Our Tools
How we do it.
The Pride Development Process
Rapid, agile and nimble.
In order to meet the diverse needs of each of our clients, we follow a process based on years of experience and successful product development. Our Development Process follows a definite course but is flexible, allowing us to customize our approach to every project we undertake.
1Meet & Scope
Initial Meeting
We begin by meeting to understand goals, scope and complexity of the effort being contemplated. This is a chance for Pride-Media to work with the client to define the solution, the approach, and how the client's staff will work with the Pride-Media team.
Scope
We iterate on macro-level release planning, feature-sets, functionality and other requirements that must be answered to provide a working software solution. The focus is to always balance risk, time-to-market and richness of the feature set when defining scope.
Pricing & Agreement
Once scope is agreed upon, pricing, timing, assumptions and the terms of the contract are presented to the client for review and approval.
2Release Cycle
Define
As the first step within the release cycle, functional and technical requirements are translated into work products and effort to be performed.
Release Planning
As scope is broken down into detailed requirements, it is overlaid on a timeline, with a focus on creating bite-size chunks of work that come together to define a release. The mechanics of releasing software become just as important as the software features that are being released. We ensure that the build and deployment processes are well-tested and predictable long before the software is market-ready.
Wireframes & Architecture
A visual representation of the functionality, screens and user-side interactions are sketched out and reviewed with the client as part of defining the system. The wireframe becomes the basis for both the actual screens and the creative design that will be overlaid onto the software.
Design & Prototype
Pride-Media quickly moves into developing code -- inevitably, there is an 'ah-ha' moment where the client sees the system and declares that it looks different now that they see it starting to function. As we iterate through design and prototyping, we are able to make the course corrections to insure that the solution is satisfying the customers requirements - even as they evolve.
Develop
The rote side of development is driven by the need to deploy tested and stable code. Pride-Media uses advanced tools to address the traditional needs of unit, system, integration and build testing. Specs are written into the code so we know if there are any potential problems before running the build. We even monitor the code to identify exactly which lines are generating performance issues.
Release
Releasing becomes part of a regular process, not a scary event that happens once in a blue-moon. Code is managed through the build and deployment processes into a package that is promoted through a series of environments (i.e., local-dev, server-dev, staging and production). Releases get both a business and technical approval before going to production, and we insure stability through testing that occurs in environments that mimic production before going live.
3Deliver & Support
Launch
When launching a new product, as well as dealing with significant software releases, particular focus is placed on organizational readiness, training and integration with business processes. Pride-Media also works with Marketing and PR to ensure products are being properly positioned and advertised.
Support & Maintenance
While the release cycle continues, there are tasks that also continue on different technical tracts. All applications are monitored and maintained, including periodic security audits, testing of database backup and other disaster recovery processes. Pride-Media typically integrates with the organization's IT group to provide advanced levels of application support and management.