Our Services
The Development Life Cycle
Not A Scooby has adopted a methodology for completing the development life cycle that is tailored to the nature of the website projects that it works on. This approach is a blend of the PRINCE2 project management methodology and the more contemporary recognition of the need for an iterative element to each stage of the cycle. We encourage the Client to participate in feedback throughout the process so that the completed application or web site meets their needs as closely as possible. In many cases this feedback is the result of expert evaluation or end-user testing.
We identify four key stages to the development cycle:
(i) Concept: Accurate capture of the Client's needs is probably the most important aspect of the development life cycle. We aim to achieve this by involving the Client and Project Manager in a series of initial meetings during which the Project Manager is briefed on the nature of the project and the Client is made aware of any technological limitations that might influence the implementation of the project. Where it is appropriate, we create prototype pages and include the Client in a refinement process to hone our specification. In our discussions with the Client we emphasise that changes made during the concept stage are much easier and cheaper to make than if they occur once implementation has started. We require a written agreement on the requirement specification before we proceed to the next stage of the development cycle.
(ii) Task analysis: The project is analysed by the Project Manager to define its main constituent tasks. At this stage the Project Manager may call on a programmer to write a program specification that documents the logical program or database structure and lists any variable or function names that will be used by other members of the development team. The Project Manager must approve the program plan and is responsible for dividing the programming job into clearly identifiable stages each ending in a project milestone.
(iii) Development: The milestones that were identified in the task analysis stage are pursued in sequence - proceeding from one to the next only after the previous one has been successfully completed and thoroughly tested. In some cases the Customer is involved during the testing of individual milestones - this is particularly important where the remainder of the project relies heavily on some core functionality at an early stage in the project.
(iv) Collation and testing: Once all the milestones have been completed and tested, the disparate parts of the project are collated and uploaded to a proofing site for final testing. The Client is involved in thorough testing of the implementation. Any errors or minor modifications are identified and the programmer incorporates these changes by returning to the development stage. Changes to the original requirement may lead to a change for request and a re-analysis of the programming milestones. Once testing has been satisfactorily completed the project is transferred to the live site for final review before it is launched.
Site Management
Not A Scooby realise that the provision of accurate and timely management of the Client's website must be an integral part of any requirement. We have extensive experience in this field (the examples found in our Portfolio are all currently managed by Not A Scooby).
From 1995 to 2001 Not A Scooby were contracted by the UK Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) to provide a Website Manager. Not A Scooby created the very first Department of Transport website in 1995 and subsequently merged the Department of Transport and Department of the Environment websites to create the DETR site in 1997.
The Website Manager during this period provided training for internal staff to take over this role and in August 2001 we relinquished managerial control to an internal team.
The DETR site was the first UK government site to broadcast 'live' streaming video of press conferences, the first to utilise 'sub-domains' and the first to provide a 'real-time' election results service - the London Decides referendum on the provision of a Mayor for London.
The DETR site, in July 1999, won The New Statesman New Media Award for Use of the Internet for Improving Public Policy and in February 2000 the site was shortlisted in the Government Information and Communication Service (GICS) Government Internet Awards for The Profile Award for large Departmental websites.
Website management means many different things to different people depending on the nature of the website; generally it entails any number of these aspects:
designing, implementing and revising electronic publishing processes;
interface and interaction design;
budgetary control;
staff management;
editorial control and content creation;
creating web-enabled content;
website content editing;
e-commerce;
indexing;
classification;
analysis and design of information architecture;
legacy, third-party and back-end system integration;
search engine methodology;
traffic analysis and interpretation;
user surveys and implementation;
usability testing and analysis;
accessibility testing / compliance;
metadata provision and search engine optimisation;
site maintenance routines (posting, archiving etc.);
creation and development of desk instructions (corporate internet guidelines);
liaison with internal and external suppliers / clients;
representing the client/organisation at various fora and;
continual appraisal and development.