The Charter

Many software firms wait until after the start of an engagement to meet with clients and formulate a project vision and scope. At Aptera, we do the research beforehand. More often than not we’ve already gotten to know you and your business through the proposal process, and we’re eager to work with you. We won’t enter an engagement until we’re familiar with your business and its unique goals.

Aptera saves you the trouble of reiterating the top-level results you hope to achieve and brings the research to you in the form of a project charter. This document includes an outline of the business problem, project goals, process description, and success criteria. By defining the project’s vision and scope at this early stage, Aptera enters each engagement with a clear focus and a solid plan to ensure your project is a success.

The Requirements

After defining a high-level vision and scope in the charter, Aptera digs deeper to uncover and document your project’s requirements. Our gathering process includes discovery meetings with the project’s stakeholders and end users. Through structured discussion, Aptera identifies the points of integration, business rules, workflows, and special scenarios associated with the solution we will develop.

Depending on the project, Aptera may also prototype the solution during this stage of the project. Prototyping is done using software to wireframe the screens and simulate how the application will function and flow.

Aptera works with speed throughout the requirements stage while affecting your everyday business as little as possible. However, you are involved throughout this process because you know your business best, and your input helps ensure the success of the project.

The Blueprint

Through careful analysis of the gathered requirements, Aptera draws up a blueprint for your solution. A deliverable is compiled which may contain the following: specification documentation, data flow diagrams, report specifications, integration definitions, use cases, infrastructure requirements, etc. This document is complemented by visual mock-ups of the application’s user interface.

Once completed, Aptera submits the blueprint to our client for approval. No development takes place until you sign off on the specifications documentation and visual mock-ups. This ensures that both parties are on the same page concerning every facet of the solution we create.

The Framework

After receiving approval of the blueprint, Aptera begins constructing a framework for the system to fulfill the project charter. Key tasks and deliverables associated with the project are identified as milestones and placed on a timeline. This provides a schedule of important dates and communication points between parties, lending structure and definition to the project.

The project framework also includes the construction of primary system elements, allowing Aptera to analyze areas that represent potential issues. These potential issues are conveyed to the major project stakeholders so that a solution can be found and any remaining uncertainty removed from the blueprint.

The Construction

With the framework complete, Aptera will assign the tasks outlined in the blueprint to the appropriate developers. The approved specifications and visuals will be followed precisely so that the solution you expect is the solution we deliver.

At Aptera, we believe in the strength of teamwork, and that belief goes beyond lip-service. Our developers are capable as individuals, but they know how to rely on one another, adopting the phrase “Ask a peer, not a search engine.” Communication is highly valued at Aptera, inside and outside our walls.

Aptera’s development process is not a closed-door operation. We deliver the project in iterations. This means that as each stage of functionality is completed, you get a chance to observe it in action. Staggering delivery in this manner ensures that there are no surprises at the end of the process.

The Testing

Aptera ensures that each system passes all of the devised tests before development is considered complete. After Aptera’s initial testing efforts, we turn the application over to our client to perform in-house testing and user-acceptance testing.

It’s important to make sure the application performs well in the environment where it will eventually be implemented. That’s why Aptera closely monitors test results and expects our clients to promptly review and formally approve those results.

When appropriate, Aptera also provides hands-on lab sessions and instructional manuals to train all beta-testers, corporate users, training team, and support staff so the new system is understood. We want you to feel completely comfortable before the launch of your new software solution.

The Launch

When the day arrives for your application to go “live”, Aptera is there to make sure the system transitions smoothly. We guarantee that our software meets the specifications outlined in our blueprint and offer support on any related issues for up to sixty days after deployment.

The Support

After the application launch, you own all the source code developed in relation to your project. Aptera’s goal is to train your support staff to support the system beyond the initial sixty days.

However, Aptera is always a phone call away if an issue should arise that falls outside of your team’s skill set or that you would rather have us fix. The same goes for change requests during or after the project. Most projects evolve throughout the development process, and when changes need to be made, Aptera is available to make them.

The Team

• Business Analyst – The business analyst is the research guru. He or she will meet with you and your stakeholders to understand your business, analyze your situation, and gather solution requirements.


• Technical Lead – Here we have the blueprint artist. The architect will take the information gathered by our business analyst and architect a custom solution to meet each requirement.


• Project Manager – The project manager is the calendar master. He or she breaks the project down into key tasks, milestones, and deliverables to create a timeline. This timeline is then implemented to keep the project moving forward to completion.


• Visual Designers – Our design team creates the face of your application: the first thing users see. Aptera matches stunning visual design with intuitive functionality, marrying the two in an interface that carries your brand and serves your users.


• Software Developers – Aptera’s development team takes brilliant ideas and turns them into working solutions. In other words, the blueprint created by the architect is coded into an application that fulfills your business needs and improves your productivity.


• Application Testers – Development doesn’t stop until your solution is thoroughly tested. Our team rigorously tests each iteration of your project, sharpening and refining it to make it stronger.