GVC Process

The Global Village Consulting Inc. (GVC) development process follows well established software development principles combined with elements of the Evolutionary Development practice. The result is a lean and scalable process for projects ranging from one developer month to several developer years. For smaller projects, GVC follows the process through one evolution. With larger projects the functionality is broken down into several evolutions with working software being delivered to the Client team after each evolution.

• Stage One: Initial Consultation

  During stage one, the GVC Project Manager consults with the client sponsor or Project Manager and determines the project goals, scope, timeline, budget, and top-level requirements. Effort estimates are established through the use of Function Point Analysis (FPA) so as to determine if the ballpark schedule and budget are realistic. This stage generally only takes a couple of days to complete.

• Stage Two: Requirement Capture and Definition

  During stage two, the GVC team consisting of one or more of the Project Manager, Business Analyst, UI Designer and Developer Team Lead capture and review the project requirements. These requirements are documented via a number of clear and concise work products including a User Manual (business requirements), Domain Objects (data requirements), UI Prototype (screen shots) and Discrete Requirements (technical requirements). The resulting work products are reviewed and formally accepted by the Client. At the end of this stage a new FPA is undertaken to establish more accurate timeline and effort estimates. The requirement capture and definition stage generally takes between 20-30% of the project or evolution schedule to complete.

• Stage Three: Design and Development

  During stage three, the GVC team of developers create the designs, models and code required to fulfill the specifications  in stage twoset out for the project or evolution. All GVC developed designs and code follow a rigorous object oriented methodology that emphasizes the need for maintainability and extensibility. All code produced is subject to rigorous peer reviews and undergoes automated unit testing prior to release to the system testing group. The design and development stage generally takes between 40-60% of the project or evolution schedule to complete.

• Stage Four: System Testing

  During stage four, a joint GVC and Client team runs through an established test plan based on the principles of black box testing. This plan is designed to establish whether or not the developed software meets all of the requirements established for the project or evolution. During this stage, the testing team issues Change Requests for any bugs found or for any additional features required. Each Change Request is analyzed and its impact estimated and approved prior to remedy. The system testing stage generally takes between 20-30% of the project or evolution schedule to complete.

• Stage Five: Deployment

  After the Client and GVC have signed off on a completed project or evolution, the application is bundled up for installation by the client deployment team. If appropriate, GVC’s internal deployment team will work with the client to ensure that the roll out is seamless. If desired by the Client, GVC can also provide ongoing onsite or remote application support for the internal technology group.