Website Development Process
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"Dear Stylusinc.com,

Please provide a quote to build my portal. I want, banner ads, e-commerce and by the way, when can you get it done and how much will it cost? One more thing, take a look at www.amazon.com and model it after that."

This is only a slight exaggeration. We receive many emails from individuals and companies similar to the above. If you are someone who wants the services of stylusinc.com then this page we will explain how to get from the first email ( like the one above) to the finished product.

We hope the lessons we have learned from our experiences will make the development of your site easier and better, and at the same time, accelerate the development for the stylusinc.com team here in Bangalore INDIA.

Because we are in India and our projects are mostly from the USA, we have developed some expertise in dealing with people on the other side of the globe while using email only.We know we must become process centric to produce quality results for our customers.

Some of what we have learned is explained in the 10 step process that is outlined below. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Our process run throughout our company.

Fast Quote Form - For a very rough estimate

Client Questionnaire Form - For those who are very serious about the services of Stylusinc.com

To give you a rough estimate we need enough information to make a guess about the number of hours of work and the completion date. The above mentioned two forms have been created to gather two levels of information.

2. Agree on Terms and Conditions
Once both of us agree on the cost to complete your project we must then make sure we are both clear about what is expected. We usually emphasize at this point that our work is done by the hour. We provide an estimate only to give a rough idea of the cost.

We work by the hour because of the changing nature of web development. We have discovered that so many changes and additions take place during the course of development that it is too difficult to estimate accurately. We cannot give an accurate bid.

Working on an hourly basis provides the client freedom to make changes while the project is underway.

3. Project Report
If it is a complex site you may want a more accurate estimation. If this is the case we can prepare a report that will take from 10- 30 hours to prepare. We require payment in advance for this report. Once you have this report you can take it to other web development companies if you choose.

Our estimate will provide the approximate number of hours to complete the job. We calculate by the hour and bill by the hour. This is IMPORTANT. We only provide the estimate of the number of hours so that you can approximate the cost.

We bill only by the hour because we have discovered that the project evolves and changes. The client always wants to change colors, ad functions, add content, add products etc as the project is being developed.

4. Client Review Estimate and Evaluates Stylus
After we return the estimate of the number of hours involved in the project the client usually wants to make sure Stylusinc.com is a good company. They can take a look at our portfolio section.

5. Deal
Once both parties agree on the terms of the deal a document can be prepared to clarify exactly what is to be done. Stylusinc.com prepares an email with instructions on where to wire or send the money.

Some clients may employ stylusinc with very little needs for estimates or documentation, others may wise the opposite. Either way is acceptable. But it does help us to get the job done if we have good information and communication.

6. Requirements are Analyzed
Once a client decides to have a website developed by stylusinc.com and wires or mails at least half of the payment upfront, the development process begins.

The client must make their best efforts to communicate his/ her requirements clearly. Since Stylusinc.com bills at an hourly rate, this effort now will save time and money later.

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Our in-house Development Process
PHASE I - Define

In this phase, the objective is to understand clearly the voice of the prospective customer. When doing business on the Internet, we realize the importance of being clearly understood, to provide the best solutions to our customers.

• Typically we start of when we get an email enquiry or a Quick Quote (on our internal sites) from a prospective client.
• The request is examined. To understand the requirements better, some questions are emailed back to the prospective client, or the client is advised to fill in the Client Questionnaire on our site.
• The clarifications are given. The client questionnaire is duly filled and forwarded.
• The request is now re-examined for any further details required at this stage. If not, then a rough estimate of the time and costs involved in the project is made. In case of large web applications and database driven websites, a proposal for doing a detailed analysis for a fee of $2000 is emailed to the client. The deliverables here are the following:
  - Requirements Document
  - Level 1 Work Breakdown Structure and Project Schedule
  - Payment schedule
  - Draft of the contract of Agreement.
• The client seeks clarifications (if any) on the terms and conditions and approves the documents and the contract of agreement. After this, the client gives a go-ahead for the project.
• The amount to be advanced and the mode of payment is specified.
• Confirmation on the payment is intimated to Stylusinc.
• Stylusinc confirms initial payment.

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PHASE II - Design and Develop
Methodology - The evolving iterative approach.

We use the evolving iterative approach to web development. In this methodology, once the preliminary requirements are clarified, the next step is to quickly build the prototype of the website/web application. From then on, it is the continuing evolutions of this prototype until it become the final product, exact to specifications.

Visibility - The key Advantage.

This is a revolutionary, new approach to software development and extremely suited to offshore development and outsourced services. When you outsource your requirement of web solutions to us, we are sensitive to the fact that you require high visibility of the WIP (work in progress). This is the reason why we have adapted this methodology to our web development process. At each stage along the development, the website/web application evolves before your own eyes. Here are the broad milestones in this process:

Prototype: The first and crucial phase. The prototype shows you the shape of things to come. This is much more than just a visual representation. It represents all the screen elements in the final solution. This is the mould into which we start to breathe the breath of life! Feedback from the client is taken and required modifications are incorporated.

Functional Specifications Document: Before starting to actually develop the functionalities, we document all the functional specifications. The client reviews it and gives feedback again and with this, the requirements specifications are fully captured.

The Proof of concept: The prototype evolves to its more complex level of existence. Many parts of the prototype spring to life. We have this intermediate delivery before the final delivery to establish the proof of concept. The client can now almost feel the solution that he/she had entrusted us to develop. What remains now is just formality. Our production engine hauls the project to completion.

Final Delivery: The final product is delivered after testing. There are no surprises, and no tense expectations on the date of delivery. For, you had seen it evolve!

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PHASE III – Deployment
Performance of the site is monitored for a period of one month if there is no site maintenance agreement.

Any problems found during this period will be solved, without any additional cost to the customer.

Site Promotion
The Site Promotion Process is implemented.

Re-engineering and re-designing depending on promotion needs, to make the site a success.

Site Maintenance
The Site Maintenance Process is implemented.

Operations workflow at Stylus Systems:
The flow chart visually describes the workflow and the processes that are a part of any project undertaken at Stylus Systems.

The marketing team acquires the project from the client and forwards it to the Operations team – the Chief Technical Officer and the Project Leaders. Projects are delegated to the project leaders who in turn assign tasks to team members who then work on the project within the schedule allotted to them.

All deliverables are passed through a Quality Assurance team who decides whether the process is iterative or not. If satisfied, the Quality Assurance team passes the completed project to the project leader who then hands out the deliverables to the client. Client feedback and satisfaction is given first hand consideration and all deliverables are reworked upon to ensure a completely satisfied customer.

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