Familiarise & Understand

When starting a process it is important that we understand what the ultimate objective of the solution is and how it will improve current processes in the organisation. This is what we measure ourselves against to ensure that we can achieve the objectives being set. This part of the project is critical to the success of the project as getting it wrong here will impact the entire software development lifecycle model

As part of the process we will carry our interviews with the people involved with the project so that we can understand the objectives and also become familiar with the how the application is to be used.

Prototype and Design

As part of the Analysis we undertake the development of a prototype where we take a section of the application and using our framework and development toolset we write a number of the screens to show the users the look and feel of the processes. During design sessions, we work closely with users and managers of the application to refine the prototype. This is an iterative process and several design sessions may be required before the prototype is finalised. We find that these sessions help the users to understand how the solution is being delivered and also how it will look and feel.

Develop & Test

During this phase, the system is built according to the specification. Functionality is added to the front-end prototype through lower level code and object-oriented techniques. There are review and progress meetings held with the client and where the project is tracked and any issues which arise are discussed and resolved.

Install and Train

We undertake to install the application on the required servers along with any databases. We create the necessary tables etc and insure that any backup scripts are prepared so that these can be incorporated into backup routines. The application is tested to ensure that it functions. The system is normally put into three environments to support Testing, Training and Production.

The implementation of the application consists configuring the system and arranging any data migration which is required and identified as part of the Analysis stage. This will ensure that all reports are operating and the system operates in all three environments. As part of this stage we support the client’s users who will be involved in Acceptance testing.

Part of our solution provides for either the end user to be trained or that we train a number of super users who will in turn provide training to staff. Training is provided at an application and an administration level and can be broken down into different modules to suit the requirements of the business. Once completed the application can go live. It is important to note that we provide onsite support when an application goes live so that we can deal with any queries as they arise during the first days of operation.