How We Work
finding the right approach for you
You are probably expecting a dry, boring laundry list of our “process.”
You won’t find one here! And frankly, our secret to building great software
has more to do with tailoring the right approach than hammering down one rigid process.
Do not get us wrong, we believe in process. We just know a "one-size fits all" approach
does not always work.
The ISO process followed by Big Company, Inc. and the agile methods of Startup.com
work for them, it may not work for you. One of Interactive’s greatest values
is the ability to plan around the particular constraints of an initiative. Only
then can the most effective approach be followed.
So why aren’t you getting the results you expect? Statistically speaking,
you are not alone. Seventy percent of all IT projects are challenged – twenty-five
percent never see the light of day. Adopting a static methodology does not make
this fact go away.
Building great software doesn’t start with a singular approach, it starts with the
right one.
Rapid Application Development
While we have built commercial software for some clients, our work most often entails
web applications, productivity tools, and business databases. This focus requires
a unique process tuned for projects that usually last weeks or months, not years.
Build from a strong Foundation
Software development life cycles are well understood in the industry today: ours
is a hybrid between that taught by the Project Management Institute and those commonly
referred to as Agile Development.
We first begin with a Foundation Phase, in which we work with you to define business
objectives and requirements, and create user-interface mockups. Measure twice, cut
once. We then develop your software over a series of incremental stages, each one
demonstrating new, tested features, finishing with a full release.
Managing Uncertainty: Iterative Estimates
Perfect software delivered too late or at too high a cost is a failed project: it’s
vital to prioritize budget and schedule so that a project meets its business objectives.
We provide progressively refined estimates, both for schedule and cost, throughout
a project so that our clients can control their own priorities.
Commitment to Process
We are dedicated to understanding the challenges and evolution of knowledge management
and software development life cycles. Our project management team is focused on
refining our understanding and practices of how to manage software development.