Development Methodology

Our Development Process
CodeLab Technology Group’s development process builds on the substantial experience of our staff, and sound project management guidelines to ensure that our clients' projects realize their objectives, while respecting their time and budget constraints.

We start with in-depth analysis sessions prior to creating a database schema or an application plan. Rather than just listening, we actively ask probing questions, clarifying expectations, investigating your competition, your objectives, your infrastructure constraints and the context within which your application will be used.

This analysis of users, goals, the client market and client objectives help us to clarify the project definition and lead us to the most appropriate application design and development plan while also yielding realistic budget and development timelines.

Strategy
Taking the objectives identified during the initial joint application strategy sessions, the CodeLab Principal, Application Strategist and Project Manager team members, in collaboration with our client, create a project definition document that serves as a guide for both teams. This ensures that application goals, timelines and budgets are all appropriately addressed. A terrific application developed in four months is great – as long as you didn’t expect it within 3 months. A clear strategy coupled with clear, consistent communication throughout the course of the project is critical to the success of our projects. Aim prior to shooting.

Conceptual Definition
Conceptual Definition or, in our nomenclature, “Crystallization” is where we take the higher-level strategies initially defined, flesh them out, and integrate them into a precisely defined application plan addressing required core functionality, required data feeds, underlying technology, information architecture, creative considerations (where applicable) and application maintenance.

These planning documents created as the output of the Crystallization process provide the detail execution plan for both of our teams during the Implementation phase of our work. Each goes through a review and sign-off process and serves to finalize the production aspects of the project. Robust applications with no surprises.

Implementation of Development Plan
Based on the output of the Crystallization process, our technical development team creates an application appropriately addressing the identified client requirements. We leverage our significant base of accumulated technical experience, our development framework, and, where appropriate, our highly malleable functional components, to ensure high quality, rapid application development.

Unit testing is done to validate individual elements of the applications.

As the application nears completion, joint teams of CodeLab and Client personnel validate the applications functionality and its’ interface to provide any “fine-tuning” feedback needed to ensure the full realization of client goals. Revisions and comments from this alpha version of the product are incorporated into the Beta release of the solution.

QA
Once we complete an application, internal integration testing is done prior to releasing it to the client for subsequent integration testing by their team. Identified bugs are submitted via our on-line QA system to allow us to quickly resolve those issues, while providing a simple and transparent process for client project managers to maintain visibility into the status of the project.

A review of the application against the initial project goals is also done once users and the full client team have had time to review the project. Next phase enhancements, if required, are then defined and prioritized.