Application and Software Development

           Software Solutions: Virtualfolks is passionate about helping clients succeed in delivering business value through cost effective, sustainable and scalable software.

Outsourcing software development

          Outsourcing software development projects to offshore destinations is a success story for large and medium sized enterprises today. Earlier, the offshore model was preferred for its cost benefits and used for non-core operations only, but today it is used for complete project lifecycles. Offshore providers have now become strategic partners of organizations, where the latter gain in terms of cost without compromising on quality.

          offshore software developmentmeans lower costs but that happens only over a longer timeframe. The initial stages are not without expenses. One of the pocket burners is the selection process. Selecting the right provider takes time and money but it is worth it. A hurried selection can lead to a lot of grief along the way! There has to be sufficient effort made to ensure that the offshore company has the technical expertise and manpower to do what is needed. Another expensive exercise is the transition stage. It can take up to a year to completely hand over a project to an offshore provider, with significant effort involved in knowledge transfer.

Quality of service and technology

           For the offshoring partner, the desire not to lose a client often makes them more willing to take on new challenges than the client's in-house resources. This is like a guarantee of quality and up-to-date technology.

Spiral Development: Experience, Principles, and Refinements

           Spiral development is a family of software development processes characterized by repeatedly iterating a set of elemental development processes and managing risk so it is actively being reduced. This paper characterizes spiral development by enumerating a few "invariant" properties that any such process must exhibit. For each, a set of "variants" is also presented, demonstrating a range of process definitions in the spiral development family. Each invariant excludes one or more "hazardous spiral look-alike" models, which are also outlined. This report also shows how the spiral model can be used for a more cost-effective incremental commitment of funds, via an analogy of the spiral model to stud poker. An important and relatively recent innovation to the spiral model has been the introduction of anchor point milestones. The latter part of the paper describes and discusses these.

What kinds of projects are usually outsourced?

           outsource almost any kind of project (e.g., application development, database design, Web development, ecommerce solutions, ecommerce Web site design, etc.). In practice, businesses usually prefer to keep network and database administration in house and to outsource such projects that would allow them to concentrate on their core activities. This is true for outsourcing both to domestic and offshore vendors. A middle-sized software development company or a Web design company might outsource virtually each project, especially the company has established reliable partnership relations with the vendor.

Can you tell me something specific about outsourcing software development?

           Choosing a provider to outsource a project to, you may ask for code samples and have them reviewed by specialists. After you've made your choice, discuss coding standards with the vendor, determine the appropriate requirements, and include them in the text of the agreement. Building mock-ups of the system and/or UI prototypes at the specification phase is one of the most important features of efficient software development. Any OSP is supposed to have a routine procedure of using a bug tracking system to manage bug reports. If they do, you should have access to the bug reports related to your project. If they don't, you might consider creating your own one and providing the vendor with access to the appropriate bug reports.

How important are the specification, project plan, and other documents?

           Very important. Even the way the documents are drawn up say a lot to any specialist because they're a mirror of the vendor's in-house process. The clarity and accuracy of style reflect the vendor's culture and experience. The specification must be easy to understand, especially the description of the principle of operation. The project plan should include a number of milestones and deadlines. If it's software development that you're outsourcing, your agreement with the vendor must provide for the delivery of the code after each milestone is achieved. This way you will additionally secure the project: if your vendor doesn't meet the next deadline, you can hand the project over to another OSP.

Are there any communication problems that I need to know up front?

           Even communication with your neighbor can be difficult when you don't focus your attention on it. If you believe that nothing can substitute face-to-face discussions, you might want to look for an offshore OSP that has the head office in the country. Otherwise, telephone conversations, e-mail, and instant messaging will make it possible to solve almost any issue. Sometimes telephone conversations aren't useful because of the language and psychological barriers, so the best means of communication are e-mail and instant messaging. Language and/or cultural problems might contribute to all kinds of mix-up, so ask for the resumes of those employees who are going to be responsible for each part/stage of the project to make sure they are fluent in English.

Who should I contact while the project is being implemented?

           You may talk the most general issues over with the top management of the OSP, while everything else has to be discussed with the key personnel such as managers and team leaders. If you try to communicate with the rank and file, it can lead to commotion or even chaos.

Software Development vs. Web Application Development

           Software development can be defined as "the translation of a user need or marketing goal into a software product which runs on a computer's operating system", while web application development is the process and practices involved in developing web-based applications that are built for use on the internet.

           While both these entities are vital in their own right, Osirion Systems Technologies has chosen to delve deeper into the realm of software development and over the years have come to be market leaders in the same. Whatever be your custom application development requirement, we have a solution!

Best Practices in Application Development

           Custom software development calls for a structured set of procedures to be adhered to for it to give the best, desired results. For this reason, a set of guidelines for creating a custom software application is usually followed, which form part of the software development process; these include analysis of the existing scenario and understanding the specific client requirement with reference to the existing systems, if any, in place before proceeding to designing an application that caters to the client's requirements. The testing phase where it is ascertained that the end product is indeed what the client had required follows, after which the documentation procedure is completed. This is done to ease future maintenance and enhancement of the software if the need does arise.