those ideas, evaluate them, and turn them into real initiatives. Many valuable insights remained isolated within individual teams simply because there was no shared place to collect them or a clear way to decide what happened next.

Looking for a way to bring structure into this process, the company partnered with DevsData LLC to build a unified digital environment for managing innovation. Together, we created the Innovation Pipeline (iPipe), a web and mobile platform that gives every employee a straightforward way to submit, discuss, and refine ideas. The system transformed a previously informal, fragmented process into a collaborative, transparent journey where creativity could finally translate into meaningful business outcomes.

Client goals and vision

The client is a globally operating pharmaceutical company headquartered in Geneva, employing more than 900 people across several regions. Its teams work within research, production, regulatory affairs, and commercial operations. They also support commercial operations and corporate functions, contributing to a portfolio that generates steady international revenue and supports year-round market expansion. With employees distributed across multiple time zones and business units, new ideas frequently emerged from different corners of the organization. Still, without a shared system, many of these insights were never captured in a structured or consistent way.

Against this backdrop, the client sought a solution that would make innovation more transparent, inclusive, and data-driven. The goal was to create a single platform where employees could submit, refine, and evaluate business ideas related to the company’s strategic initiatives. This approach aligns with what is often described as an employee innovation system: giving teams a structured way to test, discuss, and advance ideas rather than letting them stop at suggestions. Beyond collecting ideas, the system needed to facilitate discussion, feedback, and voting so the strongest proposals could surface naturally. Ultimately, the project aimed to close the gap between management and teams worldwide, turning scattered ideation into a continuous, collaborative process aligned with long-term business planning.

Challenges

Before development began, both sides had to untangle several issues that were slowing the innovation process. Different regions used their own tools and informal routines, which meant ideas were scattered across emails, spreadsheets, and meeting notes. There was no consistent way to evaluate submissions, so strong ideas often disappeared before anyone could champion them. Visibility was another challenge; managers had no reliable overview of what was being proposed across departments. And finally, with more than 300 employees involved, the platform had to be intuitive enough for everyone to adopt quickly, regardless of their technical background.

These challenges shaped the direction of the project and made it clear that the solution had to be both structured and simple, capable of bringing together people who worked in different time zones, business units, and communication styles.

The DevsData solution

To build a platform that could support all of this, DevsData LLC worked closely with the client to define the solution itself, advising on requirements, feature scope, and overall system design, before assembling a small but highly specialized delivery team.

A Product Manager led early discovery work, spending time with teams across the company to understand how ideas currently emerge and where bottlenecks lie. A key strength was translating scattered insights into a clear roadmap and keeping communication transparent on both sides.

The UX/UI Designer focused on creating a layout that felt effortless to use, even for employees who weren’t familiar with digital tools. Their priority was to make sure anyone could submit, comment, or follow an idea without training or guidance. They used Figma to iterate quickly and gather feedback, gradually shaping a design that reflected both the client’s visual identity and the realities of day-to-day work.

On the engineering side, a Frontend Developer and a Backend Developer collaborated to build a system that was fast, reliable, and secure. The frontend work focused on creating a smooth interface for both web and mobile users, while the backend handled workflows including idea submission, commenting, voting, and user roles. Their combined work ensured that the system would scale as more ideas and users were added over time.

A QA Engineer rounded out the team, testing everything across devices and browsers. Their role was vital because the platform had to be used by hundreds of employees across different regions; any friction would slow adoption. Through continuous testing, they helped ensure that the experience remained consistent, stable, and intuitive.

Together, this team worked in short development cycles with weekly reviews involving representatives from business leadership, innovation owners, and operational teams on the client side. These sessions allowed stakeholders to review progress, validate priorities, and adjust features early, before they became costly to change.

This approach kept communication open, minimized rework, and ensured the platform reflected how innovation actually functioned across departments. The collaborative rhythm also created a strong foundation for the technical work that followed, aligning every design and engineering decision with the client’s long-term direction.

Design and technology

Scalability and user experience were the foundation of the development process, shaped directly by how employee innovation needed to work in practice. DevsData LLC’s design and engineering teams focused on mapping each stage of the innovation funnel, from idea submission and discussion to evaluation, voting, and follow-up, into clear, intuitive user flows.

During the design phase, Figma served as the primary tool for prototyping these workflows, allowing rapid iteration on how employees submit ideas, engage in discussion, and track outcomes, while managers review, prioritize, and advance proposals. Additional tools supported efficient handoff between design and development, ensuring that validated workflows were implemented without friction.

Every design decision aligned with real usage scenarios across departments, making the platform accessible to nontechnical users while providing leaders with the visibility needed to guide innovation. Through this iterative approach, DevsData LLC reduced complexity, avoided unnecessary features, and delivered a system that supports continuous participation rather than one-time submissions.

Implementation and results

The final solution was deployed across six major divisions of the organization and quickly gained adoption among managers and innovators. For the first time, teams across regions could collaborate on innovation initiatives within a single system, submitting ideas, discussing them openly, attaching context and documentation, and tracking their progress over time.

Built-in workflows supported review and prioritization, while role-based visibility ensured that leaders, reviewers, and contributors each had clarity on their responsibilities. Alongside voting, these features made it easier to identify high-potential proposals and follow them through, while employees felt confident that their input was visible and taken seriously.

“This project gave us the chance to build something that truly changes how people collaborate. Watching employees from different countries come together around shared ideas is the kind of outcome that makes us proud of what we do.” – Nenad Hrisofoc, Senior Recruiter at DevsData LLC

As a result, Innovation Pipeline evolved into a cultural transformation platform that encouraged participation, transparency, and creativity. The client reported a noticeable improvement in the quality and volume of submitted ideas, as well as stronger cross-departmental cooperation and higher employee engagement.

Our expertise

DevsData LLC’s success with iPipe reflects a broader track record of supporting organizations not only in design and frontend delivery, but also in business analysis and innovation management. Our teams have worked with clients across retail, eCommerce, finance, construction, telecommunications, and media to define requirements, structure workflows, and build user-friendly, business-critical applications that support real operational decision-making. One example is our collaboration with ParentsWave, an American Amazon seller, where we designed the complete product identity and built all listing visuals from scratch. That project demonstrated how strong design and frontend precision can directly influence commercial performance.

Our Designers and Frontend Developers have worked for both startups and international corporations, combining technical precision with creative problem-solving. Known for their “Google-level” quality and transparent communication, they ensure that every project aligns with DevsData LLC’s core values: innovation, clarity, and trust. They also bring a proven ability to design interfaces that drive real business results. Their work has boosted eCommerce conversion rates and improved workflow efficiency in enterprise systems, demonstrating how thoughtful design can translate into measurable ROI.

Conclusion

Through the collaboration with DevsData LLC, the client received a scalable and intuitive innovation management platform delivered within approximately four months from discovery through rollout. From initial discovery to full deployment, the project moved quickly because the team understood both the technical and organizational sides of innovation. Prior experience with internal systems helped us anticipate challenges early.

iPipe is now a cornerstone of the company’s innovation strategy, creating an environment where employees feel confident proposing ideas and collaborating across regions. What once depended on scattered conversations and ad-hoc meetings has become a structured, transparent, and data-driven process. The platform’s success also stems from the strengths that DevsData LLC brought to the project: rapid iteration, a compact, highly specialized team, deep UX expertise, strong engineering discipline, and ongoing communication with client stakeholders. These same qualities have driven results in other engagements as well, such as our work with ParentsWave, where refined UX and frontend precision directly improved commercial performance, and the Imagine Anything project, where DevsData LLC assembled and led a full cross-functional team to deliver a complex digital product under tight timelines.

DevsData LLC combines technical excellence and transparent communication to help organizations bring their boldest ideas to life. Whether you’re modernizing internal systems or launching a new digital product, our cross-functional team can deliver solutions that truly make a difference. If you’re ready to accelerate innovation in your organization, contact general@devsdata.com or visit our website www.devsdata.com.

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Tsiala Jobava Copywriter and Marketer

Tsiala Jobava is a talented marketing specialist. Tsiala holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a master’s in Marketing and Communication from Barcelona Business School. She has built a diverse career, working as a Copywriter and in marketing and PR, before returning to her first passion – writing. Along the way, she has gained valuable experience in social media management, content creation, and brand development.

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