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.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
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!
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!
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