Building a custom software solution has several parallels to constructing a custom home. One such parallel is the idea of turning a vision of the ideal home into a set of blueprints. In order to get from vision to blueprint, the future home owner contacts a builder and the two will work together to create the plans that the builder will use to construct their dream home. This is arguably the most crucial part of construction as it provides the basis for everything that comes after it.
When you choose Synoptek as your builder, you are choosing a proven team to bring your vision to reality. We will work directly with you to create a set of documents that are the software equivalent of blueprints. As the visionary we will rely heavily on you to provide us with the nitty-gritty details of how the solution will need to function. Once these critical details have been documented we can begin laying the foundation.
Tools of the Trade
At Synoptek there are several types of documents that we use to create the blueprints for your software solution. Each type of document covers a different aspect of the software’s design.
User Stories
User stories are a series of one or two sentence descriptions of a single piece of functionality that you wish to see in your custom solution. Each user story will exemplify a particular piece of a business process. Stories should be written for each type of user that the solution requires (for example, administrative versus standard users). Stories are typically written in plain language and do not need to be concerned with technical jargon. User stories can be boiled down to a template of the structure “As a <role or type of user>, I want <goal/desire> so that <benefit>.”
Wireframes
Wireframes are perhaps the closest parallel to a constructor’s blueprints. They provide a rough overview of the layout and interactions of the solution and are typically created using a tool such as Microsoft Visio or Infragistics’ Indigo Studio. Wireframes define where elements of the solution should be placed in relation to other elements and the flow of the application as elements are interacted with. Wireframes are used to answer questions such as:
- What shows up when that button is clicked?
- What are the options in this dropdown box?
- Are these options on the left side or the right side?
Acceptance Tests
Acceptance Tests provide criteria to define when a user story has been satisfied. They flesh out details for a story. For example, if your user story was, “As an anonymous user, I want a contact form so that I can ask questions of the website owners” you might have acceptance criteria similar to these:
- The user must fill in all required fields in order to submit the form
- When the form is submitted, the user receives a confirmation email
- When the form is submitted, the data entered is stored in the database
Pouring the Foundation
To some, all of this analysis work up front feels as though it is delaying the start of their project. At Synoptek, we encourage our clients to view this analysis as a critical and required step on the path to a successful project. Lack of a clearly defined set of blueprints can cause difficult and potentially expensive problems down the line. Nevertheless, we also recognize change and new ideas can come about organically through the creative process and those ideas can always be evaluated along the way, as long as we have a firm footing to start off on.
At Synoptek, we will work closely with you to help create the user stories, wireframes and acceptance tests that define the vision that will bring value to your “home.” Together, we can construct a set of blueprints that will set and keep the project on the right foot as progression occurs. Once we have those blueprints in hand we can begin pouring the foundation.