Identifying and solving problems
Customers want some work done in time and within budget. The business targets are not reconsidered each time the underlying technology changes. The exposition of the problem is always limited in order to find a practical solution.
However, during the implementation phase our detail knowledge on the relation of the applied technologies will usually be much deeper than it was at the beginning. We will almost always face a problem of choice among some non-trivial alternative methods, tools, approaches. The preference will be given to the project targets, most often deadline and immediate development costs. Yet from a business perspective the chosen alternative can sometimes be quite far from the optimum. That can lead to problems already in the very next project.
According to our mission statement we are committed to present the customer with all necessary information for an optimal decision. In other words we will focus on the problem without losing the "big picture". The further you can think the further you will get. We will have a broader view and will make sure that the evaluation of the alternative technologies are competent, state-of-the-art and unbiased even by strong marketing influences.
Issue Management
We try to distinguish between project targets. Short, medium and long term planning requires different scoping. Short term intra project scopes must be defined explicitely in a sufficient detail level. Medium term scopes should be described in order to cover inter project dependencies. Long term scopes are necessary to adapt to strategy. Evaluating alternatives should at least take into account the trade-off between short and long term advantages. A sufficient solution today can be efficient only if it does not block the way of forthcoming development.
Depending on the user community of application software new features are easier accepted if the community is involved in the development process. We will keep an eye on the user during the entire project. This often proves to be an efficient remedy of "developers' blindness". Project roll-out, training and coaching is a lot smoother given users' commitment. Communication is also crutial if we run a project with several cooperating partners. We have accumulated experience in both areas.
We possess the analytical skills, academic background and abilities to apply abstract mathematical methods in order to find optimal solutions for the most complex engineering problems. This enables visualizing the critical dependencies in an early phase of development which can save time - a precious project resource.