OnShore Software - Development Philosophy

Our Mission, Your Satisfaction

OnShore Software was formed with several software development goals in mind. These goals could be summed up by saying that we intend to produce software for your firm, on time, on target, and on budget. In many ways these goals are the "holy grail" of software developers. For most firms, most of the time, they have been unachievable. You should be asking how we think we can accomplish them. The answer to that question is really twofold -- we use the latest agile methods of software development, and we limit the scope of what we build to a manageable size. We also recognize that on occasion we may not be 100% successful and our business model is designed so that we make it right with you.

On Time

Here are the three keys we use to produce software on time. The first key is to understand the requirements at the beginning of the project and reach agreement about those with you. This key is important to reaching all the goals. During this process, we’ll work to make sure that what you want is what you get, and that it will be built in measurable steps. If something isn’t achievable in the timeframe you have in mind, we’ll say so.

The second key to on time delivery is to use the latest techniques of software development. This includes what are known as "agile methods" for design and development, the use and reuse of components and objects, and the leveraging of existing technologies whenever possible.

Finally, because you’re using an outside company, additional resources are available when the situation warrants it. This is something that you can’t always do in-house. OnShore can apply the appropriate amount of resource to meet your needs. As young as we are as a company, we’ve already established a network of resources in all areas of software development to handle your particular assignment.

On Target

The same principle of correctly defining requirements, which was the first key to on time delivery, is the essential principle for on target delivery. We understand this. And we’re pretty good at it. One of the barriers to a successful definition of requirements is the underlying knowledge of the business processes that is often assumed when describing the business problem that needs to be solved. Since we’ve been doing this for quite a while, we can take those assumptions into account, and when needed, help refine what you actually need accomplished.

You can also rely on the built-in mechanisms of the recent advancements in building software previously referred to as agile methods. This set of techniques includes feedback mechanisms that insure that what we build is what you asked for. If we’re off target, it won’t be for long.

On Budget

This may be the most difficult goal to accomplish, since to a certain extent we can meet the demands of on time delivery with additional resources which cost money, and we can make sure that the software satisfies your requirements, which might require more hours building the software which also costs money. So how can we build what you want, when you need it, for the amount of money you have to spend?

The short answer is, we may not be able to. If your budget isn’t enough to get the job done, then we can’t do it. But we’ll tell you we can’t rather than say it can be done and then go over budget.

It’s important that we be straight about what we mean by on budget. When we work up a proposal for work, we’ll give you numbers that you can use to budget. If the scope of work exceeds what you can spend, then we can scale back the amount of work to what you can afford. That way, you’ll know how much it’s going to cost, what your budget is. And we’ll commit to making sure we know what it is you want accomplished so that we accurately value the cost of the project. Our commitment to you is that you will know what your budgeted cost will be and what you expect to receive for that budgeted amount.

On Shore

One last word about our name. In today’s business climate there are major trends to move different kinds of work, including software development, offshore. Obviously this is cost-effective in many situations or it wouldn’t be happening. Our belief is, however, that you have many projects where knowledge of how a law firms operates, size of the project, lack of language barriers, and previous development expertise can provide a more cost-effective and satisfactory solution. That’s what we’re about. Quality software, on time, on target, on budget, OnShore.
We’re here.