OUR METHODOLOGY:

PROVEN SUCCESSFUL

Project approach and communication is 90% of what determines project success or failure… find out why.

Open Professional Group has developed a methodology for the rapid development of successful web based database software applications that has proven successful for hundreds of projects. Why, you might ask? Because it all starts with a focus on business. We don’t think there is any place for the discussion of technology until we have first understood the business needs and challenges to be solved. As we say here, “Business before Technology = Success.”

The simple fact is that most people are not technologists. And, let’s face it; whether you are the CEO, the Senior VP of Operations or an assistant who has been tasked to get a project moving; we are all people. By recognizing this we know that while you may know you have a need, that may not mean you know how to solve the challenges that create that need. So, we keep it simple. Let’s talk business, talk shop, shoot the breeze, spitball, pontificate or otherwise engage in a discussion. That’s where it all begins.

WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU?

To make it really simple, we have three main things we do to ensure project success.  Yes, there are some details for each, but these are the main points.

YOU TALK

We’ll coordinate a call and OPG will listen. Our first job is to gain insight into your business needs, before technology.

WE ASK QUESTIONS

We’ll keep the whole discussion non-technical unless absolutely necessary and will ask questions until we understand.

WE RECOMMEND

We’ll make recommendations based upon our conversation. The goal is to ensure that they make sense to your business needs.

WHY OPG CAN DELIVER

Here are just a few key reasons why time and again Open Professional Group brings projects to a successful finish line on time and within the budget established. Talk to us to experience our commitment to your project’s success.

Requirements Analysis/Specification Development

After all, that discussion mentioned above, we will translate your ideas into a printed document, with accompanying conceptual interface screens where applicable, to formalize the solution we have crafted together. This is a non-technical, business-focused document. Yes, we will be talking about each field in the system, but not in a technical way, rather in a way that makes sense for a “person” and not a “geek.”

Technical Design

Once we have reviewed and revised the specification above, and you tell us you are ready to proceed (we won’t force you ahead), we get your approval. At this point, we take the business focused specification and create the “technical” documents for the developers. This simply extends the specification and provides the needed technical “bits and bytes” details that the technical folks understand. These become yours at the end of the project, but we won’t make you try to decrypt the alphabet soup since these are internal documents for the developer and tightly tied to the specification that you approved. We don’t just go off on tangents. We only do things that you approve of.

Development

Now that we have the specification (blue print) of your solution and the technical design (materials list and detailed engineering drawings), we move to development. At this step, the programmers will take the pieces of paper we have created together and make the solution come to life. Since the developers are handed detailed “instructions” for the creation of your solution; there is no interpretation or “creative license.” This ensures that no only will your system be what you expect it to be, but this keeps our team on time and within budget. Of course, during this process your project manager will constantly update you and keep you informed of status. If anything pops up and we need your input, we’ll immediately reach out. Remember, communication is 90% of the success of any project and that is no less true here.

Testing/BETA

Once the developers have created the solution according to the specification, it will be tested internally via an “ALPHA” phase of testing. This is where our team will test every element, field, and screen of the system to ensure functionality and that the system performs exactly to the specification. Any bugs or adjustments will be applied and the system will then be turned to you and your team for the “BETA” test round. This is not the live system. This is when you and your team will use and work with the system and also test it according to the specification. Any changes, bugs or other adjustments will be identified and in scope items resolved. Once all changes are completed; the system will be prepared for data migration (where applicable) and go live.

Go Live

The big day! This is when your new system will be taken live. If there was data that needed to be migrated or other pre-live processes, those would have been completed. On this day, you “launch” the system and it begins to be used. At this point, we also produce a CD or DVD with a copy of your system’s source code, database structure, and schema, all documentation created and any other elements for your use. Since you own the full system and are free to do as you wish with it after we go live, this becomes your copy of the system. At this point, the core project is closed and we move to the next phase of support.

Support and Changes

Once you go live, there will always be a bug here or there and changes that you wish to make. Once you are live, you have full access to our support services through your project manager or analyst/consultant. We will address every issue or change request as a priority to ensure you always have us standing behind you and our solutions. Every system we develop is fully warrantied to ensure you have us available should anything end up out of sorts.
As you can see, the technology services are a necessary and valuable part of the process, but our interactions with you and your team at all phases of the project are what determine project success. We work very hard to ensure that we are on the same page throughout the project. If everyone communicates, everyone wins. The technology becomes the “easy” part.