Our approach follows the most important (most productive, most invariant) tendencies of the software industry, within a few different modes of operation.
Synthesis
Sharing common desires to make things increasingly appropriate, we follow the six important tendencies of the software industry. That is, for things to become increasingly:
adequate to a purpose;
incremental and iterative;
open or free;
well-patterned in constitution;
shared on many levels; and
supportive of human capabilities.
Modes
At the same time, we contribute to the common process of world development by working in four different ways:
analysis - Connecting with (and improving) the work of individuals and groups.
development - Designing appropriate software and services.
services - Providing appropriate software to individuals and groups.
clubs - Coordinating to share common concerns.
Each of the above four ways is taken and improved in just the same manner as any other work. That is, with analysis, development, services and clubs.
And in a manner that is adequate, incremental, open, well-patterned, shared and supportive.
Analysis
Analysis connects with the work of a process and establishes goals for development.
The work of a process is scoped by identifying the events to which useful work responds. A Scope of the Work document is made from descriptions of both the current responses to those events and the outcomes which the responses are intended to achieve.
Consideration is given to the nature and adequacy of the working responses, and necessary or otherwise desired improvements are made. Criteria for support are identified, and recorded in a Requirements Specification document.
Our approach to analysis follows the Volere process.
Development
Software systems are rules for solving problems that may occur in the future. Software development is a discussion about such rules. [Ward Cunningham]
We prefer to generate appropriate software supports along the lines of the agile approach, an open collection of principles and practices emphasizing resilience to change over complex anticipation widely recognized as software engineering best practice.
Our architectural approach follows a number of pattern languages. Our approach to software licensing follows the licensing of the Free Software Foundation.
Services
Software services supply software application functionality to users as hosted application services.
Software services hide the complexity of the development cycle from end-users and presents both a continuously working and continuously improving service, capable of responding desirably to critical feedback.
Our approach to software services follows the distinctions of service orientation.
Groups may wish either to host their own application services (with or without support), or to have their application services hosted by an application service provider.
Clubs
Software clubs provide analysis, software development, and application services to their member organization. Each club usually addresses one particular domain of concern, and forms a cluster of related software, services, providers and users. Each group becomes a member of as many clubs as necessary to support the particular scope of its work.
Circulation between members' on-going process analyses, system development, and application services is encouraged and supported. Software clubs thereby allow different groups with common concerns to minimize the common costs which exist between them. Software clubs also reduce the common costs that exist between the work of providing the different software club services (analysis, development, application service provision) because all of the services are provided by the same members of staff. Please visit the Clubs page for more information about software clubs.
Operation
The implementation of our approach is described on the Services page. The broader circumstances are illustrated on the Contexts page. The Projects page has some examples of our work.
Contact Us if you would like to know more.
Thank you for your interest in our work.