AlarSoft - High quality and cost-effective IT outsourcing services

Fixed Price-Fixed Time

The "fixed price-fixed time" business model is very popular with clients who don't want to be involved in the details of the development process.

What does it mean?

You have an idea for a new project and you want to provide a description of your ideas to somebody who can realize them in the best way so that you receive a high-quality, ready-made product without being involved in the technical details.

How does it work?

The fixed price model consists of several interrelated phases:

Discussion=>Analysis=>Development=>Technical Support

1. Discussion

We familiarize ourselves with the project description provided by the client and then we discuss all of the important points of the design and architecture with the client. These preliminary discussions help us understand the project objectives and requirements.

2. Analysis

We provide the client with the project estimation after all the key objectives and requirements are clear.

First, we list features and functionalities needed for the successful functioning of the system according to the client's vision of the project discovered during the discussion phase. Using this list, we make a time (in man-hours) and appropriate cost estimation that fixes the time for project delivery and therefore fixes the price as well. As a result, the client receives an accurate and detailed quotation of the whole project upfront, so that they can see what they are paying for.

Once the estimation is agreed upon, the contract is prepared. After the contract is signed, we start writing the specification. The specification includes an exact documenting of the requirements and it is often accompanied by a clarification of any nuances. The main purpose of the specification (and discussion) is the exclusion of any misunderstandings and ambiguous points. Writing a clear, precise project specification is important because it greatly influences the speed and efficiency of the development. However, if the client has a ready-made specification, the specification-writing step is skipped and we just make sure that we understand the client-provided specification completely.

A precise specification is a benefit for both the client and AlarSoft: The client is satisfied because AlarSoft develops exactly what the client wants, and AlarSoft's developers are satisfied because their work is exactly what the client wants.
AlarSoft developers are satisfied, because their work is exactly what the Client wants.

3. Development

The development phase includes the full cycle of services from system architecture up to the final quality assurance. The development phase starts with the division of the project into milestones.

• We develop the system design, if the project complexity requires this step (for simple projects this step can be skipped).
• We provide the client with several design mock-ups. The design is changed until the client is 100% satisfied with the result.
• After the design is approved, we start programming. Programming follows the approved sequence of milestones. We provide the client with intermediate versions of the project, so that the client can see the progress of the project.
• Quality assurance is an integral part of the entire process-the quality of the system functioning is tested at every project stage and after the project is completed.
• We provide clients with regular reports during the development.

4. Technical Support

The technical support phase comes after the project is launched.

We provide the client with:

• Clear instructions on how to use the system we created.
• A free bug-fixing period that varies from two months to one year depending on the project complexity.
• Assistance in the resolution of different issues; for example, hosting, domain registration, integration of third-party systems and so on.

Flexible Model

The flexible model is a time-material based conception and it is suitable when we face some difficulties in the exact time and cost estimation. The client pays for the hours the developers have actually spent on their project. The process consists of the same phases as in the fixed price-fixed time model.