1. Business Requirements - Initial discussion of ideas, requirements and possibilities.
To get things started we will sit down with you (in person or by phone) and we will discuss your business, how you currently do things, and how we can help support and empower your business with a smart software solution.
We will discuss online order management strategy, business objectives, and solution requirements for achieving your objectives. This will ensure there is a clear understanding of what your business needs to grow and succeed.
2. Statement of Work - Deliverables, deadlines and quote.
Now that we have captured all of your requirements in Phase 1, we will draft a Statement of Work. This is the document which will form the basis of our contract with you. This document sets out in clear language what we expect to deliver, when, and at what terms. It will specify what is included in the project, and what is not included. The project may include a proof-of-concept phase.
The Statement of Work will also specify the data (and format) which is required from you in order for us to begin the next phase (e.g. products, prices, images etc.).
Once you are happy to proceed, the Statement of Work is signed off by you.
3. Design and Data - You provide us with design and data files.
This includes sending us any logos, images or other design files. This phase may be really quick, especially if you are getting a wholesale or internal solution for which the cosmetic design of the website may not be very elaborate.
We can include graphic design as a part of the project if you do not already have all the design assets that you need.
You will also send us files with all your products, pricing, descriptions and customer segments so we have everything we need to begin Development.
4. Development - Our designers get their hands dirty
This is the phase where we use our core commerce and web software engines to build your custom solution.
All your data will be imported into the database.
In this phase we will also setup and configure our server with your domain name and add various security layers.
5. Testing - Functional testing, quality assurance, sign off.
Referring to the project specification, we will begin the testing and quality assurance phase where we ensure that the new system reflects the requirements detailed in the Statement of Work. We will test the integrity of data and process flows to make sure everything is running smoothly. We will then hand over to you for functional testing and sign-off. During testing, clients often discover new ideas for additional features or functionality. We can scope out any change requests in a project amendment (with amended time-line) and go back to the development phase. Alternatively, some change requests or new feature requests might be added to a separate post-launch project.
6. Go live - Time to celebrate, your new software solution goes live!
We are now in 'production' phase where your new system goes live. It is now time to invite your customers inside.
If you are running a retail or B2B e-commerce store, now is the time to launch your marketing campaigns.
From now on, you will continue to improve your system by adding and updating products, images, campaigns, YouTube videos and other content. And we are of course here to help you with any of this if you prefer. Refer to our service and maintenance packages for information on how you can save money on your ongoing content management.
Post Delivery - The project has been delivered, but our work doesn't stop there.
Behind the scenes, your system will continue to evolve with regular version updates to the underlying software platform. Ongoing improvements are done in areas of performance, security, usability and new innovative features. This ensures that your system always stays at the forefront of technology. It's part of the package when you choose ComCloud.