OFBiz Tutorials - HotWax Pricing for Enterprise eCommerce

OFBiz Tutorials discussing solutions for the pricing of enterprise eCommerce development. Because of the numerous ways eCommerce site development can be developed, designing a comprehensive pricing system for these services is necessary.

Our consulting services here at HotWax revolve around the Apache OFBiz platform although we it is not uncommon for us to do integrations with 3rd party software systems such as NetSuite, Endicia and others. It all depends on what the user needs in order to make their platform do what they need it to. Enterprise eCommerce is so varied from one client to the next that we have to continually adapt and streamline our processes. The fundamentals however remain constant, meaning that no matter how large or small the company we want to deliver a system that will perform better than any other available.

Due to the fact that each project is unique, the question is raised as to how best price our services. Fixed pricing is difficult because it does not account for the variables that are inevitably encountered and someone always loses out. Either the vendor overestimates to make up for any extras that may pop up and the client loses or the vendor underbids and winds up eating the cost for any surprises.

Another option is hourly billing. This is great for the vendor of course but causes problems when it comes to cost management. Vendors who work on hourly billings tend to lose incentive and lack foresight. Ideally this payment structure should work, but if you run into unplanned for situations, the cost can run up quickly causing friction between vendor and client. This is a common occurrence with hourly work in any industry.

Through this analysis, we at HotWax Media have developed a method for pricing projects that aims at keeping everything fair, well planned and productive: fixed team project planning and pricing. This may be compared to phased pricing except that the cost is consistent from month to month unless reviewed and any changes agreed upon by all parties involved. The way this is done is by dedicating a project team and focusing on planning in order to develop a thorough and predictable project plan. The planning phase is billed for and can be as detailed as the client wishes. Obviously the more detailed the planning, the less surprises will be encountered and a consistent monthly expense will be easy to adhere to.

In practice, the project is evaluated by what goals we are certain to reach, what goals we think we may reach and what goals are not feasible based on financial or time related constraints. At the close of each month, the plan is reviewed and adjusted in order to keep as much forward momentum and production as possible.

Enterprise eCommerce is our business and each job has it's own quirks that need to be taken into account but to stick to this fixed team approach has proven to be the most effective. In doing this, we keep everything honest and fair while promoting responsible planning and incentive to complete projects on-time and with the desired results.

OFBiz Tutorial - Verified Agile Workflows

OFBiz Tutorial expanding on previous posts about HotWax Media's Verified Agile process. In this article I will discuss the differences between standard Agile processes and our custom workflow management system, Verified Agile.

The initial iteration of the Verified Agile process is to create Epics that contain all of the information contained in the requirements documentation. An Epic is basically a story that is used as an overview to capture requirements that are too complex to estimate out of the gate. Subsequent iterations break down the Epics, preparing them for eventual implementation.

Note: We do not attempt to define all epics at once, we focus on what we need to get a working end to end system in front of the customer as soon as possible.

Once the stories are derived from the Epics and are ready for scheduling, we break down the stories into sub-tasks that can be assigned to different team members. Our Verified Agile process utilizes the following steps at story level:


1. Analysis

2. Acceptance Test Creation

3. Design

4. Development

5. Technical Review

6. Business Review

7. Client Review

These steps systematically make the story understood and ensure that nothing is missed.

Analysis | OFBiz Tutorials

Analysis is an optional step in the process designed to bridge story creation and build the acceptance test. This is usually not needed if the Epics are very thorough or of a lower complexity.

Acceptance Test Creation | OFBiz Tutorial

This is the foundation of a test-driven development environment. At HotWax, we build these before development, making sure to include all of the details from the story before development starts.

Design | OFBiz Tutorials

This is another optional step based on how complex the task is. Focusing on building Enterprise eCommerce applications with Apache OFBiz allows us to very often use the story and acceptance test to start development. For more complex stories, this test is necessary to ensure that code is written following our best practices.

Development | OFBiz Tutorial

This is where the implementation is executed.

Technical Review | OFBiz Tutorials

This is important because it is used as the first line of verification in the project. We ensure that the story's implementation matches design and our best practices. This step is done by a team leader of expert reviewer in order to give the highest quality of deliverable available.

Business Review | OFBiz Tutorial

This is the second step of internal verification. Going back, we ensure that the workflow matches the acceptance test and business rules that we set out with. This review is done by a business analyst, account manager or technical project manager prior to presenting it to the client.

Client Review | OFBiz Tutorials

This is the most important verification process used. In this process we ensure that our output matches the clients expectations. If expectations are not met, we will re-work the previous steps until the client is satisfied.

Enterprise eCommerce systems are the bread and butter of any company that does business online. Using Verified Agile allows us to guarantee that the customer receives the product that they've asked for and that it will be successful in performing the desired function.

Stay tuned for more detail on these processes or simply contact HotWax Media at 888-405-2667 and talk with us about it!

OFBiz Tutorials - Google Instant Effects on eCommerce

OFBiz tutorials blog reviewing the implications of Google's latest web browsing platform, Google Instant. So far this new search protocol is up and running in America, Russia and Western Europe. With this platform, Google has taken their search tips to another level. Basically, any keystrokes placed into the search bar are updated in real time, with new results popping up with each additional character entered. Clicking search or enter is no longer necessary as the results are already displayed. Another factor in this type of search is geography. Depending on where you are located, you will receive whatever Google has deemed the most relevant search results for your area under any given search.

This new protocol has been analyzed By Tom Krazit in a CNET review as follows:

“Instead of search as an outcome, Google is trying to get people to think of search as a process in which you constantly refine your query without actually ’searching,’ or hitting the button to produce a concrete result.”

Google claims that this has not altered the search ranking process and in fact states that this will increase user searches based on Google Instant's ease of use. This however brings up many questions to the SEO community and ultimately enterprise eCommerce companies that depend on targeted searches for reaching new customers.

Google instant has the potential to distract customers into clicking a link after just a few key strokes. Say for instance that your company dominates the keyword "Medical Supplies" and receives the bulk of it's business from this specific search. Now with Google Instant, a company can come in and try to dominate a keyword such as "Med", "Medic" or even just "M" to have their medical supply store pop up earlier in the search query. The more complicated the search phrase, the more potential for distraction.

Google Instant has the potential to cause severe competition for single letter searches or partial word searches. This takes web search to a dynamic level, introducing a time component into what up until now has been competition for vertical positioning.

Enterprise eCommerce companies would be wise at this juncture to closely monitor their web site's metrics, noting any trend that could indicate a degradation in site performance. New methods will need to be tested and Google's auto-complete keywords should be optimized for. Work closely with your SEO advisers to ensure that you don't fall behind at this critical juncture.

As always, high ranking isn't the only factor that comes into play when attracting new customers. Equally important is having a professional, enjoyable and user friendly website for potential customers to land on. This is where HotWax Media can help with our top of the line enterprise eCommerce sites using Apache OFBiz.

OFBiz Tutorial - Verified Agile Expanded

OFBiz Tutorial from HotWax Media further detailing our Verified Agile Process. This is a project management process that can efficiently bring any task to fruition. At HotWax, we are striving to enhance this process in order to make useful to a broader spectrum of clients.

Our Verified Agile workflows are similar to the standard workflows found in Agile implementations. However, we have improved on this standard Agile process by utilizing technology in order to bring projects to a global team. By not restricting projects to geographic proximity a team can be made up of the most qualified individuals from anywhere on the globe. Traditionally, meeting face to face is the most effective but in our day and age it is no longer feasible. With the internet, we have entered an age of globalization where people choose to live in one area and work on projects in another. This trend is only going to continue which is why management processes like Verified Agile are so necessary.

Enterprise eCommerce projects using Agile's processes will take your projects to the next level and Agile's processes are too valuable to be wasted because the project team cannot meet in the same location. Thankfully, technical innovation is giving us the ability to utilize Agile on a global scale without losing productivity. In order to ensure that projects are staying on track, we've added additional processes and tools to Agile workflows in order stay firmly on track.

In subsequent posts I will expand on details of the process methodology behind Verified Agile. This new technology will open up the door for better and more successful projects.

OFBiz Tutorial - Getting Started with OFBiz

OFBiz tutorial offering a brief overview of why OFBiz is the best option for enterprise eCommerce and ERP and how you can get started.

OFBiz is a community driven open source software project from the Apache Software Foundation. The nature of OFBiz is that it is not run or developed by a commercial entity or dependent on intellectual property. Due to this open source nature, OFBiz is able to be exactly what the users who support and contribute to the project want. OFBiz is created and modified based on user wants and needs. It conforms to the user rather than the user conforming to the software.
Users can contribute to the OFBiz project in a number of ways. Total involvement includes contributing as a developer. This means becoming involved in design, code, testing and collaboration. This helps a user to create their OFBiz experience in-house without having to depend on outside developers.

Partial involvement keeps users aware of the new developments in the OFBiz community and involved in testing but not responsible for development. This is a less involved user experience offering more time to focus on other aspects of their company.

Low involvement means that an OFBiz developer designs and implements a users system based on their needs. This creates a scenario where the user can focus all of their attention on the business end of things while professional developers handle the software infrastructure.

Enterprise eCommerce powered by Apache OFBiz is a powerful and valuable tool for any organization that wishes to do business on the web. HotWax Media is a trusted OFBiz developer that can assist companies with whatever level of involvement desired. Call us today to find out how you can get started 888-405-2667.

OFBiz Tutorials - Page Rank

OFBiz Tutorials article where we will take a moment to discuss the importance of SEO and page ranking for your enterprise eCommerce system. HotWax Media designs eCommerce platforms for a variety of businesses who sell goods and services on the internet. These systems include everything a user would ever need for a fully functional and viable enterprise eCommerce platform. This however is only part of the battle, the second is the ability for your potential customers to easily find you when shopping on the web.

Marketing strategy and site design go hand in hand. One won't work without the other. For instance, you have a highly functional enterprise eCommerce site, a quality product line with competitive pricing, great shipping options and everything else your target consumer is looking for but sales are flat. This is where SEO comes in and makes your product visible to the market place.

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization is the tool that companies across the web are using to ensure that their efforts are profitable. The field of SEO has many intelligent and ambitious professionals, but just like any industry, there are also those that will take your money for little or no work. Having an awareness of the various nuances of online business marketing will help a company to successfully navigate these waters.

The basics, page content, file names, title tags, meta tags, user friendly navigation and so on will get your site a good start. Now the trick is to monitor site performance without it distracting all of your efforts.

An obvious indicator of success is profits. However, SEO takes time and a campaign may need to run for several moths before project results are realized. By beginning with Google PageRank, you will be able to monitor effects of your SEO campaign and see that you are moving toward your marketing goal.

Sergey Brin and Lawrence Page describe PageRank as "a model of user behavior" in their article, "The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine". They go on to state, "We assume there is a "random surfer" who is given a web page at random and keeps clicking on links, never hitting "back" but eventually gets bored and starts on another random page. The probability that the random surfer visits a page is it's PageRank... a page can (also) have a high Page Rank if there are many pages that point to it, or if there are some pages that to it and have a high PageRank. Intuitively, pages that are well cited from many places around the web are worth looking at."

So now, how does one raise the PageRank of their site? Basically by coming up with a targeted campaign of building links that compliment the content of your site. The strategies employed are varied in their execution. The main thing is when going into an SEO campaign, you have a specific goal in mind and a well structured plan to get there. If the person running your campaign cannot provide you with this then you may want to look for someone else. There are no absolutes in page visibility, but ensuring that a plan is well constructed and understood by everyone involved will help get you the best possible results. It must also be noted that any SEO work is not finite. Keeping your site placed high in the search engine takes constant attention. You can be guaranteed that the competition is working just as hard as you to corner the market.

You can measure PageRank by visiting websites such as http://www.prchecker.info/.

Enterprise eCommerce is a highly competitive marketplace. The web has a limitless potential for customers and creating growth for a company. HotWax Media creates top of the line eCommerce web sites and marketing packages. Contact us today for more information!

OFBiz Tutorial - Verified Agile Introduction

OFBiz tutorial discussing HotWax Media's upcoming innovations for project management for your enterprise eCommerce concern. Any eCommerce website and business has a lot of moving pieces and variables involved. By structuring projects in an effective and economical manner, you will be able to maximize your potential throughout the electronic marketplace.

I will be starting a series of articles that cover project management from start to completion. These posts will describe how HotWax Media structures it's projects in order to deliver efficient and successful results. This process is called Verified Agile, deriving from Agile roots and with the ability to solve two issues common to businesses who wish to use this method. First, the difficulty of proximity or needing to have all those involved in the project at the same physical location. And second, lack of confidence in such a dynamic process.

We will discuss topics covering problems we have solved for our clients and how important it is to have clients integrated into the process. We will cover what tools we have at our disposal that enables us to have the process run smoothly.

Enterprise eCommerce is becoming widely accepted as the future of buying and selling. The companies that offer the most efficient and cost effective methods are those that will lead the economy. Let the professionals at HotWax Media help you to accomplish this!