Discover > Develop > Test > Launch
The Adaptive business has been built around a strong ethos of customer service and our long-lasting relationships with many of our clients are testament to the high levels of service, communication and transparency that we aim to deliver.
Our tried and tested methods for successfully delivering digital projects ensures that both we and the client go into each project with clear aims and goals, and a clear path to how they will be achieved. We do this through our four-step process of Discovery, Development, Testing and Launch.
Discovery
The key to the success of every digital development project is the all-important Discovery Phase, where we gather a sound and detailed understanding of what you need to achieve to ensure we meet and exceed your expectations.
This process sets out the specification for the rest of the project to ensure all requirements are captured as early as possible. This, in turn, ensures accurate estimating/costing, which then enables accurate planning of the project to take place.
The Discovery process separates out the work involved in researching and writing a full specification from the rest of the project as a discrete piece of work. The process would include:
- Gathering and refinement of detail requirements for the project via workshops, calls or other methods
- Production of the Functional Specification Document, outlining the exact requirements of the new platform in detail
- Creation of detailed wireframes to fully inform the build
- Creation of visual designs for key pages/sections
- Production of the Technical Specification Document, which includes the technical system design for the project to determine exactly how each part of the system will be developed, be it via Drupal core functionality, existing contributed Modules or custom functionality to be written by Adaptive. This document then acts as the brief to the development team of exactly how the requirements from the Functional Specification need to be delivered
- Final time/cost estimates produced for the confirmed project specification
- Project plan and timeline created
There are many advantages to this approach:
- Ideas and input can be gathered from all stakeholders
- Everyone has a full understanding of what is being built
- There is sound reasoning behind all design & functionality decisions
- Options can be explored before any development commitments are made
- No technical surprises - feasibility has been evaluated before any coding begins
- No cost surprises - having looked into every aspect of the project in detail, we can be confident the times and prices given are accurate
Depending on timescales and budget, the Adaptive team can be involved as much or as little as required in the initial internal discussions around the new website requirements. Some clients will hold a series of initial internal meetings themselves to gather input from the wider project group before then involving Adaptive in the latter stages to help refine the requirements in more detail. Others, however, benefit from Adaptive’s support right from the outset in coordinating the internal workshops and being able to act as an independent lead in the discussions. Again, we’re happy to discuss which approach is likely to work best for each client.
Development
With the Discovery process completed, we will then commence the development of the website. Typically we will look to break the overall build down into smaller development sprints, identifying specific requirements to be developed during each sprint.
The project plan is set once the requirements have been agreed and is shared with the project group. We typically expect the first one or two sprints to take place purely on our internal development servers but then, as soon as the build is in a suitable position to be seen by the wider project group, this is then be made available to all parties. It them remains available throughout the rest of the build, giving the client continuous visibility of the progress being made on their project.
Communication is key to the success of the project and we encourage frequent communication between project managers at Adaptive and the client throughout the project. In addition, formal review calls/meetings can also be set up at suitable intervals as required.
Testing & Launch
Thorough testing of the developed platform by both parties is essential to ensure that a new website goes live with an absolute minimum of technical issues and that it fully meets the requirements and expectations of the client at launch.
All functionality is unit tested by Adaptive as it is developed. Regular code reviews are conducted amongst the development team as well as the senior technical team to ensure that the expected standards are being met/exceeded throughout the project. We encourage each client to also review and test functionality as and when pieces of work are released. Another round of full internal testing is then conducted by Adaptive towards the end of the build. After that, we then invite the client to conduct a full User Acceptance Testing (UAT) review. During this process, the client will be testing against each of the requirements stated in the Functional Specification document to ensure each requirement has been successfully delivered.
With UAT successfully completed, the build can then be formally signed off as completed to specification prior to going live to ensure all required aspects have been successfully delivered.
Managing your project
Every client and every project is different and therefore there is not one set way in which we manage the relationships with our clients, rather we adapt as required to suit each project and each client's needs.
For example, we appreciate that some clients prefer regular, formal updates in the form of reports, meetings or calls whilst others take a more adhoc, informal approach. We understand that some clients like to have detailed information on all aspects of the project while others prefer summarised overviews. We therefore discuss with each client as to which approaches work best for them.
You will be assigned a Project Manager who will be your main day-to-day contact. They will be on hand to provide advice and recommendations on any aspect of the development project and to answer any queries relating to the account in general. They will also work closely with you on planning the programme of work to be delivered on the project and ensure that this is delivered to time and budget for you.
Post-launch support
Our team is set up in a way which enables us to adapt to different levels of requirements from different clients.
Our dedicated Drupal support developers are on hand to handle urgent support requests as quickly as possible, while our development and projects developers are available to work on larger pieces of development, from new functionality in existing sites to complete redesigns or new builds. Larger developments can therefore be delivered without impacting on our ability to deliver responsive support in parallel.
Ongoing support for Drupal projects is typically delivered via one of our monthly support package options. Click here for further details.