SQLPrompt Software Development

Specializing in Mobile and Data Intensive software projects with a focus on these areas:

• Requirements gathering and analysis
• Database design and development
• Mobile design and development
• Project management

Requirements gathering and analysis[requirements]

The success of every project depends on the definition. Clear definitions and consensus take time and effort. Listening, curiosity, and a willingness to question assumptions are key talents overlooked by the industry.

As part of any requirements documentation set there should be a glossary. Taxonomies should be detailed. Distinctions between departmental usage of concepts should be made clear and explicit.

Don’t short yourself on your requirements process, they form the common ground for all project communication.

Database design and development

All systems are a projection of their data. But there are many layers to the projection. At the lowest level validity is key but this level is not always intuitive. It is important to design the data the customer wants at one level and then to atomize it further behind an access layer.

Turning spreadsheet sheets into tables and creating referencing keys will not solve every problem. The sheets are a projection of something underlying, and are likely a useful view of the data for particular uses. But they are often not the only view possible. It is important to see all the needed views.

It is also important to question the usage, definition and need for particular data. Most consultants won’t push back and as a result projects take on too much at the beginning.

Mobile design and development

The twin forces of phone platforms hobbling their web browsers and the desire for better access to customers are driving the increased need for mobile apps. At a time where one feels anything could be done with a browser, companies are continually concluding that a mobile app is the best strategy.

Luckily cross device platforms have matured to the point where large portions of code can be shared across target devices. Focus on slick platform specific UI code has resulted in a sea of unusable apps.

Our approach to mobile development is to focus on functionality first - driven by appropriate views of the underlying data. Our goal is to adapt the interface to data use cases to provide task specific screens. One size fits all screens of desktop interfaces do not translate well to mobile.

Project management

Anyone can hire a handful of developers but how do you get them to an appropriate level of shared understanding of your needs? Often you need someone who can create a bridge between end user and technical understanding of the desired system. You need someone who can speak technical and business languages. Often this role is called product manager or business analyst. But if they are not developers with the requisite background to understand development can they really translate?

SQLPrompt is the consulting business of Greg Jarmiolowski, software developer and entrepreneur.