Discover how Pigment automated boilerplate tasks and simplified testing with Augment Code. By leveraging Augment's context-aware suggestions and multi-language support, Pigment's developers stay in flow and deliver value faster.

The Challenge

Pigment, a leading business planning platform, aimed to speed up development while keeping high code quality. Their engineers primarily work with C# and .NET 8 for the backend, and React with TypeScript for the frontend. They also utilize Python for AI offerings and YAML and Go within their SRE team.

Most developers specialize in either frontend or backend development, and rarely work across the entire stack simultaneously. The challenge was managing boilerplate code and low-value tasks. Writing tests was another blocker due to the organic, unstructured growth of their test suite.

“The main challenge for us at Pigment is that the R&D team is growing rapidly, and newcomers need a way to quickly ramp-up on our codebase. Pigment is a very powerful tool, and as such, the codebase can be difficult to navigate when you join,” noted Christophe Plat, Engineering Manager at Pigment. 

Why Augment?

Pigment was looking for a solution that could address their challenges more effectively than GitHub Copilot.

They chose Augment Code for several key reasons:

• Automating Boilerplate Code: Augment delivers concise, relevant code suggestions, enabling developers to handle repetitive tasks efficiently. "What the team really likes is that Augment provides smaller suggestions instead of one huge block of code. The developer can stay in flow, start coding, and the suggestions get better and better.”
• Powerful Chat Functionality: Despite initial skepticism, Pigment's developers found Augment's chat feature incredibly valuable for navigating their complex codebase.
  "I was super blown away because it allows you to say, 'Hey, Augment, where is this feature implemented?' And it can surface the frontend code, the backend code, and also the SQL migration.”
• Security and Compliance: Protecting their source code is paramount for Pigment. Augment's commitment to security and data privacy was a critical factor.
  "It was critically important that our source code was protected... We are very happy to know that Augment has a tenancy in Europe... And it was also very important for us that Augment is SOC2 certified.”

The Results

Implementing Augment led to immediate benefits for Pigment's development team:

• Reduced Time on Boilerplate Tasks: Developers could automate repetitive coding tasks, freeing up time for more valuable work. "Augment helps our developers waste less time writing boring tasks, so they can focus really on what matters and what brings value to the company."
• Simplified Testing: Developers found it easier to write and refactor tests, addressing a significant productivity blocker. "Augment helps us make it easier to write tests, providing even more value for our developers." 
• Accelerated Onboarding and Learning: The chat feature helped developers understand the codebase more effectively, reducing the learning curve. "Because Augment has knowledge of the codebase, you can ask pretty much anything and it will answer with relevant data points and relevant code. It's super useful.”

About Pigment

Pigment is a business planning platform built for agility and scale. It connects people, data, and processes in one elegant, feature-rich platform that allows planners in every department to prepare for any eventuality. Industry-leading companies like Unilever, Merck, Klarna, Webhelp, Figma and Poshmark use Pigment every day, allowing them to confidently make more informed business decisions.

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Industry: Software Development

Location: Paris, France

Team Size: 90+

Languages, Frameworks, Libraries: C#, .NET 8, TypeScript, React, Python, Go, YAML

IDE: VS Code, IntelliJ