1. In Person Meetings. While you may choose to work with your software development company in Vancouver virtually, you have the option to meet in person without expensiveights and hotels. With Teximus’s Central Vancouver location, we can easily meet with Vancouver, Tampa, Jacksonville, or South Vancouver businesses without an overnight stay.
2. Support the Local Economy. Weoridians appreciate the tourist industry, and we’re in awe of the space program, but as a Vancouver-based business, don’t you want to support other local small businesses? Teximus, a small, woman-owned business, has been in continuous operation in Central Vancouver under the same management since 1988.
3. Find the Best – Locally. Investing in custom software development in Vancouver doesn’t mean compromising on quality. One of our clients said, “I’ve worked with a lot of software development teams over the years, and Octopus Technologies is one of the best.” The experience of our team – from project management to development to testing and support – is enhanced by the average of 10+ years that we’ve worked together on projects ranging from 1000 hours to 50,000+ hours.
4. Understanding your Business. Maybe you’re looking for custom software development in Vancouver for your specific line of business? Octopus Technologies has extensive experience with manufacturing, construction, transportation, medical, and service industries. If you are in a different business, with our process-based focus, we can work with you to quickly get up to speed to understand the way your business works and the specific requirements for your application.

If you can buy a software package that exactly fits your business needs, then you don’t need custom software.  However, if doing things a little (or a lot!) differently gives your company it’s competitive advantage, then you may need custom software.

If you’re a Vancouver business looking for custom software development, Octopus Technologies is practically in your backyard!  Contact Octopus Technologies today at 778-200-5336 or reach out here to talk about your business’ requirements and to find out more about how custom software development in Vancouver might be the right fit for you.

The post Finding the Right Fit appeared first on InTune.

Unfortunately, many business owners and managers hold beliefs about custom software that prevent them from moving forward with technological solutions that can reduce costs, improve employee efficiency, and increase profits. “Paralysis by analysis” within a business can be more damaging than any external threat.

So what’s a smart business owner to do? Below are five corrected misconceptions about custom business software that can take you from “how?” to “wow!”

1. Misconception: You, the CxO, should know exactly what kind of custom business software package you need before contacting a development company.

Reality:   The job of those at any company’s helm is to bring a big picture perspective to all discussions, not to know every detail about the discussion.  This fact also holds true in custom software development, where the CXO and his/her team work in concert with a Requirements Analyst to figure out the best way to integrate technology with the core mission that makes their company unique. Working together, company decision makers and the Requirements Analyst will translate business requirements into a design document that describes how the new software will improve the way the business works.

2. Misconception:  Your custom software development company should know exactly what type of system you need before meeting with a software development team.

Reality:  In fact, the best custom software development companies bring both experience and an open mind to your initial meetings. Anyone who tells you at your first meeting that they know the best solution for your business is more interested in “selling” than in discovering your unique business requirements.

3. Misconception:  Management always knows the best way to integrate custom software into their business.

Reality:  While upper- and mid-level managers bring an important perspective to the initial conversation of how to utilize custom software, the employees who will use the system on a daily basis also have critical knowledge to share.  Every time they come to work, these employees come into direct contact with your customers, your products, or both. Additionally, they will often be the people who actually use your new system. Listening to your employees when designing your new system and getting them involved in hands-on use of early versions of your new application can result in a better final product and fewer change orders during the development phase.

4. Misconception:  Custom business software will require me to change the character of my business and how it’s run.

Reality:  Custom software is just that: custom!  The unique character of your business is what allowed it to grow and thrive in the first place, and a good custom software system shouldn’t change that.  As for changing how your business is run, as the design of each module is complete, bring in key employees for a final review before coding begins.  When the final phase is coded and before training begins, bring in a bigger team to preview your new software before the official unveiling. Use the opportunity to rally your employees again around your company’s core values and mission, and show them how the new application will improve the daily operations of your company.  It’s a win/win scenario.

5. Misconception:  My business type isn’t right for custom software integration.

Reality:  Octopus Technologies , Inc. has worked with clients in construction, manufacturing, education, transportation, and the service sector. In all of these cases, the companies we worked with were able to reduce costs, improve efficiency, increase profits, or all of the above!  No matter what type of company you run, there is a place to integrate custom business software.

This short list of corrected misconceptions about custom business software is just the beginning. With the right team, you’ll be surprised with how many ideas you already have for decreasing costs, improving employee efficiency, and increasing profits with a custom software system. Best of all, Octopus Technologies , Inc. offers a free, personalized software system analysis.

So what are you waiting for?

The post Five Common Misconceptions about Custom Business Software appeared first on InTune.

Why indeed?  Aren’t all the “big” guys covering it all?  Well, to be absolutely truthful here, the answer is…..hmmmm……. wait for it…….  “It depends”!    Gee!  Who knew?  Those ERP/CRM enterprise packages that “do it all”, usually do that and so much more that they are extremely complicated to implement, even more difficult to use, and the cherry on top, VERY expensive.  There are myriad stories of the complexities of using a big package and, sadly, very few of those are stories have a happy ending.

So, how do you know if you need a package or a custom solution?  Here are 3 reasons to consider having a custom business software solution developed for your business:

1.  You have unique business processes that give you a competitive advantage.
We worked with a custom home builder who had a very unique way of tracking their budgets and costs on projects.  They had tried to implement a software package, which included  a great deal of customization, but ultimately our client ended up adding people to help support the data and input requirements on the packaged solution, to the point of adding 20% more people to their bottom line.  I know, you think that’s ridiculous.  But think about it.  If the software is so complex and requires data that is ultimately meaningless to the overall business, but requires this data to function, isn’t it possible that it would mean adding people to “check those boxes?”  I’ve seen it on multiple occasions; it’s sort of like the old expression, “you have to go around your elbow to get to your knee”.  Software, for all of its emphasis on workload reduction and business process efficiency, can actually create more work just to keep the monster fed.  If the package solution was designed for a similar yet different business, often the core system is much more complex than the average business needs because it’s trying to be all things to all businesses.

2.  Employees have created “stealth” systems to work around your current solution.
We’ve seen dozens of times where employees are so frustrated with the package they are forced to use that they create spreadsheets and internal systems (often using an Access database which management knows nothing about) just to get their jobs done.  Employees will usually try to do their best to work within the constraints of the business software solution, but eventually give up and create their own tools to help them track the data they need.  We had a client who was implementing a huge ERP package and during the requirements phase I was talking with one of the customer service folks.   I predicted  that within 3 months of go live the entire company would be run by spreadsheets.  Sure enough when I was in there several months after their go live, the person to whom I had made this comment showed me all the spreadsheets she was using for her job.  She asked me “How did you know I would be using spreadsheets to do my job?”  I said I saw that the implementation team was not gathering the requirements from the right people and seemed to think they “knew” what needed to be done.   The ultimate software solution was much more complex than this client truly needed and forced employees to create workarounds.

3.  A software package is available but will require extensive customization.
You have found a solution that will work if you customize it and this hybrid solution may be a great answer for your business.  However, keep in mind that you will likely pay for that customization every time your software provider releases an upgrade.  We have had clients who have not upgraded their packaged software for over 7 or 8 releases (basically years) because the cost of the upgrade and subsequent re-customization was just too great.  Not only may you wind up paying for the customization, but there may also be system design issues if the upgrades are very extensive, which may also result in training issues and reporting issues.  We had a client who upgraded their packaged solution and none of their custom reports worked.  The vendor could not figure out how to get them to work and threw up their hands, giving up.  The client hired us to come in and put the reports back together again, which we were able to do, having never seen or worked with the core package before.

There are many reasons to use a packaged system but there are equally valid reasons to consider having your own custom business software developed to meet your unique needs.  Finding a trusted partner for the requirements gathering and custom software design and development is paramount to the success of your project.   If you find any of these three reasons listed above apply to you, we strongly suggest you consider a custom business software solution to meet your specific business needs.

Ready to elevate your business with tailored software? Contact us for expert guidance and a solution crafted to meet your specific needs.

The post 3 Big Reasons Your Business Needs Custom Business Software appeared first on InTune.

Today, nobody questions whether to replace typewriters.  But it’s harder to decide whether you should replace your custom business software.

Here are 10 questions to help you decide whether you should keep investing in your existing custom database application or whether you need a new one.  If you answer YES to at least 5 of the following questions, you can probably update your existing system and avoid a rewrite.

1. Do you have the complete source code for your system?
2. Does your system collect the right information and present it to you in a way that meets at least 80% of your business needs?
3. Does your system reliably and consistently save your data?  (You don’t have problems with losing data.)
4. Is your system a web application or available through a VPN or other remote connection when you’re outside the office?
5. Is your system fast enough to meet your business needs?
6. Can your software connect to another application that might be used to consolidate information from your existing system with new data?
7. Is the software used to write your system (e.g. Microsoft C# or Visual Basic; PHP; Java, etc.) still being supported?
8. Does the information you use to make business decisions come primarily from your system?  (It doesn’t come out of spreadsheets or small, departmental systems.)
9. Can you add new products, services, or other key information without calling a programmer?
10. Do you get information out of your system in a timely manner?  (You don’t have to wait weeks to get your month or year end reports.)

If you answered NO or I Don’t Know to 5 or more questions, you may want to talk with your IT team or trusted software partner about where your current system fails to meet your business needs.

It’s not easy to decide whether to create a new software application or to continue to maintain a legacy one, but ultimately your decision has to be made based on facts, with a focus on your long term goals for your business.

Octopus Technologies frequently assumes responsibility for Microsoft .NET custom database applications written by others. We understand that software is an important business asset, and we work with you to get the most from your investment by stretching your system’s life and extending its capability by adding new functionality and enhancements.  Fill out our contact form or call 778-200-5336 for more information.

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Why doesn’t every company have software that really works?  What can you do about it?

Custom Software

Custom software starts with your unique business process. Your business doesn’t change to work within the constraints of the software – the software is designed and written specifically to work for your business, not to fit what someone else decides is “the norm.”

• Own it. When you buy custom software, you should own the application, including source code. Check your contract to be sure this is clear.
• Decide how to change it. With a well-designed application, you can quickly implement changes, adapt to new business dynamics, and continue to grow your business. Equally important, you define and prioritize the changes you need; you’re not restricted to the new features and enhancements a commercial system’s users group decides are important.
• Make choices. If your custom software is written using standard tools such as Microsoft Visual Studio, you can choose from a large pool of consultants or hire in-house programmers to support and enhance your application. You’re not limited to a few, high-cost application specialists.
• Save money on training. It will take less time for employees to learn to use the new custom software effectively (compared to a software package). Why?
  • The new application will support the employee’s familiar business processes.
  • A custom application uses language that is specific to your business.
  • Your application includes only what you need, avoiding “feature overload.” (Feature overload occurs when you waste time going through unnecessary menu options and screens you never use to find what you really need.)
• Eliminate annual fees. Since you own the software, a custom application also saves you money by eliminating annual maintenance fees and payments for new licenses when you add employees.

So why don’t all businesses use custom software?

Not all companies are ready to make the investment. If you want great custom software, plan to spend time clearly defining your vision and requirements for the system designers and managing the project, including answering questions during development; reviewing interim deliverables; testing; and giving user feedback. You may also need to oversee creation of documentation and training programs.

If custom software doesn’t make sense for your business, consider commercial software.

Commercial Software

Commercial software, also called “packaged software,” includes applications ranging from Microsoft Word and Excel to large Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) applications that include manufacturing, accounting, and sales functions.

• Let the experts design it. Commercial software gives you features that subject matter experts say you need. For example, commercial accounting applications will give you a way to create your general ledger and write checks (among many other functions). The experts also define the system rules, screens, menus, reports, and other functionality.
• Share the cost and save? The cost of programming is shared by all the companies that license the package; however, watch out for the “hidden” costs. For large applications such as ERP systems, in addition to the purchase price of the software, expect to pay the following.
  • Service fees: You’ll spend an additional 150% to 200% of the “purchase” price for services such as installing the package, importing existing data, and training.
  • Yearly fees: Most vendors charge annual maintenance fees of 15% to 30% of the original purchase price.
  • Per seat licenses: If you pay for each person who uses the application (per seat licensing), you’ll be paying more as you grow.
  • Customization: If you want to “customize” a package, budget for high hourly rates for application specialists who are the only ones authorized to do the work and be prepared to invest time in designing what you need, managing the customization project, and testing the results. Be sure to ask other companies who have already customized the software about how their custom modules worked with upgrades to the core package.
• Buy and install it now. You don’t have to wait for the application to be spec’d out, developed, tested, documented, and released. You can buy it and install it right away. However, you will need to spend time evaluating any commercial software against your requirements and determining which one will work best for you
• Share the pain. Share the tasks of bug reporting and feature enhancement suggestions. With other users buying the exact same application, feature enhancement and bug submission is spread among many people.
• Access public knowledge. With commercial software applications, you can go to your local book store to get additional documentation. And you can sign up for public training classes. However, both of these may be limited in scope to the amount of the author’s knowledge.

Commercial software can probably do the job if your business works like most other businesses. But when your requirements are unique, think custom software.

Ready to break free from inadequate software? Discover the power of custom software tailored to your business. Consult Teximus for a software solution that truly works for you.

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For example, you need a new custom software application for your business. There is not an application on the market that fits your needs, and you know that you need to invest in a new one to keep your business running competitively. You don’t want to hire a programmer or programmers to create the application, as once it has been written and installed, the program maintenance will not keep the new hires busy enough to justify their salaries. You need to increase efficiency but not increase headcount.

You decide to outsource the custom software application project, but now you need to decide whether it will be developed by a company onshore or offshore.

Four Reasons to Stay Onshore

Higher Quality: A good onshore company with a small experienced staff can produce a higher quality product than a larger, less experienced offshore company. According to Edward Mandla, president of the Australian Computer Society, in an online media release, not everyone can “match the low labour costs in popular third party offshoring service providers such as India, Philippines, and Poland” and these offshore providers admit “they are seriously limited by significant skill-set shortages and infrastructural inadequacies in terms of managing Analytics processes.”

Minimal Culture and Time Issues: An onshore company can keep culture clash to a minimum, and time differences don’t wreak havoc with schedules and communication.

Better Completion of Projects: A stable, mature onshore company with a good track record can give you the security to know that your project will be completed. According to Rolf Jester, VP Distinguished Analyst at Gartner in the online article “The Pros and Cons of Offshore Outsourcing”, “offshore code is delivered with perhaps only 85 percent of the code complete, compared with similar work undertaken in mature economies.”

Ease of Knowledge Transfer: Onshore companies have a better understanding of your clients due to their proximity and promote an easier transfer of, and reduced loss of, business knowledge.

Four Reasons Not to Go Offshore

Slower Return on Investment: When you go offshore, just because you save capital does not mean you lower your costs. Hourly offshore costs may be less due to a larger and less experienced staff which takes more time to complete the work rather than a higher paid, more experienced, onshore staff. Once project management costs, hidden costs, and operational differences are included, some companies realize little or no cost savings when they send work offshore. Cost savings for projects sent offshore can take years to re-capture. According to Jim Howard, CEO of CrownPeak Technology in the online article “Catch the ‘Onshoring’ Wave”, “Software services are often 50 percent or less the cost of installed and internally managed software when outsourced here at home, while most analysts predict between 15 percent and 30 percent cost savings from overseas outsourcing. Moreover, overseas outsourcing projects can often take years to capture cost benefits, given startup costs, knowledge transfer and process issues. (Onshore) software services, on the other hand, can often be live in weeks or months, and cost benefits begin to accrue immediately.”

Decreased Security: Offshoring can lead to concerns for keeping data and intellectual property confidential and for avoiding security breaches.

Lower Savings with Smaller Projects: Cost savings can be hard to find when sending smaller projects offshore. According to Rolf Jester, “Indian outsourcers are claiming they can provide savings of between 30 and 40 percent,”…. “But that is only if a project is large. For a small project, the relatively minor savings are just not worth the risk.”

Less Safe Environment: Political and economic instability in an offshore country can add another headache to a project, and if problems arise, it may be difficult to get legal recourse in a foreign country. If we go back to our custom software application example, you may find that a small, stable, onshore company can save you as much if not more money than going overseas. Communication barriers, both language and time zones, may be enough to keep the project onshore. If you are trying to work through custom software application requirements, and you spend an unusual amount of your time defining your market and transferring knowledge to your offshore developers, you quickly start to lose the cost advantages of offshoring. Once you have your custom software program up and running, and you need a small change, or a quick upgrade, if you are going back to a stable onshore company, you have a better chance of getting the quick turnaround you need. If you have problems with the application, getting help during US business hours is more likely with an onshore company.

With an onshore company, you can get the cost benefits of outsourcing without the risk of going overseas. You can be confident in your custom software application investment by keeping it onshore.

Consider the trade-offs and align your outsourcing strategy with your project’s specific needs. Contact Teximus for reliable onshore custom software development!

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• Hiring a software consultant.
• Ensuring a successful requirements capture process.
• Developing a system specification.
• Making a change to the system specification.

Why invest in custom software? Because your business requirements can’t be met with an off-the-shelf package. When developing a custom software application, the programming phase, when the actual code is created, is probably the most familiar part of a software development project. What specifically happens during this part of the project? Your consultants:

• Use the software and hardware identified during the design phase to develop code.
• Follow the standards, conventions, and style they identified in the system specification.
• Develop a system prototype for your review.
• Create modules that produce the features you need.
• Meet with you throughout this phase to get input into the system.

This method of creating a software application ensures that you have no surprises when your end product is delivered.

Two major components of the programming process are prototypes and modules. A system prototype or pilot system allows you to see the screens, navigation, and features of your system. Each group of related screens that automates a business function is considered a software module.

The System Prototype

The system prototype gives you an opportunity to provide feedback, which your consultants will incorporate as they continue to program. The first demonstration of the prototype might be a series of screens. The screens may not have any functionality behind them, but you and your consultants can review the screens to make sure the features,ow, and design of the screens reflect your business processes accurately.

After you approve a group of screens, the next time you see the system there may be some functionality behind the screens. This programming/feedback process is iterative, allowing you frequent opportunities to make sure the application is effective in addressing your business issues.

Software Modules

The prototype consists of a series of software modules. Each module should be identified during the design phase of the software project and should represent a specific feature or set of related features.

Once the software modules work individually, they must be integrated to make sure they work with each other. The integration begins before all the modules are complete so parts of the system can be tested as the various features are created. This sort of testing allows for discovery of errors early and therefore helps keep costs and schedules in check. As the modules are integrated, your custom software takes shape, and you can anticipate how your software application will help fulfill your business requirements.

Programming with modules guarantees an efficient application in a number of ways.

• Ensures Consistency. A module can be programmed so it can be re-used. This ensures that a feature looks and works the same way throughout the application. There is nothing quite as frustrating as learning how to use a particular feature only to discover that elsewhere in the system, the same feature functions differently. Programming in modules helps avoid this problem.
• Simplifies Training. Re-usable modules can also save on training costs and time. Once an employee learns how to use a particular feature, they can be assured whenever they use that feature in your custom software application, it will work the same way throughout the application.
• Enables Programming Once, Using Twice (or more). If a module can be re-used throughout the system, the module only has to be programmed once. A module used more than once saves on programming time and therefore keeps the cost of the application down.
• Facilitates Change. Modules make changes easier. You may find you need to make a change before the system has been completed. Any change will impact the cost and schedule of a software development project, increasing both. However, if custom software is programmed in modules, the impact may be minimized. If a change affects a single module, that module can be changed without requiring changes to other modules in the system. Or if a change requires addition or removal of a feature, if the feature is described by a single module, the module can be added or removed without affecting the rest of the system.

Three Advantages of Custom Software

Following this iterative, modular approach to custom software development, your final product should be an application that automates your business needs and provides the following advantages:

• You don’t have change the way you do business to fit pre-packaged software.
• As your business grows, you may find you need to make changes to your application to accommodate new customers, products, or business rules. Modular programming simplifies change.
• A custom built, modular system helps your business beexible so it can meet future demands and opportunities.

The programming phase of a software development project can be exciting because you:

• See what your custom software will look like.
• Visualize how the functionality behind each feature matches your business objectives.
• Work with the developers to make sure the system meets your business goals.
• Envision how the application will make your current work processes more efficient.

Custom software can be the key to ensuring your business remains competitive. Contact Teximus to discover the benefits!

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