Custom Development is all about filling a void in your business solutions or extending the value of an existing one. One size rarely fits all, and at the end of the day business needs must be met. Our philosophy is simple—help find, define and maximize the value proposition for our clients. We achieve this by adhering to very strict guidelines. We do not build if there is a legitimate buy option. We do not over–engineer (in other words, we keep it simple). We build incrementally and collaboratively by partnering with our clients. We protect our clients from veering off course by ensuring that a logical end point is always in sight. Finally, we use the right technology for the solution.
Our mantra is continuous improvement. We persistently strive to perform faster, economically, and with better quality. While this may sound like a contradiction it doesn't have to be. We feel that by continuing to refine and improve our best practices, we can achieve this goal. As a sign of this commitment, we are embarking on becoming CMMI-ACSS certified. The Capability Maturity Model was established in 1984 by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) and funded by Carnegie Mellon University in response to a growing perception that the development process was the weakest link in software quality. The overall ability of most software companies to deliver products with good quality, on time, and under budget, was becoming increasingly difficult as the technology and speed issues changed.
Understanding Our Clients’ Needs — “The What”
One of the greatest challenges in software development is taking what the client has in mind and converting it to a software application. Decades have been spent inventing various analysis and development methodologies from Use Case to Extreme programming (XP) to help accomplish this. And still, in more than 95% of projects, the client does not get what they anticipated. UNAPEN has taken the best of breed from various methodologies and built a set of tools we call “project assets”. These range from Business questionnaires to Design documents. These tools combined with strong collaboration between our clients and our Business Analysts greatly improve our understanding and lessens the risk of not meeting the expected outcome. Client participation throughout the project is one of the most critical success factors.
Client Server Development—Putting It Into Action — “The How”
Once our Business Analysts have a reasonable understanding of “what” our client needs are, they engage the lead designers and developers to begin the design and development phase. It is here when collaboration between all parties is imperative. If the project is complex, a Design Analysis will be completed. This document will describe how the solution will be built and how long it will take. Depending on the size and complexity of the project, UNAPEN may choose to prototype or mock up various aspects of the solution. In addition, UNAPEN may choose to leverage many of the business components already built and available in our inventory. The core business scripts created during the Business Analysis phase are used at various points in development to ensure the product is in line with requirements. There will be numerous checkpoints and reviews to confirm construction is headed in the right direction. Continued client participation is important. There is no room for surprises.
With Quality — “QA”
By now it should be certain that what has been built meets our client’s needs. This was accomplished through the various check points and unit testing in the previous phases. However, here is where we make sure all the final touches have been put in place. The solution is heavily exercised through a number of detailed scenarios. This is to confirm all business conditions have been accounted for, accuracy has been met and the product meets performance requirements. Furthermore, the customization goes through numerous cycles of Quality Assurance testing assuring us that the product not only works as designed but is accurate in all of its calculations. This phase can occur on our QA environment as well as the client’s UAT(User Acceptance Testing environment). All appropriate user documentation, as well as release / installation instructions, are written and tested. The product is packaged and finally, several implementation rehearsals are conducted.
Execution — “Strategy Is Commodity Execution Is Art”
Read any magazine regarding a successful project and you’ll learn a lot about Project Management and its importance. UNAPEN has a dedicated Project Office that manages all of the company’s activities and resources. This allows the right resources to be available for projects at the right time. Moreover, it governs the project model and its execution. Based on size and complexity, a project manager will be assigned, a project plan developed, weekly status reports distributed and most importantly, risk managed. Risk is defined as anything that might cause the product to fall short in functionality, late in delivery, or over in budget. The project office facilitates and often dictates the type of structure and execution that is required for a given project. This decision is always in favor of protecting our client from risk. While there is always a sense of urgency just by the very nature of our business, the Project Office will always ensure integrity is never ignored.
“The Right” Technology
One of UNAPEN’s strongest traits is its technology competence. Like our experience in Financial Services, we have many technologists that have extensive experience. Many were involved in mainframe computing as well as the evolution of desktop technology, distributed computing and the internet. They did not have to read about it, they lived it. This experience is priceless and is the key ingredient to the sound technology decisions UNAPEN makes each day. Our core competencies center on Microsoft and SalesLogix. UNAPEN feels these platforms offer the greatest flexibility at the most cost efficient price. We have certified engineers for both platforms. However, we recognize technology is only an enabler, and without the right level of industry expertise and a sound execution strategy, you will be unable to succeed.
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