adnet Solution's Enhanced Internal Processes

adnet Solution's Responsibilities

Our internal processes are modelled as a set of lifecycles, each containing a series of quality milestones. The checklists applied at each milestone help us ensure that we do not miss anything that would be more expensive to put right at a later date. So, for example, we check that our technical specifications have captured your requirements in a self-consistent, unambiguous, verifiable manner. Similarly, before the implementation phase, we ensure that we have selected the most suitable development platform, architecture and programming language. Before a site goes live, we check that all links work, text is accurate, images are present and correctly positioned. And so on.

Our Customers' Responsibilities

At each milestone it is ensured that further detailed work is to be based on decisions that are sufficiently firm. So, for example, when initially capturing requirements, we ask you to decide on the site map and page proportions, whether you want Flash or HTML, and frames or tables, because it would be prohibitively expensive to prototype these alternatives. Similarly, after the prototyping phase, but before we invest in preparation of final artwork and software development, we need you to commit to choices of layout, colours, typefaces (fonts and sizes) and to our general interpretation of your corporate identity. We thus attempt to give you the best possible preview of the finished article before asking you to make choices. The lifecycles specify which decisions need to be made by which milestones. Those decisions may be freely altered up to those milestones. However, if a firm decision is changed after a milestone has been passed, then that re-work will become chargeable (and possibly impact the delivery date), or the re-work may be deferred to a subsequent project. This approach gives you the optimum balance between flexibility and cost.

Third Party Responsibilities

Finally, our checklists help us ensure that we kick off external activities so that they will be complete by the time we need them. So, as early as the prototyping phase, we order required hosting services (e.g. web space), agree search keywords, order the search engine submission package, obtain text and images to be included on the web site from the customer or printing agency.

Evolution

In summary, our processes are designed to ensure that the right things are done at the right time. If ever you or we detect a problem, or something doesn’t materialise on time, then we insert a checklist point at the appropriate stage. Whenever we receive feedback from you, via a CDE meeting or quality questionnaire, we review the lifecycles as a whole. In this way we constantly mould the way we work according to your perception as a customer. Further, built into our processes is a regular survey of the state-of-the-art in web technology, design and presentation. In this way we help keep you at the leading edge.

The Right Tool for the Job

At the outset of each project we tailor the level of formality we will apply according to the size and complexity of the task at hand. We don’t want to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but neither do we want to use scissors to cut the grass. We therefore offer a selection of lifecycles for website developments or updates depending upon whether they are large, complex, intermediate, simple or small.