Vision and Scope Project Analysis
Vision & Scope Workshops are the first step toward a successful software project. Think of these workshops as brainstorming meetings during which all project stakeholders get together and discuss the overall vision for a project in order to determine the important aspects, boundary conditions, potential timeframe, priorities, wants versus needs, and just about anything else one can think of. This vision is then prioritized and split into multiple phases. Key challenges are identified. Existing staff and resource capabilities are analyzed. Risks are analyzed. First steps are discussed. In short, everything that goes with a project is fair game!
We assist in Vision & Scope Workshops by adding our experience and expertise by bringing up key issues, helping to judge feasibility of certain aspects, and by suggesting technologies and techniques as well as appropriate approaches. We also use our experience earned from other projects to help judge effort levels and required skills.
No project will ever include everything one can dream up in a Vision & Scope Workshop, but the result will help to develop solid plan and realistic expectations in moving forward with a project, regardless of whether those next steps include CODE/ EPS Software, or whether a project is done in-house or with a different vendor.
The Deliverable
The main deliverable of a Vision & Scope Workshop is the Vision & Scope Document. This document recaps all the items discussed during the inital meeting, with additional questions explored and facts added in. The document addresses all key areas, next steps, risks, and so forth (the exact content varies slightly based on customer need).
Many Vision & Scope Workshops also feature other deliverables, such as code examples that can serve as proof-of-concept materials. Sometimes we also provide other documents or media related to the issues discussed during the meeting. Often times, such secondary deliverables are discovered during the Vision & Scope Workshop.
The main goal of a Vision & Scope Workshop is to come up with a shared vision and a solid plan for the overall project. It is then up to the customer to decide which parts of the project to explore or engage and in what order and time frame. (As mentioned above, no Vision & Scope Document is ever implemented in one swoop). The Vision & Scope Document acts as a starting place and guide for the project, regardless of whether the project is undertaken by CODE (or with CODE's help), completed in-house, or by a different vendor.
Engaging in a Vision & Scope Workshop
Vision & Scope Workshops are easy to set up. They usually consist of an on-site meeting to which we send one or two high-level experts. (If need be, the Vision & Scope workshop may also be conducted online, but face-to-face meetings are recommended for optimal communication). Before we engage in the meeting, we usually have a discussion over email or over the phone about the general nature of the project, so that we can ensure we send the right people. Whatever materials can be provided ahead of time helps us to show up as prepared as possible.
The actual meeting usually starts out with an overview from the customer. If an older version of an application or a prototype of any kind exists, a quick demo is usually helpful. We then proceed to explore the major areas of the system. We also like to meet with the major stakeholders and even users of the system if possible, although we try to keep this to a reasonable amount of time. It is important for us to learn about the key driving factors and key risks that are already known. We also want to explore technological and architectural questions and challenges.
After the workshop (which usually takes a day or an afternoon depending on the size of the system), we leave with a list of topics to explore further. Often we have learned about questions we can address by providing examples or videos or documents. We then work on these items off-site and produce the Vision & Scope Document. Once we produce the first draft of the Vision & Scope Document, we present it to the customer, either online or on-site in another short meeting. During this meeting, we do not just present the document and its recommendations and findings, but we also often explore further questions. It is not uncommon to have multiple draft versions of a Vision & Scope Document before all questions and concerns are addressed.
Purchase Options
We charge a fixed price for Vision & Scope Workshops. The actual price is determined based on estimated duration and always discussed and agreed upon with the cusomer ahead of time. Vision & Scope Workshop are always fixed price, which eliminates surprises. In addition to the fixed price, we also charge for expenses (flight, hotel, and transportation). This is also discussed and agreed upon with the customer ahead of time.
Special Offer!
During the month of May, get 25% off your Vision & Scope!
That's $2,500 in savings!
A Vision & Scope Workshop is the first step toward a successful project. Think of these workshops as brainstorming meetings during which all project stakeholders get together and discuss the overall vision for a project in order to determine the important aspects, boundary conditions, potential timeframe, priorities, and wants versus needs. This vision is then prioritized and split into multiple phases. Key challenges are identified, and existing staff, resource capabilities and risks are analyzed.
We assist in Vision & Scope Workshops by adding our experience and expertise by bringing up key issues, helping to judge feasibility of certain aspects, and by suggesting technologies and techniques as well as appropriate approaches. We also use our experience earned from other projects to help judge effort levels and required skills.
So don't wait! Get 25% off your Vision & Scope today and hit the ground running!
Email us or call 832-717-4445 ext. 13 for more information!
Purchasing Our Services
We offer our services in a variety of ways to meet every possible need. Options range from plain time and materials setups, to hourly blocks and montly service contracts, and sometimes even fixed price setups (especially for mobile "apps"). Contact us for more information and for a Schedule of Fees.
Click here to contact us!
Do you like this Service?
Want the latest info? Get special offers? Follow us!
Related Services
Visual FoxPro Development
Maintaining a Visual FoxPro application? Adding new features? We can help! CODE/ EPS Software has the largest pool of experts (and even former MS VFP team members) for Visual FoxPro development, as well as related technologies, such as SQL Server.
More about this service...
Mobile Development
Mobile Device Applications are rapidly gaining in importance and sophistication. Many applications that used to be desktop or Web-only are now available in mobile versions. Such applications may be stand-alone applications, but more often they are integrated with existing systems. We can help you to plan for and construct Mobile Apps. We can help you to extend your existing infrastructure to Mobile Apps. We can even help you with the graphic design of your Mobile Apps.
CODE Consulting develops for all major mobile platforms, including Apple's iOS (iPhone, iPad, and iPod), Google's Android, Microsoft's Windows Phone, and other platforms, such as WebOS, and more.
More about this service...
Web Sites and Web Applications
HTML is the most widely available and deployed application platform today, spanning a wide range of technologies and standards. We perform most of our web development with ASP.NET (MVC and WebForms) and Ruby. CODE can help you with various aspects of any development project including HTML4/5, CSS, ASP.NET, JavaScript or jQuery, and more. CODE can even help you with the graphic design of your websites and apps. CODE Consulting has the expertise to train, mentor or write your complete web application.
More about this service...
Prototyping & Proof of Concept
All software projects include risks and unknowns. Will new technology "X" really work as advertised? Will technique "Y" work well for our needs? Will device "Z" really be able to handle everything we expect it to? Will a planned solution to a known problem really solve everything, and will we be able to implement it as quickly as we hope? These are questions that need to be answered sooner rather than later as failures associated with them could spell disaster for any project. Prototypes and Proof of Concept projects are a good way to provide necessary answers. They are also a good way to start projects using small but significant steps.
More about this service...
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a great way to build applications that are more easily maintainable, more reusable, and can support the modern world of software development that supports many different platforms, user interfaces, and devices. SOA also reduces complexity of projects.
We can help you with SOA projects of any kind, providing architecture, know-how, manpower, and even framework components that make it easier to develop SOA-based systems of any size.
More about this service...
Project Rescue
Is your project in trouble? We can help! CODE Consulting brings projects back from the brink of failure. With deep a knowledge process and business to go along with technical knowledge, we are skilled at finding problems and bottlenecks and implementing solutions to get your project back on track. We can't do magic, but most troubled projects are not beyond help. It is usually well worth to spend the time in a short meeting and perform a few hours worth of analysis, for a shot of getting your project back on track.
More about this service...
Microsoft SQL Server
Whether you are upgrading or tuning an existing database or starting a brand new one from scratch, we have the experts on staff to help you with your SQL Server needs. Most of our SQL Server work is related to database development and tuning, but we also at times get called in for projects that are more on the admin-side, which we can help you with as well.
More about this service...
User Interface and Interaction Design
Does your team need help making your application look professional? We have experts that can help with both the look of your app as well as the functionality - whether it's a Windows, Web, Mobile, Slate/Tablet or Surface app. We have experience in GUI, NUI (Natural User Interfaces), interaction design and multi-touch applications. We can even help you with graphical design.
More about this service...
.NET Development
With a lengthy history of development and knowledge transfer in Microsoft Technologies, CODE Consulting, CODE Magazine and CODE Training are the world’s foremost experts in .NET development for Windows, Web and Mobile apps. We directly employ a staff of experts, and in addition, have the world’s largest network of contractors, through our authors, trainers, speakers, MVP and RD networks, not to mention direct connections into Microsoft. Our developers can help you with all of your .NET needs and, if required, provide access to <i>the</i> top experts in the technology - an ability unmatched by our competitors. Our direct involvement with Microsoft enables us to provide insight as well as foresight into the future, that is unparalleled in our industry.
More about this service...
Mentoring & Custom Training
There are a lot of choices to be made, a lot of lessons to be learned, and a lot of best practices to find and absorb. CODE Consulting not only explains how to implement your new project, but we help you understand why and when you should make the trade-off to do it a different way. We can work with your team to plan your project and guide you through the difficult parts.
More about this service...
System Architecture
Constructing systems properly is the most important aspect of any software project. With the right architecture (and proper management), almost any problem can be compensated. If, on the other hand, the architecture is wrong, you have an extremely costly and time-intensive problem. We can help you to avoid these problems and reduce overall project risk, not just by sharing our own expertise, but also by letting you share in the experiences we have gathered through our CODE Magazine (authors and readers), CODE Training (trainers and attendees), events (speakers and attendees), RD, MVP, and other networks. This is a treasure trove of information you simply cannot get any other way. Can you think of anything else that could have positive impact of similar magnitude on your project?
More about this service...
Windows Application Development
Need help building applications for Windows? You have come to the right place. We have expertise in building rich Windows applications of any kind (with an emphasis on Windows Business Applications). Regardless of whether you need short-term help to solve a specific problem, a few experts to augment your team, or whether you need us to develop an entire application, from conception to marketplace deployment and every step in between, we have the right arrangement and the right expertise for any need.
More about this service...
Windows Azure
Should you be running your business on the cloud? The developers at CODE Consulting can help you to make the right decisions for your specific business needs.
More about this service...