We follow a mix of waterfall and agile methodologies. The define stage to identify the key objectives and requirements. The design phase is to identify and agree on a solution approach. For the build stage we follow agile development methodology. The build phase is broken into monthly or biweekly sprint cycles.
Define
During this stage, detailed requirements are gathered and analyzed. The product is configured, and users are taken through a product walkthrough to identify any product functionality gaps. Requirement related to document templates, reports, interfaces, training, data migration, documentation, infrastructure, access control are also gathered and analyzed. Based on this blueprint comprising of the process flows, user stories and tasks are identified. Detailed sprint planning will also be done.
Design
In this stage, the gaps are analyzed, solution options identified, discussed and finalized. Mock screens or proof-of-concepts in the form of excel designs or prototypes are created to provide users a good understanding of the solution that will be developed and delivered. This solution will be signed off as functional specification. Based on the functional specification, the technical specifications will be written to communicate with the developers, who will be building the enhancements.
Build
Build stage is split into monthly sprints. The tasks are allocated to sprints based on priority and estimated efforts. Sprint planning is done at the beginning of each sprint. Unit test cases are prepared for the sprint items. After the build is released, the WRICEFs are tested and test results published. The sprint enhancements are walked through with the users and any remediation is done in the following sprint.
Enable
After all the developments are done, the key users are trained on the product. This is also an opportunity to get feedback from the users and to prepare them for the user acceptance testing.
Validate
During this stage, end-to-end integrated testing is done by the project team before publishing the application to business users for user acceptance testing.
Deploy
After the solution is tested and all issues fixed, the production environment is prepared. Data migration, configuration, access control set-up and production readiness testing are conducted before going live.
Support
Post go-live, handholding is provided to end users. Help desk process is set-up with the business users and administrators. Support for two post go-live month end closure is also provided.