When it comes to selecting software to support business operations, companies essentially have two choices – standard or custom software.

In the case of ordinary business operations, a standard software package makes sense.  Companies get a significant percentage of what they need to operate their business and they are able to purchase that software at a price that is essentially shared by many other companies. 

In the case of business operations that are unique to an organization, custom software makes sense.  Typically the custom software is more expensive, but the business realizes a significant benefit by developing software to leverage a company’s competitive advantage.

Software Industry Offering:

To maximize profitability, a number of software companies have utilized a hybrid approach in how they deliver an application to a customer. The hybrid approach attempts to make two sales with each package – the standard software along with a custom implementation.  These software companies realize that they can attract companies with their “relatively” inexpensive standard solution and then charge custom development fees during an implementation phase.  In the vast majority of cases, the fees for the implementation phase far exceed the initial cost of the standard software. 

Issues:

Further, the implementation phase raises three additional issues companies should be aware of. 

First, the modifications must work within the framework of the standard software.  The greater the competitive advantage a company has with a particular business process, the less likely it can be made to work within the framework of the standard software.  The customization effort is greatly increased.  Further, ongoing support is further complicated and more expensive.  The greater the unique competitive advantage a company enjoys, the more costly is the hybrid solution and the greater chance the implementation will fail or, worse, lead to serious financial consequences for the company.

Secondly, it often makes sense for the vendor to make available to other companies, in the standard release, that code which has been custom developed for a particular client.  The client often likes the idea that the custom code will be made a part of the standard offering because they will avoid the future costly ongoing support for that custom code.  In essence, the company funds development of custom code which is then made available to their competition.

Finally, the company never owns the software that is being utilized to run their business. Ownership of the software belongs to the software vendor. After funding a substantial amount of custom development the company is still required to pay an annual “Software Maintenance Fee”.  Usually unspoken, to take advantage of the “base” software fixes, modifications and enhancements, a company must “re-implement” standard software applications and “re-modify” all those alterations originally made by the consulting firm upon the initial implementation.

An Unworkable Alternative:

To avoid these custom development (implementation) issues inherent in a standard software solution, the only real alternative has been to change business processes to bring them in line with the standard solution.  This method relinquishes all competitive advantage in the name of expedience.

This also assumes that the standard solution actually works.  And that is a point that companies should seriously consider when purchasing a standard software application with an implementation phase included.  The real history of most major “standard software” applications is that the underlying code is often ten, fifteen, or twenty years old.  There are modifications to modifications.  Major software vendors almost never do a rewrite of their core application.  That result is that there is often not actually a standard solution that can be simply installed and will work.  Many software vendors have a set of predefined functions (the decades old framework) which still need to be connected (the custom implementation).  Without the custom implementation, the framework will simply not stand on its own to provide a fully functioning system.

Packaging Is Everything:

One might ask, with all these red flags, why does anyone choose one of these hybrid solutions?  Companies know that they need to modernize their information technology systems to see real gains in productivity, but often feel at a loss when evaluating the competing software offerings and the bold claims the different packages make.  They know they need to do something, but they are in foreign territory.  So they often look to the ‘experts’.  They track down an objective third party to advise them on the best choice.  The fox is invited into the henhouse.  Ostensibly objective consulting firms are engaged to make a recommendation.

These firms will ask all the right questions necessary to make a recommendation.  They have the literature from all of the major players and package the claims from these major players in a very nice presentation.  Then they will make their recommendation for the best application based upon the needs of your company and on the capabilities of the different offerings.  Curiously, the recommended package typically matches the firm with which the consulting firm has a partnership.  They are then in a position to facilitate the purchase of the recommended application or actually provide implementation services for that application.

In A Nutshell:

Seraph believes that a successful enterprise knows best how to run its business.  Intelligent enterprise leadership seeks partners to help implement its plans, not partners who dictate how its business should be changed to work with a tool of the business.  The enterprise should dictate the use of a tool.  The tool should not dictate how the business should be run. 

Software companies are best at writing software.  Businesses are best at running their business.  Seraph believes that you know how your business should be run; we write software that matches your way of doing business.

For over 17 years, Seraph has offered a fusion of custom development with development templates.  We have chosen to provide customized applications developed much more quickly than from scratch with all the benefits that come with a custom application.

Seraph’s approach is to clearly identify those characteristics that define an organization and along with the organization, identify those areas where software may be able to manage, simplify or streamline an existing process.  Instead of changing a business that already enjoys a competitive advantage, we develop the software to maximize the value those proven processes provide without requiring extensive retraining of staff on new processes.  Seraph recognizes the difference between advantageous business processes and processes which are simply out of date.  In conjunction with our client, we seek to achieve the best mix of modernization with a clear purpose and return on investment through system implementation of already optimized processes.

How Seraph Does It:

While the code is developed specifically customized to the organization, the development effort does not start entirely from scratch.  Over the years, Seraph has developed tools and processes to simplify the development effort and enable consultants to focus their time and effort on the specific business solutions.  Minimal time is spent on hand coding solutions.  If we were building a home, the difference would be like starting with the forest or starting with building materials.  You can cut down the trees, hew the logs and construct the building one log at a time, or you can start with interchangeable building components and construct the home much more quickly.  In either case you have a home that is custom to the homeowner but in the latter case, the home in constructed in weeks or months instead of months or years.

Net Results:

Seraph’s approach has been very effective and we have not had a failed effort.  Our solutions are customized specifically to our client’s needs.  Training requirements for staff are minimal since we follow many of the processes company personnel are already very comfortable with.  Invariably there is some modernization of processes, but having some familiarity with elements of a new system makes acceptance much more palatable than throwing an entirely unfamiliar system in front of valued employees.

Because we are not modifying an existing application, much of the effort the package implementers expend is simply not necessary.  We don’t try to make a square peg fit in a round hole.  Our time is spent solving specific business needs.  Subsequently, our development time is typically much shorter then that the standard software implementers need to shoehorn their products into your organization.

In the end, time is money.  The quicker we are able to develop your application, the less it actually costs.  The quicker we develop your application, the sooner you are able to realize the return on your investment.

Because we are working with your business processes and not a predefined set of functions, the complexity of the overall application is vastly simplified.  The resulting application is only as complex as your business, but easy to use.  Likewise, the application is no less complex than your business.  Reducing complexity increases the chance for success and increases the accuracy of development cycle estimations.

In the end our clients own the code and are in a position to maintain that code using their own personnel, our personnel, or personnel from a third party.  Ongoing support contracts while available are not necessary.  Because we develop using industry recognized tools, methods and languages, any skilled developer should be able to make modifications as the business changes.

More acceptable, quicker, less expensive, simpler, more predictable and entirely yours.

Seraph’s approach just makes sense.