Custom Software Services

At times it is not possible to use "Off the Shelf" solutions and a customized system is needed. When custom work is necessary it is often possible to use existing software as the basis for job and save programming time and avoid duplicating existing software. Since the ACCPAC software is sold with the source code it is possible to use it as the core system for many different and unique uses.

The most difficult part of this type of job is to make sure the client and the programmer understand the requirements. Most programmers will not quote flat fee projects because of the difficulty in describing a job sufficiently for all parties to understand what will be done.

Flat Fee Contracts
Programming enhancements that are not accomplished on a time and materials basis, are subject to interpretation by both the programmers and the client. No matter how detailed the specification, the project will still end up being different in some fashion from what is expected. Screens may appear slightly different than imagined, a default will be reversed, fields will be too long or too short. In order to provide a flat fee quote it is necessary to create a feature set that best matches the requirement from the programmer's understanding.

The quote can either be grossly overstated, to account for all possible misunderstandings, or the quote can be kept reasonable with the understanding that it will provide the functionality that was described, but may not be exactly what the client expects. Once the program is deliverd, there will most likely be small additional changes required. Once delivered a new agreement is needed to make any additional changes that may be required to make the enhancement exactly what the client expects. Sometimes it makes sense for the "Clean up" to be done on an hourly basis.

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