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As difficult as it is to buy the right software, you’d think they’d call it hardware. You need to be an expert in how to buy software. You need to know how to write a software specification. For every business there are many problems or needs that can be addressed. Technology will only be able to solve certain problems. For every one of those there are many technologies that will work. For every technology there are many more products or solutions of that technology. And, for every product or solution there are that many more vendors. How do you know if the vendor you picked is even going to have a product, a technology or a solution that can solve your problem and that it's the right problem to solve with technology? First you need to figure out which business problems need to be solved. Then you need to narrow down which of those business problems can be solved with technology. After that you need to determine which technologies are the right ones to apply to solve those problems. Only then can you identify the technology product or solution to address those needs. Don't even think about talking to a developer or vendor until you've done these steps. CMMI can be applied to small companies and in agile development environments and methods.You can achieve a CMMI level rating even though you use XP (Extreme Programming) or another Agile Development approach or method.Looking for help implementing CMMI? Need someone who will understand that 'your're different?' Looking for discipline in a lightweight environment? Entinex understands and can help you achieve your process objectives.Software development isn't manufacturing. So why do people keep trying to use manufacturing methods on software? Manufacturing QA doesn't work in software which is why so much software QA is so painful. Entinex has the solution. Don't let obsolete thinking about software processes intimidate you out of pursuing a CMMI level rating. Old-style thinking about software processes have not kept up with the times, but Entinex has. Entinex understands that you're in business not for the process but to make money selling software products, solutions, and services. Let Entinex help you achieve your process goals without breaking your bank or rhythm.
Did you know that your technology project has an 80% chance of failing? Do you know what to do to improve those odds? Do you know what to ask your software developer or vendor to make sure they know what to do so that the project you're paying them to do doesn't fail?

AGILE RFPs ARE THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE --
THAT ENTINEX STARTED!

 Business executives and technology developers have a mismatch in two key areas: communication and priorities. Business people and technology developers have a basic communication problem in that the business folks can't speak about their business in technology terms, and the technical folks don't know enough about a particular business to convey technical concepts in a way that makes sense to the business people. Similarly, it's not on a business executive's priority list to get to know all about technology just to be able to define their needs in technical terms. And, it's not a developer's priority to learn the ins and outs of a business so that they can glean the answers they need from a business person to be able to deliver a product or solution. Entinex solves these mismatches by providing the needed translation between business and technology.
For every business there are many problems or needs that can be addressed. Technology will only be able to solve certain problems. For every one of those there are many technologies that will work. For every technology there are many more products or solutions of that technology. And, for every product or solution there are that many more vendors. How do you know if the vendor you picked is even going to have a product, a technology or a solution that can solve your problem and that it's the right problem to solve with technology?
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Do you *Love* RFPs?

If you said "yes" you're either sick in the head or lying.

No one likes RFPs.  The only thing worse than replying to RFPs is writing them in the first place!

Yes, there's an element of excitement when it all starts.  The excitement of either being a part of kicking-off a new project, or the excitement of getting a chance to win work.

But the honeymoon ends about 12 nanoseconds into the process when you realize just how much work there is...

If you're writing the RFP, you've got to figure out what you want, and come up with a way to communicate it to developers in enough detail to make it meaningful and worth everyone's while.  Let's not forget the process of reading and evaluating all the proposals, and choosing the provider!

If you're responding to the RFP, you've got to figure out what the prospective client wants to see -- while balancing the investment in the paper against what's at stake, potential competitors, and what to divulge/solve before you're ever paid.  Then there's the whole matter of whether or not you're even a serious contender or just cannon fodder for the reviewers!

Entinex has a way around this!

We're not kidding.

Entinex has a proven (soon to be published) method of streamlining the RFP process that takes all the headaches out of it for the clients and the developers.

Our process involves 3-steps:
  1. A period of affordable short-term, part-time consulting in which we identify the business' requirements.
  2. An in-person detailed presentation to potential providers of the business processes to be addressed by the solution.
  3. Using Entinex's proprietary vetting method (which was also involved in picking the potential providers) conduct 1-on-1 follow-up meetings are conducted with each of the remaining providers to narrow the pool and choose the developer.
This process results in the creation of:
  • A detailed specification,
  • An estimate, and
  • A project plan...
long before the client sinks a major investment into new development or integration.

Using Entinex' Outsourced CIO services, and proven success-based software development management methods, we keep the project moving at the client's sustainable pace.  We represent the client throughout the project to ensure they get the best-fit developer for the job at the best value when balancing cost, time, and exposure to developer and purchaser.

Save a lot of time and head-aches!

Making progress with little money.Entinex's Agile RFP process cuts out MONTHS from the start-up process of new software projects.  Instead of the time required to write out and respond to the RFP, this time is spent in detailed discussions.  Potential developers are thoroughly interviewed and comptetitors are involved with one another to level the playing field resulting in more consistent communication of requirements and expectations, and a better across-the-board high-level understanding by client and developer of what will be expected.

The end result is that a little time in actual face-to-face discussions is worth reams and reams of paper and results in a much better solution and the right relationship for the job.

Cutting Waste, Not Corners.

The Agile RFP process does not cut corners.  It does cut an enormous percentage of time and risk from the typical process of finding developers and from generating proposals.  The time spent writing, reading, writing, reading, presenting, and writing some more is inefficient.

Entinex is very serious about identifying and communicating business requirements for technology, and converting those requirements into technical jargon that speaks into how developers like to listen.  What we're cutting out isn't about requirements or discipline, it's about unncessary formality and bureaucracy.

Our Agile RFP process simply replaces the inefficient parts of the typical RFP process with productive use of everyone's time.  Time normally spent writing the RFP is time used to flesh out and re-engineer business processes in detail.  Time needed by the developers to read the RFP is spent in a room with all the potential developers to walk them through the business flow diagrams already created.  And, time normally spent responding to the typical RFP with the typical proposal is now spent fleshing out the detailed spec, estimate, and project plan.... for which the developer has already been chosen and is being paid.

The end result is a better product, sooner and cheaper, made possible by a fully invested developer who you knew coming in the door was already at the top of their game.

Intrigued?  Want to learn more?

Click above especially if you're about to embark upon a major technology investment and want to avoid the risk of going with a single (and maybe the wrong) developer, but don't have the time, resources, or in-house capabilities to create and work through the entire classical RFP process.

 

 

 

  
Did you know that your technology project has an 80% chance of failing? Do you know what to do to improve those odds? Do you know what to ask your software developer or vendor to make sure they know what to do so that the project you're paying them to do doesn't fail?
Would you like your software estimates to improve? Would you like to have predictability and consistency in your software projects? Wouldn't it be nice if you could forecast your capacity for new work and your sales effort? Wouldn't better estimats result in happier clients?

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