Bespoke Development
When is Custom Software Required?
The need for custom software development generally arises from two distinct cases: either a desire to avoid the limitations or hidden costs of generic packages for more standard processing needs, or where a truly unique requirement exists.
Cormant is well-versed in developing bespoke software solutions for global organizations, whether for standard processing needs or to address unique requirements.
Our software development services have been used to help customers in the following ways:
High quality solutions
A principle imbued in the entire team, designed specifically to satisfy business requirements.
Scalable solutions
A critical requirement for many organizations.
Service Oriented Architecture
Developed with a service-oriented architecture in mind, allowing for use across the organization.
Productivity
Enhancing productivity by simplifying existing procedures.
Secure IT Infrastructure
Providing a stable and secure IT infrastructure.
Cost effective development
Cost-effective development using either a traditional waterfall approach or an Agile methodology.
For standard processing, most businesses have unique workflows that cannot be easily accommodated by generic, off-the-shelf software solutions. As a result, companies often face a choice between modifying their workflows to fit standard commercial software or accepting its limitations, or commissioning a solution tailored to their specific needs.
The true cost of compromising with a standard product can be difficult to assess, as it may not be immediately visible (e.g., additional time required by employees) and may accumulate over time (e.g., restrictions on implementing necessary changes in the business).
When a company has relatively unique requirements, off-the-shelf solutions may not be practical or cost-effective, even if customization is possible (e.g., integrating internal applications). In such cases, businesses may need to commission the development of an application that fully meets their particular requirements.
What is Cormant's Approach?
Analysis
Our project team meets with clients to conduct the necessary research to understand their commercial and technical requirements. This typically involves a project manager, business analysts, software engineers (including a software architect), and database specialists. Our team is flexible in approaching this as a separate phase or within the overall scope of a project. In all cases, the requirements and approach are agreed upon in advance with our clients.
Development
Cormant generally uses an Agile software development method, dividing the project into iterations or sprints. Each sprint represents a complete software project, including planning, requirements review, design, development, testing, and documentation. Each sprint concludes with a retrospective in which project priorities and performance are reassessed, resulting in continuous improvements and accurate monitoring of the project plan.
Delivery/Implementation
When the development is completed, the application is delivered for testing. Cormant collaborates with clients on their specific testing phases, which may include Performance Testing, Technical Acceptance Testing, User Acceptance Testing, End-to-End Testing, Operational Acceptance Testing, Beta Testing, etc. These are critical phases for achieving project success, and we work closely with clients to ensure they are properly defined.
Support
Occasionally, a software application may encounter a problem, and our clients may choose to support the applications developed by Cormant or engage us for this purpose. Cormant maintains a helpdesk on a 24x7x365 basis and offers three levels of support service — Gold, Silver, and Bronze — allowing clients to select a service level that meets their specific needs. Support can be provided at Levels 1, 2, and 3, depending on the client’s requirements.
What technologies do Cormant Support?
Cormant follows an n-tier approach to application architecture, in which presentation, application processing, and data management functions are logically separated. By dividing the application into tiers, there is greater flexibility to modify or add a specific layer without refactoring the entire application. This reduces the overall long-term cost of maintenance, including the cost of future changes to the application.
Choosing the right technologies is critical to making a project successful. This may be influenced by the expertise of the client’s IT personnel (e.g., preferred technologies), speed of development, or cost-effectiveness.
Java and .NET
Cormant has Java Development Teams and .NET Development Teams, the two primary technologies used in enterprise-class application development today.
Test Driven Development
Test-Driven Development incorporates module tests directly into the code to identify any faults before they impact the integrated release.
SQL and Oracle
We support both SQL and Oracle databases.
Quality Assurance
Our Quality Assurance process ensures a separate and objective assessment of the requirements, as well as independent testing of the application.