DataArt Delivery Model

DataArt recognizes the fact that Agile software development methodologies provide one of the best foundations for a reliable, predictable and transparent delivery process. To take advantage of the Agile software development approach, DataArt introduces it on multiple levels:

Business Level Approach

We consider a project to be successful only when business stakeholders see the value of the investments required to complete the development. To ensure that the business needs are properly addressed, we always align the project goals and timelines with the business goals.

We consider a project to be a Value Stream, an end-to-end business process that delivers valuable results to our customers, allowing project teams to keep focus on achieving the highest value parts of a project first. In the Value Stream approach the relationship between DataArt and the customer is a constant “flow” of valuable deliverables, with the long-term goal of the engagement being to maximize the overall value of the artifacts delivered to the customer.

The critical step to ensure the maximum value of each delivered product is to establish proper Communications. Key stakeholders should be identified and all relevant views need to be taken into account to establish the right direction and priorities of the development process. Transparent, complete and accurate project information should be supplied for all the involved parties at any time, which is critical for establishing trusting and respectful relationships between DataArt and the customer. We encourage the teams to use all possible means of communications including VoIP channels, instant messaging, and virtual dashboards to streamline the information flow between the parties.

Complex projects can be comprised of multiple systems making it difficult to measure or judge the success of a project. In these cases, it is critical to establish clear and measurable Business Value Metrics so that at any given moment a project team can see the progress being made, and how functional the product is. Once the business value metrics are established, it is easy to ensure the project goals are aligned with the business stakeholder’s needs from day one. The project team now has a blueprint to work from to prioritize tasks and maximize the value of each delivery. Once each deliverable is completed, tasks are reevaluated to rank each remaining deliverable for its business value, allowing for the order of project tasks and deliverables to be easily changed to meet the priorities of the stakeholders.

Establishing a flexible but cost-effective and easily controlled contract model between DataArt and the customer is an important component of business relationships. Deal Structure should accommodate the cost model, the timeline, change control procedures, incentives, etc. as much as possible.

Execution Level Approach

We see the strength of DataArt’s service in our ability of our teams to conduct self-sufficient problem solving rather than requiring tight control of day-to-day supervision by the customer. The engagement structure includes not only software development services but also requirements discovery, solution proof of concept, ongoing support and improvements. Project Structure for such an engagement should accommodate all of the phases to deliver a proper solution. Typically, this also includes on-site visits for requirements clarification, offshore development, User Accepted Testing, production rollout, etc.

The Value Stream concept intrinsic in DataArt’s Continuous Delivery approach includes establishing a reliable and repeatable delivery pipeline to reduce risks and streamline the delivery process. Depending on the project context, constraints and technologies in place, the specific pipeline structure will include continuous integration, automated deployment, automated functional testing, capacity testing and so on.

DataArt’s Continuous Delivery Model utilizes the Scrum Software Development Methodology that includes a set of the best Agile software development practices and Agile project management tailored to fit particular project needs.

Continuous Delivery

Continuous Delivery is at the heart of DataArt’s Delivery Model, providing a flexible but reliable framework for project execution and delivery. The key feature of the approach is an optimized delivery cycle so that changes can be implemented quickly, and results become reliable and predictable.

Delivery cycle time is reduced by using several best practices including build automation with continuous integration, test automation with unit tests and automated functional tests, and deployment and configuration automation.

The key goal of the Continuous Delivery process is to achieve the highest degree of reliability for software releases. There are 3 components that comprise the process: build automation, test automation and deployment automation:

When properly implemented, the process provides a quick and reliable end-to-end pipeline from new business requirement to development team execution and on to end user software deployment.

Continuous Delivery Workflow