Software Development

The Development Process

Envisioning

The envisioning phase starts with the vision and scope of the project. Business and user requirements are gathered, we review existing processes, a risk assessment is done and we look at solution design strategies.

Deliverables: A requirement specification outlining the project's goals, requirements as well as business problems, vision statement, scope definition and risk assessment.

Planning

The planning phase is where we develop the project's design. There are at least two design perspectives: conceptual design and physical design. The conceptual design outlines the functionality and design from a business and user perspective. The physical design defines the solution from a developer or technical perspective.

Deliverables: A functional specification that outlines the functions and design from a business or user perspective as well as a design specification that outlines the technical requirements and design of each component in the solution and finally a project plan which outlines the tasks and the project's schedule.

Development

The development phase is where we build the solution. It may involve initially building a fast prototype or proof of concept. Using the design we develop the architecture. We then move on to building the main components all the while performing unit tests on each one.

Deliverables: The developed components, software builds and source code as well as any finalised functional and design specifications.

Stabilizing

In this phase we test the solution against the requirements of the project. We identify any issues in the solution and fix them before it is deployed. We also perform integration testing, load testing, beta testing, finish manuals and documentation and any other testing that may be appropriate.

Deliverables: Final release, release notes, test results as well as software builds and source code.

Deployment

In this phase we deliver the completed solution. The solution is prepared, setup ready to "go live". It is the stage of final customer approval. We perform internal project reviews and prepare a client satisfaction survey.

Deliverables: Packaged or Deployed Software and Documentation.

Training and Support

We provide manuals, documentation, instruction sheets and face to face training sessions with staff, users and management. Support is an important but often overlooked element in the success of the solution. We take our support very seriously which is reflected in our high customer satisfaction record.

Deliverables: Manuals, documentation, instruction sheets and training plan.