April 17, 2019
Homefield IT
Business IntelligenceIT Consulting & StrategySoftware DevelopmentTech Support & Managed IT ServicesConstructionEducationFinanceHealthcareLegalReal Estate
There are lots of companies that offer custom software development services, but most of them have the same approach. It starts when a business, frustrated with their off the shelf software solution, reaches out for more information. Often these businesses are missing important functionality to promote efficiency, or their current software just doesn’t support the strategic goals of the business.
What happens next? The development team gathers some information, and comes back with a quote, asking for a hefty up-front fee before they can begin working on your project. Sometimes, sticker shock ensues, and the business returns to their current, sub-optimal software. Other times, they make the large down-payment with the hope that the development team they just gave a lot of money to will deliver the solution they need.
After 20 years in the custom software development field, we thought we could improve on that model. This disruptive development process we’ve come up with is more transparent than the traditional method, while also better reflecting the needs and expectations of our clients. Here’s how our process works.
Start with a Focus on Collaboration and Partnership
We’re firm believers in the Agile development methodology. We begin each engagement with our version of what’s known as a Joint Application Design/Development (JAD) session, conducted physically or virtually depending on our proximity to the client. The JAD session is about meeting with client stakeholders to understand their business and discuss how software can improve their processes. We formulate goals and align expectations so that we can start the development process with everyone on the same page.
A JAD session isn’t just a client interview; it’s a time for creative brainstorming. We’ll help you determine where your business’s shortcomings are, discuss features you could use to address those shortcomings and leverage our years of experience to offer feedback and ideas you may not have considered – ensuring that we come up with the most efficient and effective solutions for your specific needs.
Front-End Development with UX and UI Best Practices
After we’ve helped you develop a clear vision for your software, we get to work creating wireframes and an initial prototype. Using techniques that we’ve developed over decades, we’ll start to bring your software to life. This process includes several different stages, including:
- Defining user roles and goals – We work with users from each role to determine what will make the software most useful and efficient for them and organize the experience accordingly.
- Establishing harmony – We ensure the software is designed in a way to promote predictable and intuitive user behaviors, which minimizes employee training – leading to a more useful and enjoyable experience for employees in the shortest possible timeframe.
- Information Architecture – We design software from the ground up to be easily navigable by making sure all processes and functions work together in a cohesive manner and present data and functionality in the most effective ways.
The goal of the front-end prototype development process is to produce actual screens of your software as soon as possible without the overhead of implementing complex backend business logic. The ability to see your software take shape helps stoke creativity on both your end and ours to continually hone in on the most effective user experience possible, while also making sure that the progress we make – and our understanding of your vision – is in line with your expectations.
From the start of the prototype and all throughout the front-end development process, we build our user interfaces using “real” static data so you have the most authentic feel for how the final product will look and how intuitively users will interact with it.
Back-End Development – The Brain of Your Software
With the look of your software now defined, we begin the work of coding the back-end. This is where the logic of the system resides. With a catalog of features defined, we work with our clients to start prioritizing their implementation based on business value – with the goal of providing functional pieces of software in short, iterative releases. It’s here where our static prototypes transform into dynamic business powerhouses, connecting our visual elements with the software’s logic and functionality.
Security is a major part of this back-end development process, which includes building login and authentication protocols that meet the specific cybersecurity needs of your organization. In addition, all user activity that modifies critical data (adds/edits/deletes) is stored in an easy to read audit log – allowing users with appropriate permissions to see a complete history and evolution of their data.
Throughout the back-end development process, we’re in constant contact with your team, gathering feedback and input, so that when the time comes for the delivery of your software, you know exactly what you’re getting, and there are no surprises.
High-Quality Custom Software and Our Innovative, Flat-Rate Pricing Model
One of the major obstacles that SMBs must navigate when purchasing custom software is the price. The large up-front fee and subsequent incremental payments can wreak havoc on an SMB’s budget and make getting executive buy-in difficult.
To eliminate this issue, Manhattan Tech Support has developed an innovative, flat-rate pricing model that makes cutting-edge software development accessible and unintimidating.
We invoice for the cost of your custom software with flat monthly payments that are pegged to regular, monthly deliverables – so you always see progress with payment – and we can all collectively be certain that your new software is meeting the highest standards in terms of form and function. This pricing model eliminates large up-front fees, provides your business with greater economic flexibility, and ensures that you get the maximum benefit from our development team without unexpected costs or charges.
On-Going Support Packages to Suit Any Need
Beyond price alone, yet another major hurdle that companies face when purchasing custom software is the need for support. While off-the-shelf software provides dedicated customer support staff who have a standardized script to go by, typically supporting thousands of users, custom software lacks this convenience.
If your custom software experiences a problem, your support team will need to locate, diagnose, and resolve the problem in a timely manner. In many cases, this will involve different developers than those who built the software – leading to unpredictable pricing and wasted time as this new team requires effort to come up to speed. Want to add new features or functionality? You’re going to face similar problems, killing the efficiency gains that you set forth to achieve with custom software in the first place!
Manhattan Tech Support stresses the importance of support from day one. At the beginning of the software development process, we’ll sit down with your team and listen to their plans for the software, and for your business in general. Our development plan will include a strategy for continued support and maintenance of your applications beyond the initial development phase, ensuring they will always run optimally and be kept up to standard with the latest advances in security and technology.
An entire team of software development experts at one predictable price
Custom Software to Meet Any Need
No matter what type of software you’re looking for — business applications, business intelligence platforms, software automation, or others — we’ve built it before. With a portfolio of customer success that stretches back more than twenty years, the team at Manhattan Tech Support has developed a nationwide reputation for being a trusted software development partner.
Are you thinking about developing custom software for your business? We’re always happy to connect with businesses that are looking to embrace all the benefits that custom business applications offer and help them better understand the process. Feel free to contact us any time at [sales-phone] or [email-address].
We look forward to speaking with you soon!
SEE MORE
Kaytuso – the cybersecurity & regulatory compliance division of ManhattanTechSupport.com LLC.
Exceed Digital – the custom software development and business intelligence solutions division of ManhattanTechSupport.com LLC
