So you've heard you can benefit from "the cloud" and "software as a service" (SaaS), terms that refer to software accessible over the internet. But what does the cloud mean to you? You already may use productivity and collaboration/communication tools, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and other systems that connect to data sources and/or services on the internet. But you may find that you're adapting your workflow to fit available SaaS. Or what you need doesn't yet exist. SMBworks develops cloud software that helps your team or your customers (or both) get things done.
Because software as a service is a specialized form of a website, we follow a similar workflow. During the interview or series of conversations, we will discuss what business process you want to improve or how you want to add value to your customer service (which may not be mutually exclusive). The first product of the process is a requirements document, covering the objectives and features of the desired solution.
With the requirements in hand, we will mock up and prototype screens of the UI (user interface) to demonstrate and refine how users will interact with the web app. This informs the design of the database that will support the app. Accepted mock-ups and prototypes get adapted to connect to the database, for a functional app.
We may do a series of data loads, starting with reference material, and including historical data exported from other systems. While collecting the requirements, we'll discuss what data will go into the app, how it's sourced, and when we plan to load it.
When we have tested a functional version of the web app, we will deploy it to the "live" server where your users may access it.
As with Website design-build, you will have a point-person contact who keeps you informed on progress and elicits feedback. We use software as a service tools to keep track of the work, as well as the discussions and decisions accumulated throughout the process. Collaboration and communication may include a mix of email, conference calls, web conference with screen-share demos—all to help move the project forward.
Our requirements document for the design-build will include an appendix that describes what support is offered after the web app is released for use. Hosting is available on an annual, renewable schedule and includes backup-and-restore service. We can establish a release cycle for upgrades and other updates, including a deferred load of some data. Fees and terms, as applicable, will be outlined in that appendix.
While "app" or "mobile app" may commonly refer to software intended for smartphone or tablet devices, a "web app" is an application accessed in a web browser—and may run on multiple devices. When documenting the requirements, we'll determine what devices we need to support. Between the requirements and mock-ups, we'll decide how the UI layout and features may be affected by the use case on a particular device.
SMBworks specializes in browser-based web apps, which may be used across/among devices. For a mobile app, we can refer you or otherwise help you source a developer with a track record of releasing "native" mobile apps to the app marketplaces for iOS and Android devices. To support you and the mobile app developer, we can document requirements for the app, then build the database and API behind the app.