Management Process

Stromboli's processes have been honed through years of experience to ensure top quality for project development. Presently, Stromboli has all the components necessary to support medium to large projects at the highest level.

Project structure

Stromboli's standard project development process has been mostly influenced by the Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF). MSF provides proven practices for planning, building, and deploying a variety of technology solutions, combining aspects of software design and development and building and deploying infrastructure into a single project lifecycle for guiding technology solutions of all kinds. MSF helps organizations achieve a delicate balance of flexibility while meeting commitments; speed while minimizing risk.

The three distinctive features of the MSF process are:

• A phase and milestone-based approach.


• An iterative approach.


• An integrated approach to building and deploying solutions.

Project leadership approach

At Stromboli, the process is heavily tailored to the requirements and limitations set forth by the customer. Projects are executed iteratively, with most iterations consisting of the following phases:

1. Envisioning
   During the envisioning phase, the team and the customer define the scope of the business requirements and the overall project goals. The alignment in this phase of business and IT priorities is of critical importance, and the team will spend time understanding how the system will be used. During this phase, the team also begins identifying and managing risks. The envisioning phase culminates in the vision-scope approved milestone, which indicates that the team and customer agree on the project direction.


2. Planning & Designing
   During the planning phase, the team plans the development and makes requirements more specific. The end of the phase is marked by the approval of the project plan by the customer.


3. Developing
   During the developing phase, the team moves from project planning into the projects themselves.


4. Stabilizing
   During the stabilizing phase, the team collects and integrates feedback on the released version, resolves project-related issues, enhances the architecture, and prepares for the next version.

Communication

The project process is completely transparent. Time spent on the project is controlled through a Web-based instrument (Stromboli Service Tracker), and the customer is able to remotely monitor project progress and real-time status at any time, 24/7.

Requirements management

For all projects, it is essential that requirements are assessed, analyzed, and updated accurately and effectively. Stromboli has an established requirements-assessment procedure in place. As part of the standard process, the Project Manager goes from top to bottom, from understanding the client's business processes to creating workflow models of the software to be built and down to creating technical requirements for software. Every step is documented and approved by client along the way.

Requirements change management

Stromboli recognizes the need to accommodate spontaneous requests to make functional or operational changes to the system on demand. All requests for changes will be submitted through thee project supervisors on the client side. Stromboli will estimate the costs of the given change, as well as the impact on scheduling and the overall system. This analysis is delivered to the Supervisor.

Change procedure standards

Stromboli follows certain fundamental principles when implementing any change:

• Making any change must not affect the integrity of the system~


• The system must be consistent, both in the working procedures and in the user interface.


• Any change must be properly documented and change development must be planned and executed


• A list of changes must be traceable


• A software code repository must permit rolling back to any previous system version


• Deploying an updated system should have minimal or no affect on the normal work cycle

Document sharing and management

All project documentation is maintained in a centralized repository and can be made accessible to the client over the Web. This repository is supported by Source Safe. The Project Repository can make use of Microsoft's SharePoint team services.

Project tracking

Stromboli uses a proprietary Project Tracking tool, which provides project status in real time. It lists the project tasks with statuses, assigned developers and effort spent. Clients have full access to this tool over the Web.

Click here to download the Microsoft Solutions Framework White Papers