A Development Process that Works for You
You know Bryan Adams’ hit song “Everything I Do (I Do It for You)?” Here at Envoc, we can relate. We’re going through a little something that we like to refer to as the “Big Change.” In this evolution, we’re redesigning our entire project process to put more control of client projects in our clients’ hands. Read on to learn how we make you the captain of your project.
Just because it’s not broken, doesn’t mean it can’t be better
While our previous project process wasn’t broken, we found ourselves thinking of ways we could improve it for you. Not only did we want to make sure your project goes off without a hitch, but we also wanted it to give you more control over your dime and timelines. The best way to do this is by allowing you to call the shots and be involved in every step along way. No surprises, no miscommunication, and no rework. We know this is unheard of in the design and development world, but we promise you aren’t dreaming—this is real life.
We work for you before you even know we’re working for you
It all starts before a contract is even signed—during the Discovery meeting with you and your team. We will work with you through a list of specific questions about what will be your “better reality.” This helps us to better understand your business pains and to find your perfect remedy. After understanding your needs and wants, we’ll then meet with the right Envoceans to put together a proposal specific to your project.
Once your engagement begins, it’s all hands on deck. The first thing we do is assign you a project manager (PM) to personally handle your company’s needs and facilitate the project process. The PM goes through our roster of Envoceans to find those with the specific set of skills needed to perfect your project. After your team of Envoceans is chosen, you will also have a Quality Assurance (QA) tester, and at least one developer, designer, and Front-End Developer dedicated to working on your project, and yours alone.
2-3 days before your Kickoff Workshop, the project team has an internal kickoff meeting to make sure everyone is on the same page and is well-prepared to start the project. The team goes through your list of answered questions and other materials gathered throughout the discovery and discussions with your company. Your project’s designer leaves the meeting with ideas about layout, design inspiration, and User Experience (UX). Your project developer leaves with ideas about the possible controls or 3rd party libraries that are needed for your specific project. The QA advocates for any potential challenges, pitfalls or issues based on past experience with similar projects.
Together, we create one team with one mission
Now’s the time to have our Envoceans and your team, including ALL stakeholders, get together in person for a Kickoff Workshop. This is where we become one team and you become the captain! Kickoff Workshops are held within a week of the start of your project. We’ll go through your requirements for the entire project, write user stories for required functionality (short descriptions of what a user needs to be able to do with the project) and work with you to pick the highest priority user stories. Your Kickoff Workshop can last from two hours to two days depending on the size of your project; however, they average 2-6 hours.
During that time, we’ll also create a product sitemap and determine the basic layout and design direction of your project. Your project’s designer will then work through a series of activities with you before sketching out some rough layout options. The designer also presents the design direction ideas and you get to choose which one will serve as inspiration for the project.
…you get to have constant control over the speed of your project and you dictate what gets done, and in what order.
We only focus on what is important to you
After our first Workshop together, we get started based on your direction. In the first three weeks after the Kickoff Workshop:
- The developer will execute setup for your project and work on setting up your domain.
- The PM and the designer will meet with you to show you the wireframes and then you provide your feedback.
- The designer will have the first set of design comps.
- The PM and the designer will meet with you and gather and incorporate feedback on your comps.
- You will continue to see design comp revisions until you approve a final version.
After the initial three weeks, we will have our first iteration meeting to show developed functionality from the approved user stories. While working together to review the progress made, we will also note any defects and document any additional functionality needed. You will then have a chance to prioritize the user stories that need to be worked on in the next two weeks. These meetings will continue every two weeks until the project is complete. This way, you get to have constant control over the speed of your project and you dictate what gets done, and in what order.
Also, after the second iteration meeting, the PM will be able to provide a good estimated timeline and total cost for your project based on the projects current velocity (rate of progress) and remaining backlog of user stories. As progress is made each meeting, these estimates will be updated to be more accurate.
The experience of creating your product should be just as good as the final product itself
We hope you can tell that we’ve designed the Envoc experience with you in mind; putting you in control of your project’s priorities and features. The outcome is a process that works for you, not against you and puts your organization on the same team as ours. We believe the process provides the best experience for our clients and we think you will too. We look forward to working together with you soon.
