GotCoders uses a modified version of the Agile software development methodology that breaks a project into multiple iterations (a.k.a. releases) to reduce risk and get stakeholder feedback early. Traditional methodologies, like Waterfall, take structured requirements at the start of a project that are used to develop an entire system in a single iteration. This methodology has inherent problems as the software tends to have a larger number of bugs and lower user acceptance rates. At the start of a project, GotCoders prioritizes the iteration schedule with the client. The two factors that prioritize feature development are business need and technical prerequisite (i.e. foundational components that features depend on must be developed first). The following phases make up a single development iteration; they are repeated until the system is completed:

• Discovery – Arguably the most important phase of a development effort is the definition of user needs. The earlier a bug is introduced into a piece of software the more expensive it is to remedy. Requirement bugs (missed or misinterpreted) are the cause of most software project failures. GotCoders will work closely with you throughout each iteration to coordinate our understanding of business needs.



• Analysis – During the analysis phase of the project business analysts, project managers, architects, quality assurance analysts, system administrators, and trainers come together to develop iteration schedules, specifications, user stories, test plans, deployment plans, training plans, and operation and maintenance plans based off of the requirements gathering phase.



• Testing – Also part of the iterative cycle, testing is a very crucial part of any engineering project. GotCoders believe in writing test scripts that verify the software is working prior to writing the software. This methodology is known as “Test First”.



• Development – The team takes the iteration schedule and begins developing the system in an iterative fashion. Features of the system are developed and released for usability testing based on business priority and technical dependency (i.e. dependent features aren’t developed before their dependencies).



• Training – Our training staff uses the training plan developed during the analysis phase to create curriculum for educating your staff.



• Deployment – GotCoders’ deployment team is capable of everything from hardware and application installation to back-up configuration. The scope of the deployment will be defined in the deployment plan, which will be developed during the analysis phase.



• Operation – Your system administrators will use the operation and maintenance plan to manage system configuration, administration, and health.