Over 20 years of
helping
businesses to successful software solutions.
Some notable successes my clients have reported that I have
delivered are described on this page. They explain how I approach
problems, some of the problems I have encountered and how I have
reacted enthusiastically to impending disaster.
You
have started
a project
and found that you are out of your depth. next
A medium sized e-learning enterprise had a web development that
stretched their expertise. Andrew, the Studio
Director, was in charge of a successful design studio that had a
history of learning products using CDs and local networks. They had won
a multi-million pound contract to develop an on-line educational web
site using their existing creative talent. Interactive creative ideas
were their niche, and they had used page design tools to create static
web pages for many sites. However they were unprepared for the
complexities that complex dynamic sites caused. The project had run its
course for 12 months and Andrew realised that with little more than 6
months to deliver there were many problems still unresolved.
I was invited to help and I conducted a project review from which the
following issues were identified: -
Complex page design, using tools that generated volumes of data and
JavaScript, created pages that took up to 40 seconds to download over
dial-up lines.
A bespoke Content Management System had been bought which was feature
rich, but lacked performance and was difficult to interface to.
There was little understanding of the benefits of simple but sound
software design techniques.
Server code was developed ad-hoc, leading to an explosion of
unmanageable code with much of it no longer understood.
A feeling of desperation was affecting any effective development.
The customer was feeling uneasy about the technical solution.
The project was
turned around and
delivered in 5 months: - The senior managers
were introduced to simple design methods that helped them to understand
the decisions they were taking, we introduced a technical plan with
milestones to record how the technical solution was progressing. A
small number of specialist programmers were introduced to the team to
transfer knowledge and to give a freshly needed injection of effort. A
simple caching mechanism was put in place to improve the effectiveness
of the content Management System. Existing team members were mentored
to make them effective at producing software for a server based web
system.
You want
know how
software
helps to enhance your business performance. next
A large Air transport solutions made up of cells of medium sized
companies needed to run their bespoke software on a
competitor’s platform. It took 2 years to take
the initiative and win a large contract to supply an integrated
software solution to the airline industry. The end client had a
competitor’s hardware and software applications running on
60% of their sites and was unwilling to re-invest in the cost of new
hardware. Since the client considered this to be a hidden cost that
weighed against changing suppliers the success of the project relied on
seeking innovative solutions that would take away this additional
cost.
My wide knowledge of programming
languages, operating systems and development environments made me a
good choice for investigating potential solutions. I found: -
A wide variation in the technologies being used. One being written in
the C programming language, the other in Java.
Two systems which were independently stable, but subject to continued
improvement and development.
A need to maintain the autonomy of the two systems, to allow them to
continue to be used in other environments.
A highly focussed management team who were interested in contributing
and listening to others.
A willingness to embrace change even if that change would be difficult
to achieve.
We conducted an analysis of the software and its interfaces and
considered different design strategy solutions.
I worked with the management team to understand their level of
technical knowledge, so that I would know how to pitch any potential
solution.
I worked with the management team presenting analogies and design
concepts until they were able to understand how our solution would meet
their needs.
The client was able to control their costs by buying my time, on a
Pay-As-You-Go basis.
Within three months, the client was able to take ownership of their own
problem, safe in the knowledge that they understood the solution: -
By breaking down the problem, and using analogies between complex
software and the real-world the client was able to understand how to
manage the development of their solution.
You
have won a contract in the business sector in which you excel, which
includes a new technology development. next
A small to
medium
sized
enterprise had designed and distributed a successful ticketing system
for around 15 years. The time had come to undertake a radical overhaul
of their software, and to introduce new development methods and
techniques. 15 years is a long time for a
product to be on the marketplace, and like many companies it is easy to
become complacent. Even in niche markets sooner or later competition
starts to form. The management of this company took some time to wake
up to the changes around them, but eventually, almost at the eleventh
hour it was essential to take radical action to beat off the
competition.
I was engaged
to
provide
specialist knowledge in Object Oriented design using the Unified
Modelling Language using Java as a target language. To achieve this I
performed the following: -
I conducted a review of the skills and
knowledge of the
existing technical staff.
I supplied a migration profile showing the level of support that would
be needed from me over the first three and then subsequent months.
I provided an overview of the concepts involved and gauged the ability
of the management and staff to adapt to this new regime.
I worked with the management to ensure that they had a good feel for
the issues surrounding this technology.
I worked with technical staff to help them to analyse their existing
ticketing system.
I provided mentoring to help the existing staff to take ownership and
understand the solution to their problem.
I remained available during the initial design and development on an ad
hoc basis to ease them through the transition.
The client and
their
technical
team adapted to a new technology within 6 months: -
By planning and using my specialist knowledge wisely this client
achieved the technology transfer in 6 months. They always had a
technical lifeline and were able to maintain a strong
momentum. They met their budget targets by using specialist
expertise as and when needed, without a never ending drain on their
organisations resources.
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