Project Life Cycle

Free consultancy

The process begins with a completely free consultancy visit from one of our local business Analysts, to discuss the proposed development and get a workable overview of your business, its needs and direction.

After discussing the consultation report with our Development managers, your Analyst will be able to advise you of the cost to move on to a fully specified design.

Design

The solution design process begins with a software 'Scope'… that is, what the system must do, then a 'Specification'… detailing exactly how the software will achieve this functionality.

From the completed design documentation we are then able to cost quote the project and accurately determine the development timeline.

Development

We use a variety of development models, depending upon the size and complexity of the project… but all are subject to absolute version control, exhaustively documented and governed by clear deliverable timelines.

Our local Analyst is always your first point of contact, they have access to daily reports on the progress of the development and may, from time to time, need to clarify points with you or discuss issues that arise during the process.

Where on-site beta testing is required, your Analyst will supervise and monitor the process, reporting directly to the responsible Software Engineers to ensure the highest standards of quality control.

Q&A

Quality management is important. It includes internal testing (using automated testing tools) and customer requirements management (bug-tracking) system. An important part of the quality management is the testing procedure, as all projects and products are subjected to independent testing by special team. The bug-tracking system provides both interaction with end-customer and internal team cooperation with possibility to track everything.

Implementation & Deployment

We use three standard methods to deploy and implement developed software:

• Client install: The best choice for most simple, stand-alone applications, usually delivered on CD ROM with an auto-installation package.
• Remote deployment: Used for more complex network applications or Internet solutions, the software is deployed directly from the Development Centre to the client's network servers via the public Internet or direct link.
• On-site managed implementation: Large, complex or highly secure systems will almost certainly require a managed deployment, carried out by our Development Centre staff.

Some projects may require a mixture of these three methods, especially in the case of multi-site deployments, but implementation costs are planned for within the design phase and will never result in additional charges.

Support

Support is an essential element of any development, and our local Analysts play the primary role in supporting any new software.

It is our policy to provide support free of charge for the first three months following the final deployment date, rather like an extended beta period, allowing us to monitor the performance of the product in-situ.

Options for on-going support are always quoted as an integral part of the design documentation. As a rule-of-thumb guide, the annual charge for a full support package would normally equate to between 10% and 15% of the final development cost.

BELTI can also offer a range of training options, from the authoring of operating manuals to the delivery of on-site user and administration level courses. Your local Analyst will advise you of the best route and the likely costs.