Custom software

What custom software is

It is a system developed for a specific operation: designed from how that business actually works, with the rules, steps and exceptions it really has.

The difference from a general tool is not the number of features, but that nothing is missing and nothing is in the way for that particular operation.

When it may be the right call

It usually makes sense when the process is part of what sets the business apart, when available tools force a way of working that does not match, or when the operation is already held together by spreadsheets and manual steps nobody wants to document.

There are also cases where it is not the right call. If an existing tool covers the process without distorting it, building from scratch adds cost and maintenance without adding value. We say so from the start.

Designed around real processes

Before writing code we review how the process happens today, including the shortcuts and exceptions that appear in no manual. That detail usually decides whether a system gets used or abandoned.

The system is built on that reality, not on an idealised version of it.

How a project is developed

1. 01

   Requirements

   We understand the process, who takes part and what is expected to change.

2. 02

   Scope definition

   We agree in writing what is included in the project and what is not.

3. 03

   Development

   We build the system on the agreed scope.

4. 04

   Validation

   It is tested against the real operation before being considered finished.

5. 05

   Follow-up

   Depending on the project, we continue with adjustments and later support.

Scope and quoting

Each project is quoted according to its scope. We do not work from a price list, because two projects that sound alike can turn out to have very different complexity once the process is reviewed.

The scope is defined before starting, and later changes are discussed rather than absorbed silently.