Custom iPhone Application Development Process at Alchemy Research, Inc.

   

 This document outlines the entire process of outsourcing your iPhone application development to Alchemy Research, Inc.

 

 

Copyright © 2010 Alchemy Research, Inc.

 

1.      Project Start

 

1.1       Organization of Features

The development process begins by dividing the project into components, sub-components and features, defining features as accurately as possible so as to make them easier to develop.

 

Features are prioritized so that the most important features are worked on first, and are grouped by dependency, so that features that are independent of one another can be worked on asynchronously.

 

1.2       Our Methodology

At Alchemy Research, Inc. we follow a variant of the agile software development methodology. This, in simple terms, means that we focus on getting things moving quickly rather than planning for lengthy scenarios that we cannot adequately predict. iPhone development is an extremely complex area, and one that is changing on a daily basis. It would be possible to plan some projects for several months; however, in our experience until development begins it is impossible to foresee every possible scenario or problem that may occur.

 

Furthermore, many clients often want to introduce changes and additions once they see the product in action – either because a feature is not as useful as they visualized, or because they have a new idea on how to improve a feature. Moreover, with our 13+ years experience on working on outsourcing projects, new suggestions may emerge during the development stage.

 

We believe that some of the main advantages of using our methodology are:

Ø  Closer contact between the Development Team and the Client:

This means that both the Development Team and the Client have a much better understanding of how the application will work and allows issues to be resolved and designs/GUI adjusted much quicker. Furthermore, if the Client can ask questions, receive clarifications and ideas can be discussed, then this is much more likely to produce the result that the client wants.

 

Ø  Happy developers = productive developers:

Our developers are amongst the most experienced developers and we believe that if they are given a little freedom then they will be able to suggest even more unique, creative solutions for your application.

 

Ø  Cost:

We believe that the cost of your project will be significantly reduced by the use of Agile development. This is because your project is constantly being refined and managed, meaning you get the results that you want, in a shorter period of time.

 

Ø  Change is positive:

Yes, change is seen as positive in our methodology! Unlike traditional Software Development methods whereby change requests are costly with major time-delays, you have the chance to change course roughly every two to four weeks.

 

At Alchemy Research, Inc., we believe in flexibility. However, each project is unique to us and as such, each project is handled based on the needs and requests of the client. We provide as much or as little freedom as you want!

 

1.3       Timeline & Project Evaluation

The project timeline is divided into high-level milestones, which usually represent larger components being finished or product release dates. Within each of these milestones are short-term iterations, which usually last 2-4 weeks. Each iteration begins with a kick-off meeting, during which the features from the last iteration are tested and evaluated, and a certain number of new features are chosen for development in the upcoming iteration.

 

These iteration kick-off meetings are ideal times for evaluating the progress of the project and making sure that development is proceeding according to expectations. If setbacks or delays in development have occurred, they can be discussed, analyzed and learned from. The status of the project budget can also be verified. If the developers have important questions for the customer, they can ask them, and they can inform the customer of important discoveries. If the customer is displeased with something, this should be highlighted during these meetings.

 

 

At Alchemy Research,Inc. we use Basecamp Project management system in addition to iteration kick-off meetings, all project stakeholders communicate through the Online Project Management System (PMS), which facilitates below features

 

 

1.4      Daily Updates & Presentation:

Our Project Managers update with comments & task completed daily before end of day on PMS system for which you will get email alerts.

 

For products requiring more than 2 weeks implementation, we present you with intermediate demo versions of the final application & possibly video presentation every 48 hours. You can monitor progress, provide early feedback on required changes and use this version for product demonstrations, with which our team is happy to assist you.

 

Source codeand other intellectual property will be managed in a secure backed-up revision control system.

 

 

1.5     Support and Development of Later Product Versions:

Every good product needs to be continuously improved to remain competitive. Alchemy Research,Inc. offers support services and is eager to analyze feedback from end users in order to identify the most critical points for future improvements.

 

Based on your vision of product evolution, future versions are to be determined and implemented.

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