Custom Software Development and Application ProgrammingPage ContentsSystem Requirements AnalysisAre you considering the development of custom software for your organization?Prior to taking on any custom software implementation, it is important to perform an appropriate analysis of the proposed system's requirements. A proper requirements analysis is to custom software what a good blueprint is to a house. Skipping this step typically results in budget and schedule overruns, missing or incorrectly implemented features and missed opportunities for improved productivity and decision-making. To eliminate these problems GARA Systems has developed a service that makes this process easy and affordable for organizations considering custom software. How the Service WorksThe goal of the analysis is to uncover all of the functions and features of the required system. This is done by holding JAD (Joint Application Development) sessions with your users, IT representatives and management. During these sessions, we review your current systems, procedures and organizational objectives. As these requirements are identified, they are documented in a System Requirement Specification (SRS), the core deliverable of the service. This SRS becomes the guiding document for any software implementation that will be performed. You can use this document to request competitive bids from other software development firms; to evaluate commercial ("off-the-shelf") software; and to validate any delivered solutions. Application ProgrammingDoes your software work the way you do? Or, is it the other way around?Despite the proliferation of software products out there, we sometimes find that none offer the unique solution your company needs to be as effective and efficient as possible. Typical implementations of commercial software used to address your specific needs require the use of overlapping packages, unstable workarounds and the redundant maintenance of data. This results in reduced employee productivity and poor data reliability. By properly evaluating your information management needs, GARA Systems can create custom software designed to your specifications. Using Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodologies, I can produce custom software on budgets and schedules not possible just a few years ago. So much more is possible then you might realize. I have extensive development experience in a wide variety of application models. Website and Web Application DevelopmentWould like to launch a new website, web based application or service?The web continues to grow as a vehicle for reaching new prospects and converting them in to customers. GARA Systems has the experience and know how you need to build robust, interactive and highly functional websites using a variety of technologies including PHP, ASP, MySQL, CSS, DHTML, JavaScript and much more. Software Automation and System IntegrationDoes your commercial software do almost everything you need?GARA Systems can fill the gap and improve your business systems by transforming your existing software's capabilities into custom solutions. This can be done by programmatically extending these packages, e.g. via MS Office VBA macros, or by developing add-ons and integration components that reduce data maintenance requirements and improve data sharing and reporting capabilities. For example, a very common situation involves entering transactions into QuickBooks or other accounting software using data from another system. Creating a small script that imports data from the other system and formats if for import into the accounting system can save your staff time. In one specific situation I was able to take a data entry task that was taking 10 hours per month to complete and turn it into a script that now takes 7 seconds to run. I wrote the script in about 2 hours. It's really just a matter of identifying where those opportunities exist. Wherever necessary, I can even work with your other IT vendors like Point of Sale Systems, Accounting Packages, etc, to create the custom information management solutions you require. Component DevelopmentDo you need to outsource part of the development of your software?GARA Systems can develop software components and sub systems, including:
Custom and Open Source Software MaintenanceDo you need a new developer to upgrade or maintain an existing custom solution?GARA Systems has the experience you need to take over the maintenance of existing custom or open source software. I can review and document the existing code base and provide you with recommendations for improvements and continued maintenance. Contact me to learn more about how GARA Systems can help your business. |
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