Custom Software Strategy
Define Your Requirements
From vision to completion, we can help. Our clients come to us because they want to concentrate on their organizational goals, not on the alignment of technology with those goals. Our strategy and consulting services support decision makers in understanding and leveraging the potential of information technology, enabling them to make informed decisions concerning IT projects and budgets.
IT projects are complex, and solutions can be associated not only with significant upfront cost, but also high cost-of-ownership over time. Our strategy, specification, and consulting services improve efficiency and reduce project budgets by ensuring the proper resources are applied at the proper stage of each project.
Project Phases
Software infrastructure is an integral part of your business strategy, and it impacts management, employees, clients, and vendors. That's why we work through your software project in several phases to ensure the right team members are working on your project at the right time.
Strategy
During the initial stages of any engagement, we use our proven strategy tools and processes to capture your functional and technical requirements for the project. Are we upgrading an existing system? Are we creating a system from scratch? What resources, both staff and technology, can we leverage within your organization?
During this phase we will work with you to compile all of the core functional requirements of your system. With this documentation in place, our business and technical consultants will analyze and extend these requirements. The result is our "Vision" document that brings together your requirements with our knowledge and experience. This will typically include a comprehensive set of data field descriptions, business process use cases, and screen shots of all or part of the final system.
After completion of the initial draft "Vision" document, we will iterate this document based on feedback from you, ensuring accuracy. At the conclusion of this phase we provide you with the completed "Vision" document as well as a budgetary guidelines or a "Not to Exceed" project total.
Deliverable: Vision and Proposal Document
Programming
During this phase our technical consultants develop the programming code and database structures to support your new system or system upgrade. We set up a development environment, track our progress as we go, and may conduct interim releases during development depending on the scope of work to ensure accuracy to specs and requirements. Your project manager will keep you up to date, and ensure all questions from the technical staff are resolved quickly and accurately. Our developers Alpha test the software, and our separate QA staff runs through an internal test plan to ensure accuracy to specifications.
Deliverable: Beta release of your project’s code ready for acceptance testing
Beta Release
The software is then rolled out to your internal testing team for review and user testing. Function and associated errors will be reduced to a minimum at this point, so that your staff can focus on the functional use of your software. At this time, enhancement requests are not uncommon. These requests are processed via a Software Change Request process (SCR) that includes review, budget impact estimates, and approval. Any errors or bugs identified are handled via a Software Problem Report process (SPR). This phase may also include a parallel test with an existing system to ensure accurate output in real world use cases
Deliverable: User acceptance
Launch & Maintenance
We assist you in implementing your code in its new production home, and with any data cutover, user management, or other launch requirements. During the ongoing life cycle of your software, the same team that developed your software can continue to be available for ongoing day to day maintenance, ongoing system enhancements, or simply in a consultation role to support your internal staff. We offer retainer and maintenance packages, but we do not require these arrangements. You always have access to our helpdesk and consultant resources. We stand behind our work, just ask our clients.
Deliverable: Ongoing value, return on your investment, peace of mind