At Visus LLC, we have a formula for success. It's simple yet very effective. Most software development companies seem to begin development right away without any proper planning. In most cases this is a recipe for disappointment, budget overruns, and failed deployments. At Visus LLC, every project begins with proper planning, understanding the client's vision, and translating that vision into clear specifications that development team members can follow easily. If any part of the phases is at or near zero in the formula, the likelihood of a successful result is very low.
Architecture and Analysis Phase
Our formula for success begins with the Architecture and Analysis of the application to be developed. This is the most critical stage of any software development project. It is the phase of a project which allows us to guarantee that the client will get what we agree upon. The deliverables of this first phase are a Data Map, Site Map outlining all pages and fields, and any required functional specifications. This phase includes but is not limited to the following:
- Meetings with stakeholders to define the vision and details of the application
- Study and analysis of input from meetings and feedback and advice on options for best practices
- Data Map depicting the actual database design
- Site Map outlining the major pages and their field content
- Usability best practices are also addressed at this stage
- Functional Specifications (if required for the application)
- Graphical mockups of key pages or forms for page creation and CSS
- Scope of application, cost for development, and time required for completion
Development
The Architecture and Analysis phase provides a common set of documents defining what will be developed and what to expect for a result. There are no major ambiguous points about how things will work or look. With this agreement and documents, development can begin. Our team uses the created documents as a reference point for all development. During this phase, some minor questions will arise which will be brought to the client's attention to discuss and to resolve.
Testing
During and after the development phase, all code is tested to make sure it complies with the specifications agreed to up front. Different paths of failure are tested and other methods are used to try and break the application.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
Once the testing phase is completed internally, the application is turned over to a select group of final users to test the application and make sure it meets their expectations. This is an important step as it provides the client's key users with an opportunity to get familiar with the application and also test it under specific scenarios which sometimes can only be created in the client's infrastructure. We highly recommend having a test or qualification server for this phase of the project to try and mimic the production environment where the application will be deployed. During this phase, users will provide us with input to make any adjustments to the code prior to deployment.
Deployment
After the UAT phase, once approval for deployment is received from the client, the deployment date is established and the new application is deployed to the production environment.