Projects we are asked to participate in generally stem from either a crisis or other pressing immediate business need or a strategic, longer term desire or requirement to implement change.

CONCEPT CREATION
Client firms routinely start a conversation with us by asking about a specific technology "can you do this?" or "can you do something like that?"  And we generally can start the dialog with a reply of "Yes,.....BUT". The "BUT" here refers to our not having a good understanding of a few very important but still unanswered questions such as:

• "What are the business problems or business requirements you are looking to address?"  

• "How strategic or tactical is this project viewed within the firm?"

CompeteSoft is as good, or better, on the FRONT END of planning and assessing a project as they are on the BACK END of developing, implementing and supporting a solution to adress a specific business need.  We have to be good with concepts----it is one of the many capabilities that differentiates us from "coders" who program what you tell them to build.  So much of our work deals with visual, online, interactions with systems that "creativity" and "concept creation and testing" are almost a part of every technical discussion we participate in.

We're experienced BUSINESS PEOPLE first and foremost, who understand how the technical solutions can impact an organization  This is not our first Rodeo out of college.  We have been working on solving business problems using technology for our entire careers.  We know and appreciate the critical planning and preparation required to undertake a new project which allows us to be quite effective as consults in the solution development process.  We have hard-earned hands-on management experience at firms of all sizes working in just about every department for firms in dozens of industries.

SCOPE CREATION
The planning that is so essential (we call it a SCOPE SESSION) to produce a winning technical solution to a business problem can never be done in a vacuum looking at purely technology or products. Our SCOPE SESSION process has evolved through work with many clients and projects of all size and nature.  It works, it benefits both of us and eliminates false starts and half-baked ideas before they can become costly problems.

• Your needs are unique to your situation and a solution that worked for the last client is not a default solution to adequately address your situation.  

"Custom Software Solutions for Business" is our tag line for a reason.  We make the answers fit the questions.....the RIGHT answers to the RIGHT questions you need to have answered.  A comprehensive view of the business/company that leads us to an understanding of how the current and proposed systems interact between departments (and with customers) is a critical first step in any project we undertake.  Our SCOPE SESSION ensures we get it right the first time!

Technical solutions implemented these days will almost always have an impact on several inter-related roles or departments regardless of where the project is initiated.  Sometimes the impact can be minor but in all cases the ability to understand and plan for the impact to current operations is essential. 

For example:     "How will this project impact ..."

• Your web presence and interactions with your portal/eCommerce tools

• Your social network sites and interactions

• Your mobile interactions with clients, suppliers, prospects and employees 

• Your marketing programs, tools, promotions and

• Your existing internal communications, logistics, accounting, sales and  other internal systems

Conducting a thorough scope session forces us (and our clients who participate extensively in the process) to look at and assess all key areas of the firm that might or would likely be impacted and to incorpoate those factors into the project plan where appropriate.  Oftentimes a firm has conducted some level of internal assessments and can provide enough insight to enable creation of a preliminary project plan along with some recommended solutions.  But more often than not, the old adage of measure twice, cut once comes in to play.  The PLAN drives everything.  The PLAN needs to be comprehensive and as understood and actively supported by management as possible.                       

Theoretically we could vigorously execute a poor plan and deliver an elegant solution that simply does not solve the underlying business issues.  And it could be a solution that is precisely what we were asked or told to deliver.

Actually we CANNOT and WILL NOT deliver such a solution because one of our strongest assets is our ability to work with businesses to design and build the RIGHT solutions.  Our SCOPE SESSION methodology is our framework that keeps us all on track and prevents oversight of important but seemingly peripheral business needs BEFORE we get into the project.