Adaptable & diverse

Tuesday 26 August 2014

Choosing your Bespoke iPad Software Development Specialist!

Practical tips for choosing your bespoke iPad software development company!

StyleTech has taken some time to provide some practical tips to ensuring a bespoke iPad software development that delivers!

As industry and commerce hook into the many benefits of mobile working, StyleTech review how iPad technology can be utilised within the new mobile working world, you can read more about this in the StyleTech blog post!

You can also review a recent bespoke iPad development case study based on StyleTech Solution’s development of a national bespoke Facility Management Solution for iPad technology here . . .

To assist you on your journey of taking your business into the mobile working world, StyleTech are providing a variety of practical tips in preparation for when you are ready to review bespoke iPad software development organisations.

 
 
Utilising iPad technology in business!

Supporting mobility within the workforce and providing employees with the ability to work effectively within the mobile world, is no longer just about supporting a “working from home” culture.

Mobility working can be rewarding financially to any business in the promotion of time savings and assisting with ensuring data integrity for team members.

Enabling a Communications Manager to take their office with them in one small compact case of technology, enabling them to travel from their otherwise lonely self-contained office into the big wide world of the workplace, be it a factory or office environment.  It enables them to connect and to communicate effectively and more directly with team members.

Taking iPad technologies with them even when they are within the confines of their own organisation, let’s say in the board room, or out on the road, enabling their business and work to travel with them whilst capturing information and data quickly and effectively whilst on the move.

As an example, iPad and digital tablet technology is enabling health service providers to utilise their iPad technology to undertake and record quality patient assessments whilst out on the road.  It is enabling the iPad technology to present information in a graphical way to patients, supporting improved engagement and communication with their clients and peers.

 
 
So how do you ensure your chosen developer can interpret your needs correctly, will deliver on time and within budget?

Firstly, you are seeking quality standards being at the forefront of the analysis, design and development process, from communication through to best working practices, every element is key to the successful delivery of a bespoke software development project be it within a desktop or mobile development environment.

Secondly you are looking for enthusiasm from the development organisation to increase their understanding of your organisation and its needs in the longer term.  They should demonstrate the ability to undertake the right in-depth analysis process and work closely with yourself and your relevant teams.

With the right quality working standards at the forefront, understanding your business and the needs of your business in the long term, will follow.

Unfortunately, the quality element is not something that can be learned from the client communication process. 

Quality covers many different disciplines, particularly within the bespoke software development world, from ensuring the analysis planning and process is high quality through to a good quality project management process. 

Quality is a key standard that any business worth their salt will have achieved and will strive to achieve with every project, for every client relationship that they build.

StyleTech specialise in the development of quality bespoke software development, we live by the fact that we are only as good as our last project. 

Quality is demonstrated in a number of ways and StyleTech has provided a number of items that you too can consider when identifying the best from the rest.

 
 
What do I look for?

Firstly, you are looking for an organisation who has a sound understanding of iPad technology, the benefits, the positives and any negatives, it’s limitations and very importantly its security standards, they are all key elements for consideration and should be reviewed in detail before diving into the design process.
 
 
 
What is a good attribute to look out for?

When looking to develop your business system for use with iPad technology, the organisation you choose should have a sound understanding of the bespoke software analysis, design and development process within a variety of industry sectors, especially if they can’t demonstrate previous work within your own industry sector.

The principles of good quality bespoke software development are transferrable into iPad software development, tried and tested development process models are identified as an appropriate fit. 

You wouldn’t necessarily want to commission a website developer to develop your new iPad software development.  A website developer would not normally get involved with the analysis and development of a bespoke software solution or business system i.e. such as a job planning or mental health assessment programme, apart from maybe the graphical design of the screens etc. 

The analysis process and skill base requirement for a new website compared to bespoke software development are two totally individually skilled processes.

You wouldn’t instruct your Marketing Manager to provide you with the expertise and service that a skilled Finance Director would normally provide!

 
 
How can I confirm the development company will deliver?

The easiest and most efficient and effective ways of confirming whether an organisation can and will deliver on its promises is to review its previous project deliverables, outcomes and relationships.

Any organisation will support your request to speak with one or a selection of its recent clients. 

You are looking to review the process that they worked through and the outcomes of their project.

Did they work closely with their client, did they call when they said they would, did they communicate effectively and without delay throughout the process.  Did they deliver on time and within budget?

Does their delivered project achieve what was laid out in the deliverables?

Where there any professional or technical issues throughout the project duration and how did they handle any issues that arose?

 
 
What about the technical jargon and working relationship?

You should be made to feel at ease with your new potential iPad software development team, right from the point of your initial conversation with them.

The process that they are going to take you through whilst designing and developing your project, should be clear and easy to interpret. 

You should be able to understand every word that is communicated, the development organisation should tune their technical language into your own level of technical understanding.  (A valuable skill and attribute for a bespoke software development organisation that comes with the experience of working within multi-discipline teams.)

You should always be able to understand them and be given the opportunity to respond in plain English, and if you don’t understand, you should never be afraid to ask what the heck they are talking about?

If you still can’t interpret their technical response, ask for a plain English explanation in writing as a last test of the integrity.

They should always be pleased to respond to you in plain English (verbally).  If they can’t explain what they are trying to say verbally, there is little chance that they understand their jargon themselves, this is a “Beware Sign” - just for future reference! 

There is always a way to explain!
 

“It is a foolish bespoke developer that doesn’t
take the time to listen or tune in to the bespoke needs of their bespoke client”
 

StyleTech like to keep everything simple . . .
 
These are just a few tips to be going on with, your bespoke iPad software development journey will be a rewarding one as long as you choose the right vehicle to engineer it with!
 
StyleTech Solutions specialise in bespoke software development, should you wish to discuss your future iPad software requirements in detail, don't hesitate to contact a member of the Business team on 01482 325779
 

To keep up to date with IT industry movements -

Follow me on Twitter @StyleTech_HULL
 

No comments:

Post a Comment