Decisions
Custom software or off-the-shelf: how to actually decide
A practical test for whether your process is standard enough to buy a product, or distinctive enough to justify building.
Notes on building software
Practical writing on the decisions that come up before and during a software project — build or buy, what things cost, and what happens after launch.
Coming soon. These articles are planned and listed here so the section structure is in place. Individual posts are not yet published, so they are shown without links rather than pointing at empty pages.
ERP
Why ERP projects fail, and what to do differently
Too much scope at once, an undocumented process, and a single cutover date. Each one is avoidable.
Websites
What a website actually costs, and what drives the number
Where the effort really goes on a web project, and why content is usually the critical path rather than development.
Mobile
Native or cross-platform: choosing a mobile approach
The specific conditions under which native is worth twice the maintenance, and the many cases where it is not.
Working together
Questions worth asking any development company
Who owns the code, what happens after launch, and how change requests are priced — asked before signing, not after.
Security
Keeping software secure after it has launched
Software decays even when nobody touches it. What ongoing maintenance actually needs to cover.
Tell us what you are trying to build
Describe the problem in plain language and we will tell you what it would take to solve it — the approach, the moving parts and the sensible order to build them in. No obligation either way.