Custom Software as a Process can sound like a general term much like an astronomer explores the cosmos through a telescope. Custom software is building software solutions; web applications, installable applications, services, data organization and so on, that are specifically designed with a customer in mind. In using an approach such as software as a design, our customers are assured that they are paying only for the features that they want, that they are able to determine how much of the software they want to manage themselves and how much support they want to have over time. For all intensive purposes, we are blending software consulting with services support as an on-demand software building shop.
Background
Why would this approach to software solutions be something that you should consider?
I am glad that you asked this. We believe that customers should not be completely unaware of what goes on when purchasing software. There is a lot of expertise and skill that goes into this, but also financial strings for most software. There are many different things that you may not have considered before buying that work inventory system - upfront costs, maintenance costs, license fees, and migration fees to name a few. In software who is managing your data and who is holding it is key to ensuring the security of your organization.
We believe that our customers should have the option to choose if they want to have software written that would enable them to manage almost everything without changing the core code if they desire. Also, in not locking down the data in proprietary systems, we enable our customers to move data as they see fit, enabling greater reporting capabilities and integrations with other systems that they may already have or want to have. Our passion has always been to build digital tools that enable our customers to worry less about software that is of poor quality or is unreliable and more focused on things just working.
The Process
Initial Meeting (In person or virtual)
We start with an initial meeting with a customer. This is generally the introduction, determining what a customer is looking for, expecting and whether we are likely the best option for what they are looking for. If this customer is already familiar with us, we may dive directly into features, processes and deliverables that a customer is trying to achieve through a new or updated solution. The goal of these first few meetings is to understand how a customer operates, what they are comfortable with and how likely they are to try new things.
Design
Within the initial few meetings, we have an idea of what a customer is looking for, so we start sketching out a solution including what technology, languages, data storage and other parts that might be necessary. We also do a security check during this time to determine if a potential customer is maintaining minimal cybersecurity standards as this helps inform us of a customer's due diligence when building a solution that could be running in their environment. We take this time to advise on specific key points of weakness that need to be upgraded to ensure a solid defense.
Approval & Development
Once the design and deliverables are agreed upon, the development begins. During this time we update our customer generally weekly or bi-weekly on the status to help them prepare for testing. Additionally, we have them setup anything necessary to ensure that the software will be usable such as account creation, space assignment for hosting and so on. This can vary greatly between solutions as to what is required.
Testing
As the development process approaches completion, we start setting up the test environment and arrange instructions, schedules for testing with the customer. Our goal is to catch as many unexpected items as early as possible and get feedback for any modifications that might be necessary to make the solution more effective for regular users. The testing period is up to the customer to determine when they are comfortable with going live and introducing their entire user base to the system. We will often build documentation and training around feedback that we receive at this point.
Going Live with the Solution
Moving a solution to a live status, when everything is official and open for usage is a big milestone. Generally when we reach this stage, we start wrapping up documentation and any bug fixing as they are reported. We look to the customer to determine satisfaction with the solution and anything that might be necessary to make corrections through an update.
Software Created for You
Wrapping Custom Software as a Process
The process of purchasing custom software for your organization may have seemed daunting or ambiguous in the beginning, but should be clear now. You may have read the word purchase also - we include in our contract that our customers have a lifetime of the business license to use the software without any additional charges for the purpose it was created for. We believe that software should be something owned, not forced into a subscription model.
Expanding your organization's capabilities doesn't have to be a complicated process. You have goals you want to accomplish and we have the skills to build the tools that you need to get there. A straight forward process allows organizations to know what to expect, and have costs associated that are expected. At the end of the day we have the same expectations for our vendors as our customers have for us: reliable, quality software solutions that are secure and long lasting.