Our software development process

This is generally how Samarind's software development process works. Sometimes it varies a bit if the customer has particular standards or methodologies they want us to use but this is our prefered, proven in-house method.

Pre-sales

Our pre-sales process is completely free of charge and without obligation, and usually goes like this.

• You decide that you might need some bespoke software writing and find Samarind via word-of-mouth or on the Internet. You contact us to ask if we can do what you want and how much it will be.
• We have a quick chat about your requirements. We'll tell you whether this is something we can handle (we seldom say no) and give you a very rough order-of-magnitude ballpark figure for how much it might cost based on previous similar projects. Please note, this is just a guess at the moment, it's only there so that we don't waste each other's time if it's out of the question.
• If we're OK so far we'll have a face-to-face meeting to discuss your requirements in more detail. Our software salesman and one of our system architects will do this.You tell us what you want and we ask you lots of questions and take lots of notes. It's often helpful to be shown around your offices to see how you're doing things at the moment too. Of course if you've written down a list of requirements that's even better (but not mandatory).
• We then do the initial database design based on what you've told us. This gives us a very good idea of how complex the system is, and we have a tried-and-trusted estimating mechanism that we use to give us a pretty accurate idea of how long it's likely to take to develop. We wrap this up in an outline proposal document which gives the expected costs as accurately as possible. If we're confident that we have all the information we need we'll give you a fixed price for the development at this stage; if there is too much undefined then we might need another meeting and/or to do a more detailed requirements analysis first. If applicable, the quotation will also include a figure for transfering any existing data to the new system.
• Once we've arrived at a fixed price it's over to you to decide whether you'd like to go ahead. If you have any queries or would like to see some of the systems we've developed for other people you're welcome to come to visit us to discuss the project further. References can also be taken up at this stage.

You'd like to go ahead

• Once we have your go-ahead we raise our first invoice and schedule the job in. Note that we usually have a lead time of 2-3 months for larger projects and we allocate our resources on a first come, first served basis. Your order secures our development timeslot.
• When we're ready to start the project we visit you again for a project initiation meeting. We discuss roles and responsbilities on both sides and start to discuss the software in more detail.
• Over the course of the next days or weeks we visit as many times as necessary in order to firm up your requirements. As part of this process we produce a detailed technical specification; this is essentially an internal document as it tends to be quite technical but we talk you through it in detail to make sure we've understood your requirements correctly.
• The database will then be built and the main part of the development can commence. Initially there will be little to see but as soon as we have part of the user interface to show you we like you to visit us to see how we're getting on. It's important we get your input throughout the development process.
• Once we're roughly 70% complete we usually deliver you an initial version of the software. You can then start trying it out and get input from your staff too. We need as much feedback as possible at this stage.
• You can then expect a number of new versions over the next few weeks as we get nearer and nearer our 'fully functional' stage. This is where we believe the software does everything we agreed it would do, however it's not yet 'finished'. Although we will have tested it ourselves before delivery (we have a dedicated tester in-house) it's essential tha you now test it yourselves to make sure we've understood and implemented your requirements correctly. It's vital that you allocate sufficient resources from within your organisation to do this; people usually underestimate the amount of time this takes, and it is essential to the success of the project.

Going live

• We're now in the fine tuning stage, which is usually 3 months long. At some point during this period you will 'go live' with the software and start using it for real, however you can still request minor changes during this period. We usually have a project review meeting around now.
• Once the fine tuning period is complete we consider the project to be finished and the period of free support ends. You can now decide what level of support service you require going forward and any changes that are required after this point become 'phase 2'.

A typical project takes 3-4 months from beginning to end, although obviously some are smalller and some bigger. We do not outsource, all our projects are handled in-house by a set of very skilled professional British developers. We aim to make every development project a pleasure to be part of.

If you have any questions about our development process or would like to discuss your own requirements please contact us.