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One of the most popular engagement models we offer is the traditional out-sourced software development project. This is ideal when you need specific pieces of software written or modified, such as:
When we carry out a project for you, we undertake to deliver against an agreed specification, which normally involves a technical description, timescales and price. In order to do this, we build a team specifically to carry out the project and assign a professional project manager who is then responsible for successful completion of the project, monitoring and reporting status throughout. Our approach to project management is proven through our record of projects completed on time and within budget.
We have a well-proven approach to software development projects, which always starts with building and documenting our understanding of your requirements. This is captured in a Statement of Work (SoW) which defines the specific tasks we will carry out, what we will ask you to provide, and what we’ll deliver to you as a result of the project. As well as these technical details, the SoW describes how we’ll manage the project, how we’ll demonstrate that we’ve completed it successfully and what our charges will be for carrying it out. We generally write the SoW for each project and discuss it thoroughly with you; once we’re all happy, both parties sign the SoW which then becomes the definitive description of the project.
Most of the projects we take on are large enough to be divided into phases, which can help to reduce risk and allow progress to be monitored more reliably. We can also take advantage of this approach if a project can’t be specified as tightly as we might like before it’s started. In that case, earlier phases of the project may be used to explore and more fully define the requirements or design, before we commit to later stages.
We also understand that your requirements or timescales may sometimes change during the course of a project, for many reasons which can’t always be predicted. We usually deal with this by using a formal change request procedure.
Typically, we do most of the work for software development projects at our offices, using loan hardware as and when required. It’s also very common to do some work at your site, often at the start and/or end of the projects – for example, we often deliver software in person so that we can take part in acceptance testing and hand-over.
We can carry out software development projects on a fixed-price or time-and-materials basis, or a combination of both. As well as taking into account your preference, the choice usually depends on how well-defined the project is and the nature of the risks it involves.