Vision and Scope Project Analysis
Vision and Scope Workshops are the first step towards a successful software project. Think of these "workshops" as brainstorming meetings during which all project stakeholders get together and discuss the overall vision for a project to determine the important aspects, the boundary conditions, potential timeframe, priorities, "nice to haves", and just about anything else one can think of. This "vision" then gets prioritized and perhaps split into multiple phases. Key challenges are identified. Existing staff and resource capabilities are analyzed. Risks are analyzed. First steps are discussed. In short: Everything that goes with a project is fair game!
We assist in Vision & Scope Workshops by adding our experience and expertise, by bringing up key issues, by helping to judge feasibility of certain aspects, and by suggestion technologies and techniques as well as appropriate approach. We also use our experience from other projects to help judge effort levels and required skills.
No project will ever include everything one can dream up in a Vision & Scope Workshop, but the result will be a solid plan and realistic expectations in moving forward with a project, regardless of whether those next steps include CODE/EPS, or whether a project is done in-house or with a different vendor.
The Deliverable
The main deliverable of a Vision & Scope Workshop is the Vision & Scope Document. This document recaps all the things discussed during the meeting, with additional questions explored and facts added in. The document addresses all key areas, next steps, risks, and so forth (the exact content varies slightly based on customer need).
Many Vision & Scope Workshops also feature other deliverables, such as code examples that can serve as proof-of-concept type of materials. Sometimes we also provide other documents or media related to the issues discussed during the meeting. Often times, such secondary deliverables are discovered during the Vision & Scope Meeting.
The main goal of a Vision & Scope Workshop is to come up with a shared vision and a solid plan for the overall project. It is then up to the customer to decide which parts of the project to explore or engage in in what order and what time frame. (As mentioned above, no Vision & Scope Document is every implemented in one swoop). The Vision & Scope Document acts as a starting place and guide for the project, regardless of whether the project is undertaken by CODE (or with CODE's help) or just in-house, or by a different vendor.
Engaging in a Vision & Scope Workshop
Vision & Scope Workshops are easy to set up. They usually consist of an on-site meeting to which we send one or two high-level experts. (If need be, this can also be done online, but this is one of those cases where online is not quite the same as an in-person meeting). Before we engage in the meeting we usually have a discussion over email or over the phone about the general nature of the project, so we can make sure we send the right people. Whatever materials can be provided ahead of time helps us to show up as prepared as possible.
The actual meeting usually starts out with an overview from the customer. If an older version of an application or a prototype of any kind exists, a quick demo is usually helpful. We then proceed to explore the major areas of the system, before we drill a bit deeper into the more important ones. We also like meeting the major stakeholders and even users of the system if possible, although we try to keep this to a reasonable amount of time. It is important for us to learn about the key driving factors and key risks that are already known. We also want to explore technological and architectural questions and challenges.
After the workshop (which usually takes a day or an afternoon depending on the size of the system), we usually leave with a list of topics to explore further. Often we have learned about questions we can address by providing examples or videos or documents. We then work on these items off site and produce the Vision & Scope Document. We work on this off-site, but often ask further questions. Once we produce the first draft of the Vision & Scope Document, we present it to the customer, either online or on-site in another short meeting. During this meeting, we not just present the document and its recommendations and findings, but we also often explore further questions. It is not uncommon to have multiple draft versions of a Vision & Scope Document before all questions and concerns are addressed.
Purchase Options
We charge a fixed price for Vision & Scope Workshops. The actual price is determined based on estimated duration. A simple formula is applied that is based on the on-site meeting time we agree upon ahead of time with the customer. Vision & Scope Workshop are always fixed price, which avoids any surprises. In addition to the fixed price, we also charge for expenses (flight, hotel, and transportation). This is also discussed and agreed upon with the customer ahead of time.
Purchasing Our Services
We offer our services in a variety of ways to meet every possible need. Options range from plain time and materials setups, to hourly blocks and montly service contracts, and sometimes even fixed price setups (especially for mobile "apps"). Contact us for more information and for a Schedule of Fees.
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