Remote development of mobile solutions throughout Europe.
To give you a better understanding of our advantages and of the mobile application project you’re planning with us, we’re going to describe here why remote development is just as good as on-site development, and the meaning of the terms used in our business. This comes into play when the application development is entrusted to us.
The customer, like the developer, needs time to reflect between exchanges to work out the best solution: on-site presence is therefore mostly a waste of time for both. Our method lies somewhere between traditional project management methods and the Agile method.
Our method of remote analysis, development and integration is tried and tested, and includes rigorous, formalized stages of progress.
The advantages of our method of remote analysis, development and deployment of mobile applications for the customer:
- Highly formalized analysis: it’s hard enough to get what we think we understand, so we spend enough time with our customers to make sure we’re talking about the same thing: the customer gains in shorter development time and fewer versions to test. They also benefit from the addition of functions they wouldn’t have thought of initially, thanks to our experience in other fields and with similar functions.
- The customer saves the time and expense we usually spend on travel,
- Numerous exchanges give them time to think about changes and modifications to their internal procedures and software. In the end, a document summarizes the content of their request, and the input and modified files are defined,
- We give them the opportunity to see their development in action online, and to comment on its validity or modifications,
- We give them the opportunity to test the developed version on their own machine, in conjunction with their own files or databases,
- Customers gradually see the mobile solution taking shape on their premises, and become aware of the consequences for their organization and teams,
- As the project progresses, expenditure is phased in: terminal orders are even placed at the last minute,
- His terminals arrive pre-installed and parameterized: all he has to do is enter his network code,
- With the customer’s agreement and presence, we can take control of his gateway and terminals for remote installation,
- He can request an update for minor ergonomic corrections, and he has the means to install the updates on his terminals.
It’s a mix between classic project management methods and the Agile method.
Our rapid integration method, worthy of ISO 9000 certification:
1. Needs analysis, business analyst, prototyping and remote development:
Based on your requirements description or an application model, we carry out the following for you, taking into account more or less steps depending on your needs:
- analysis of your needs: transcription into a common language that can be understood by both customer and developer, suggestion of important functions, business models with return on investment,
- consideration of existing IT systems,
- analysis of necessary interfaces: incoming and outgoing data interfaces, human-machine interface (HMI), workflow,
- production of a prototype without hardware investment with you, with our terminal, on site,
- validation testing of workflow and interfaces,
- writing of user and administrator manuals.
2. Deployment:
- work in collaboration with the editor of your management solution to prepare the definition of interfaces: system that delivers to mobiles and/or integrates mobile data,
- API hosting on our servers,
- database hosting on our servers or on services referenced by us, on your account,
- acceptance testing,
- purchase and installation of operating licenses on terminals,
- training of application administrators and pilot users,
- validation or minor corrections.
3. Our only constraint:
The terminal with imager or smartphone you choose must run on Android.
The choice is yours: a large number of terminals with integrated imagers run on this Android operating system: types of RFID barcode reader terminals
Terms used, stages of embedded software development and fine-tuning
The POC: “A proof of concept (from English: proof of concept) or demonstration of feasibility, or “demonstrator,” is a concrete experimental realization and preliminary, short or incomplete, illustrating a certain method or idea in order to demonstrate its feasibility”. illustrating a certain method or idea in order to demonstrate its feasibility" (Wikipedia Sept 2018).
It is not necessarily employed in all projects, but only if there is uncertainty of assembly between distant or complicated technologies, or if the customer requests it. It’s a kind of pre-study, a research phase, aimed at fine-tuning the various assembled elements in order to ensure communication or test their limits or functionalities, or to train the customer to visualize the use of this unknown technology.
This phase is invoiced, but without profit, and without prior validation by the customer; it is not intended to be exploited, nor to last over time, and is in no way a transfer of license, (it has no functions of its own, it has no updating, upgrading or protection functions, and is limited). This phase does not dispense you from the following phases, but rather facilitates them: a better understanding and projection of the customer in the future application, reuse of part of the code and therefore lower realization price.
the analysis and specifications: the written definition phase of the solution, which explains in complete detail what the customer wants, how the solution should work, its context, its means and interfaces with other systems (data input and output, printouts) and determines the limits of use of the future mobile solution.
The customer’s pre-analyses or specifications are studied, but reworked as incomplete. This phase ends with the production by our company of a version “1” specification which must be validated by the customer, and which is decisive for the following stages, and any future disputes or discussions; the final quotation may be modified following this validation.
Version any modification after this validation of the specifications will require a new quotation and validation of the specifications, with an increase in the version number depending on whether the modification is minor or major, and invoicing according to the level of modification and the moment in the development of this modification;
Software mock-up A more or less advanced project to define the graphic design and structure of a software program in relation to the analysis: this phase is invoiced, as it is not intended to be used or to last over time, but is necessary, as is customer validation before the final development phase.
final version development: Integration phase with automated customer interfaces as defined in analysis, protection and licensing, update methods. Delivered with provisional licenses due to the embedded nature of the software.
Acceptance, or “receipt Acceptance, or “receipt”, determines the starting point for operation, invoicing and confirmation of license validity.
Gateway” definition: a computer program or server, also called an “API”, which groups and concentrates communications with mobile terminals, and on which a service to other resources such as databases is securely programmed.
Software update/upgrade definition:
- an update includes bug fixes and minor enhancements, while remaining within the defined major+minor version. The 3rd digit of the version is then increased,
- an upgrade changes the major or minor version of the software according to the impact of the added functions.
With these methods, we cover the whole of Europe in written English or French. Don’t hesitate to ask us for more information!