SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

A custom software solution will save you time and money and allow you to run your organisation in the way that suits you, rather than being constrained by some existing software package. It may also give you an edge against your competitors.

Developing a custom application to run your organisation is not as complex, expensive and time consuming as you may think. Most of the systems we have developed for clients have been initially developed within a month or so. Once developed and in use by the clients, they undergo further development as users see the advantage of the system and realise there are more efficient ways to perform their day to day tasks.

The Solutions Factory has developed a wide range of systems from basic websites to complete Enterprise Resource Planning systems running international organisations.

We have developed, maintained and supported systems for a wide range of clients from small businesses to national organisations such as the Ministry of Defence through to international groups such as GE and Capita.

Our systems are in use by thousands of users worldwide.

We do not believe in forcing our clients into rigidly specifying requirements at the start of a project then penalising them every time a change is required to those specifications. We understand that a large project can not be specified in minute detail at the outset and there must be stages of feedback from the client throughout development and most importantly once the system is in full use. No user can describe exactly what they want from a system until they start using it; only then can they suggest better ways of working. We rapidly take these suggestions into account by talking to the end users directly and guaranteeing the project becomes a success.

We provide fixed price quotes for development work which include stages of feedback and free updates for a fixed period of time (usually 3 months) once the system is in live use.

We provide fixed price maintenance and support agreements.

We can support existing systems for clients developed by third parties. Often we start out supporting those systems then recommend ways of integrating a wide range of systems used by a client into a single coherent system, to reduce data duplication, reduce mistakes, reduce costs and improve efficiency.

We currently have 7 developers, all MOD Security Check (SC) cleared. We have the ability to increase the number of developers to develop or support major projects for clients.

All of our clients have different requirements so we have learned to be quick to adapt and understand our clients' businesses and existing systems. Many software firms blindly follow specifications given to them, written by people who do not understand the clients business. Then, when the system does not operate as the staff had hoped, they take years and huge additional costs to get the system right. In the meantime staff don't use the system and the project becomes a failure. The director of The Solutions Factory ran a computer manufacturing business for 5 years before starting The Solutions Factory and developed systems to help that business run more efficiently so understands business requirements from the ground up. We are very flexible and rapidly respond to the end users requirements.

We reassure our clients by giving them access to the source code of our systems and a licence which enables them to maintain the systems should the worst happen and we cease to trade, or even if our clients simply wish to take on a third party developer to further develop and support the systems. To further reassure one client, Sondex PLC, asked four independent development and support companies to review our system. They all offered to take on the support. In the end Sondex chose to remain with us for support and maintenance but have the reassurance that it is easy for another company to take over should it be required.

We have proven that we can successfully develop, roll out and support major systems for a large number of users as shown in the examples that follow in the next section.

Please refer to our Products page to see examples of the range of tailor made solutions that we have developed, along with our clients over the years.