From our many years of experience as technical firefighters
saving failing projects, we know the telltale signs of risk
in a systems project, and how to turn it around. We also
know what the correct methodology is for building a company.
Our expertise will assist you in determining if your potential
investment is a sound one. We look for the following:
The Business Case
No technical team can succeed if it gets the business case
wrong. This is why we get two separate views - one from
the business side and one from the technical side. Then
we make sure they match and that the two teams agree about
what is important, and on the proposed schedule. Business
people and technical people also need to agree on the true
requirements of the system they are mutually developing,
so we look for collaboration and understanding of high-level
and specific goals.
The Technology Team
Nothing is more important to success on the technical front
than a well balanced technical team. We look for a team
that is experienced, competent, and has a full set of technical
skills - project management, software design, implementation,
testing and system administration.
Software Development Methodology
A good software development methodology helps a company
deliver software on time and within budget, as well as manage
changes to the application. We make sure that there is a
sound project plan and methodology in place.
Systems Architecture
The technical team must fully anticipate what the final
application will need in terms of scalability, performance,
stability, manageability, and security. The choices they
make in terms of hardware, networks, operating systems and
software platforms are crucial to achieving these goals
at an affordable price.
Software Architecture and Design
The most important factor to implementing a flexible and
stable application quickly is good software architecture.
With poor architecture, changes to the application take
a long time, and result in lots of bugs. Not a good idea
for a startup that may change its business plan several
times before getting to market, so we make sure that the
solution is created to be used in the real world.
Software Construction and Testing
Successful technical teams follow established standards
and best practices for software construction. These standards
make sure the developers are creating what the design describes,
that one developer's work can easily be understood and maintained
by the rest of the team, and that the work is of the highest
quality. Testing early and regularly in that environment
is critical, and ensures a stable release of the software
and system being designed. We ensure that all of the pieces
are in place.
