If you have never built custom software, it is hard to know what to expect. How does a project start? What do you see along the way? When are you done? This is a plain description of how a project usually unfolds, in four steps. The details change with every project, but the shape stays the same.
Before step one
A project starts with a problem, not a feature list. Maybe your team keeps the business in spreadsheets and they no longer keep up. Maybe a process that depends on one person's memory is slowing you down. Maybe you have an idea for a product and you want to test it.
You do not need a finished specification to start. You need to know what you are trying to change, and who will use the result.
Step 1: Discover
The first step is to understand your business and your current systems before anyone writes code.
What happens:
- We talk with the people who will use the software, not only the person paying for it. They know where the work really hurts.
- We look at what you use today: spreadsheets, other programs, paper forms.
- We agree on what the first version has to do, and what can wait.
What you get: a proposal with a defined scope and price, so you know what you are buying before you start.
What we need from you: access to the people and the information, and honest answers about what does not work today.
Step 2: Design
Before building, we decide how the system will work, so that changes are cheap while they are still drawings.
What happens:
- We define the main flows: who does what, in what order.
- We design the screens, so you can see and react to them before they are built.
- We plan the architecture and the delivery: where the system will run, how data is stored, how updates reach users.
What you get: screens you can review, a work plan and a clear picture of what will be built first.
What we need from you: feedback, early and specific. A change at this stage costs minutes. The same change after the software is built can cost days.
Step 3: Build
This is where most of the time goes, and where the project should be easiest to follow.
What happens:
- We build in short cycles. Depending on the project, you try working versions along the way; for highly custom projects, we send you drafts of what we have so far.
- At the end of each cycle, we show you what works and listen to what does not.
- We test as we go, rather than saving it for the end.
What you get: a view of the work throughout the project, through working versions or drafts, not a surprise at the end.
What we need from you: someone who can review each version or draft and answer questions quickly. The project moves at the speed of those answers.
Step 4: Deploy
Launching is more than pressing a button.
What happens:
- We put the system in its real environment and move over the information you need.
- We train the people who will use it.
- We watch the system closely in the first days, because that is when the unexpected shows up.
What you get: software in production, a trained team, and documentation, or a clean handover, depending on what we agreed on.
What we need from you: your team's time for training, and a date that works for the business, not only for the project.
After launch
Software is never really finished. Users find new needs, the business changes, and the systems around it get updated.
After launch you have two reasonable paths:
- Ongoing support and improvement. We keep monitoring the system, fix problems and add what your business asks for next. It has a monthly fee, starting at US$ 15 per month or US$ 100 per year.
- A clean handover. We give you the code, the documentation and the training, and your team or another provider takes it from there.
Whichever you choose, it should be agreed on from the beginning. A good provider tells you what happens after launch before you sign.
Questions to ask any team before you start
- Can I see a proposal with scope and price before the project begins?
- How will I see progress, and how often?
- Who is my day-to-day contact?
- Who owns the code and the data?
- What happens after launch, and what does it cost?
Where RedShoe fits
RedShoe is a bilingual team in Nicaragua that builds custom software, SaaS products, web and mobile apps and the infrastructure that keeps them running. If you have a problem like the ones above, you can look at our projects, try a demo or tell us what you need.