3 Related Rubrics for Smoothing the Development Process

We know that you, as a nonprofit organization, face all the same  pressures and challenges of for-profit businesses, plus some. Our modern, fast-paced world, along with the rampant growth in technology, makes it hard to keep up with meeting the needs of your audience.

That’s why we have established three key practices to enhance flow throughout all the phases of your development project.

1. Constant Communication

Our goal is a marriage between your passion and our technological expertise. And to ensure that the marriage is win-win, we have committed ourselves to regular conversation. We keep you in the loop with regular calls and reports on the status of your technology environment. Our goal is to listen purposefully to you so that we fully understand your concerns.

On the flip side, we want to be open with our suggestions and insights based on our broad range of experiences. And of course, in our ongoing exchanges, we keep you up to speed on progress so you won’t be left wondering if things are being handled.

2. Agile Development

You’ve probably asked yourself how you’re going to keep up with the ever-changing technological environment of today’s world. There has to be a stability of structure and purpose that reflects who you are while still embracing the flexibility and transparency of the technological marketplace.

That’s why we have chosen the Agile method of advancing through the project phases. It offers a less rigid structure, smoothing out the curves in the development journey.

But what is Agile? Really, it’s a methodology that grew out of the “Agile Manifesto” as scripted by a group of developers in 2011. These men felt the pain points brought on by  today’s disruptive marketplace and recognized that the rigid business approach was being shattered by the speed and agility of evolving technology.

In grappling with that, they chose to start with the basics—their core values. Read them below and see if you don’t agree with us that they are a solid set of standards.

We value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right,
we value the items on the left more.

 

3. Fluid Phases

The genius of Agile Development coupled with our commitment to communication meant we had to come up with a complementary financial platform. So we looked at the processes involved in creating beautiful web solutions for our clientele and divided them into what we call “development weeks.” By addressing one phase at a time, we can focus all our attention on that specific goal. And then we can step back, discuss what’s been done, make changes and course directions based on your feedback, and plan ahead for the next phase. These fluid phases, rather than fixed-rate pricing, allow us to be intensely focused on your project and at the same time flexible in responding to any necessary changes.

Yes, we know that web development is never a tidy, seamless process. But by implementing these basic guidelines, we’ve found we can deliver a beautiful and functional outcome while smoothing out the rocky road.