Our Offer: Controlled Pricing
The Unwanted Spiral
It is our strongly held belief that, no matter how good the analysts, almost no software project can be specified so tightly and the timescales predicted so accurately at the beginning that the customer is perfectly happy with the software that is delivered and that it is delivered on schedule.
This is borne out by the results of a recent survey by the Standish Group in the U.S. that found only 16% of software projects were completed on time and within budget, with a staggering 31% of projects being cancelled completely, mostly due to quality problems, and a further 53% exceeding their budget by an average of 189%.
We believe these figures are symptomatic consequences of the traditional approach to software specification, pricing and development. The lack of customer contact after the initial consultation means that, although the software may adhere to the programmers' interpretation of the specification, it may not necessarily match the customer's own expectations. Problems that often cannot be foreseen at the start of a project lead to delays which then impact on the costs.
Controlled Cycles
 Our agile development methodology, in which we work closely with the customer throughout the project, is centred around feature centric development cycles. Breaking a project down in this way makes it easier to estimate and control timescales and tackle the risk areas early, thereby keeping costs under the control of the customer.
Iterative development also means that the users are able to work with the software much sooner than is normally the case. Indeed, we prefer this to occur even before the entire project is completed, thus giving the customer an immediate return on investment. A modular framework means that new features can be added as and when the business requirements demand them.
Value
Our prices are calculated on a number of factors based around the value of the software. Our promise to customers is that we will not charge a daily rate and, thus, there is never any incentive for us to protract the work that we do.
Whenever possible, we will make use of open source source software. This has benefits in terms of longevity, quality and openness for the software that we deliver, all of which is backed up by our own Support Program, but is also highly effective in terms of reducing costs and saving time.
By using an agile methodology that focuses on features, Dakine Wave works closely with its customers to deliver the software that they want at prices they control.
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