Our approach for solving business problems with customized applications involves agile development (AD). AD focuses on automating specific business processes through applications integrated with clients' ERP systems. We develop applications in phases, with each phase defining all features before moving to the next to allow approval and prevent changes. This approach helps rapidly transfer business needs into the application using templates.

1. Agile Development
Our approach for solving business
problems with customized applications
António Gonçalves

2. Agenda
Who we are and what we do
AD – Agile Development
AD – How we do it

3. Who we are and what we do
Consultancy
Renewable energies Advertising
Communication
Software

4. Who we are and what we do
Maker is used
Strategic shift
internally to build Lisbon Office from selling
applications.
Maker to
Softwell is
application
established to sell
development
Maker
2000 … 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012
Maker to
develop out of
the box
Maker applications to
Mobile help our clients
to solve business
Maker 2.0. Strategic shift from problems
Idea conception to Maker 2.4 selling Maker to
facilitate internal is released application
development. Maker
development
1.0

5. Who we are and what we do
• Low productivity in application
development
• Quick technological innovation
• Learning curve
• Technological dependency
• Applications maintenance
• Collaborative development

6. Who we are and what we do
Development is 100% visual
not a single line of code

7. Who we are and what we do
Development is 100% visual
not a single line of code

8. Who we are and what we do
Development is 100% visual
not a single line of code

9. Who we are and what we do
• Why use Maker instead of another platform?
100% Web Project
Technology Screen documentation
independent independent
Development Application Geographic
complexity Development
productivity dimension
collaboration
Users talk good
Application things about
Learning curve
maintenance our applications

10. Who we are and what we do
• We make business people work together with the application developers

11. Agenda
Who we are and what we do
AD – Agile Development
AD – How we do it

12. AD – Agile Development
Process analysis Design
and design
Optimization Modeling
AD Process
redesign
Control Operation
Implementation

13. AD – Agile Development
• Process scope – The scope of our applications usually is focused on the 3Bs that
make the core of the organization’s business value chain. We develop
applications that above all try to automate the operations of the organization’s
specific business processes. Those are the activities that usually are difficult to
have in an out of the shelf software.
B2B B2C B2E

14. AD – Agile Development
• Functional scope
Forms and
Document Report Process
fields Security
Management management management
management

15. AD – Agile Development
• Our applications are usually integrated with the ERP system because…
Finance
Purchases & Stock
Management
Human
ERP Resources
Sales
Manufacturing

16. AD – Agile Development
• …is our conviction that developing in the ERP framework has a bigger TCO and is
riskier than building the application in Maker and then integrate with the ERP.
Internet
access
Mobile Specific
functions
Finance
ERP Develop.
Purchases & Stock
upgrade Management
Integration
Develop.
Human
Licensing ERP Resources
• Master data
Sales • Sales data
Manufacturing • Manufactoring data
• CRM data
• …

17. Agenda
Who we are and what we do
AD – Agile Development
AD – How we do it

18. AD – How we do it
• Because what we do is so specific to the customer’s business:
• We have no pre-conceived ideas
• We do not present products or other kind of arguments that might skew the
customer’s idea
• We can show implementation scenarios that might be framed in the customer’s
business needs
• We listen to what the client has to say and see what the client has to show
• We ask questions and give opinions that are based in our experience
• With the client we create a solution ... and a way to get there!

19. AD – How we do it – Scenario 1
• We divide the application development in n user tests. Each user test can
approve what has been done. Only after all the application’s features are ok we
move on to the development of the application’s layout
...n×
Business
needs blue
print

20. AD – How we do it – Scenario 2
• We divide the application development in n phases. Each phase is a Scenario 1
implementation.
Phase 1 – Features’ scope must be completely
defined for each phase. When phase’s scope is
defined it cannot be changed. New features should
be implemented on the following phases.
Phase 2
...
Phase n

21. AD – How we do it
• Business needs blueprint – Document where we define the different visions for
the application. We have in each area different templates which help
implementation teams to rapidly transfer the business description into Maker’s
forms, flows and reports.
Business needs blueprint

22. AD – How we do it
• The application could be deployed in the client’s IT structure or elsewhere in a
supplier of IT structures.
Licensing Cloud Outsorcing

23. Thank you for
your attention!
Any Questions?
António Gonçalves
antonio.goncalves@softwell.pt