we offer web application design and development
From a simple site telling potential clients and customers who you are, to a large extranet serving clients world-wide we can work with you to provide the solution that will best suit your business needs. Every project is different but below is a bit about how we work with you to develop your application.
Specification
In order to create an estimate for a new project or phase of a project we need to see a specification for the project that describes in detail how the website or application will work. This specification will enable us to put together an accurate estimate for the project.
You may already have a detailed specification for your project or the project be simple enough that a short brief will be sufficient. In that case we will simply talk through any areas where we need clarification prior to giving you an estimate for the work.
For a large project creating the specification may be a signifant amount of work, in this case we may suggest that you initially contract us to develop a functional specification for the project. At the end of this process we will be able to quote for the work - however you would also be at liberty to take the specification to another agency should you so wish, as it would be a piece of work that you own.
Estimate and Timescales
Once we have created a functional specification we can provide you with an estimate for the work. This estimate should be very accurate providing that the scope of the project does not change.
We will also provide you with timescales for the development at this point. Again, should the project scope not change and you provide feedback when required, this should be accurate.
Development
We operate a policy of involving our clients in development and, where possible and relevant, we will show you the work as it progresses to get your feedback and comments. When feedback or further information is requested we ask that you get back to us within 3 business days. Failure to do so may delay the project.
Scope Changes
We recognise that some requirements may only come to light during development. We ask that if you decide to make any changes to the signed off functional specification that these are made in writing (by email). Scope changes may implicate on both costs and timescales of the project. We will always indicate to you the nature of these implications prior to beginning any work of this nature and will require your agreement to the additional costs.
Project Sign-off
Once your project is complete we will request that you 'sign off' the completed project. On sign off you agree that the project meets the functional specification and that you have tested all functionality. Larger projects may be broken down into stages, with sign off at the end of each stage (usually linked to a milestone payment). These sign offs will ensure that the various stages of the project are tested and checked thoroughly before we move onto the next stage.
Support during and after development
We are very happy to support your project after completion. We can either offer support as and when needed and will give you an estimate before doing any work and invoice on completion. If you require a number of hours of support each month then we can operate on an agreement that we invoice monthly for all work completed during that month - we will always let you know the number of hours each task will add to that total.
When you request any support for your application we will, depending on the requirement, either fix the issue or provide support (where the fix is less than 2 hours of work) or get back to you with timescales for a fix within 3 business days (Monday to Friday excluding public holidays). We will always try and fix critical issues as quickly as possible.
Contacting edgeofmyseat.com
Our preferred method of contact is by email. This ensures that all changes and requests are documented and we can check back through these to ensure that all requests are fulfilled. While we may discuss issues over the telephone or in person, any requests or issues, however minor, must be documented either via email or, in the case of large projects with a bugbase set up, on the bugbase.
We charge for all consultancy time at our normal hourly rate, this includes telephone consultancy, specification development and training. Where this consultancy is a necessary part of the project we will include time for this work in your estimate, however should the consultancy time increase we reserve the right to charge for additional time. We will however, always let you know that this is the case.
Our commitment to you
We want you to be happy with the work that we do for you, and always strive to operate in an ethical and honest way. We will not charge you for hours that we have not worked on your project - if the work is done more quickly than estimated we will be happy to let you know! We aim to be open and transparent about how we charge for our work, and we will always ensure that you know what you should expect to be invoiced for any given job.
CSS Layout Development
Whether you have an existing site built using tables that you would like redesigned, or have a new concept mocked up as a Fireworks or Photoshop file, we can turn that into an HTML or XHTML document complete with a stylesheet that creates your CSS layout.