We are easy to do business with. We use proven techniques to ensure
that our work is responsive to your needs; clear, concise and timely.
Whenever practical, we prefer to work on a fixed-price basis. For fixed
price engagements to be effective we spend the time up-front making sure
that we have a clearly defined, measurable and agreed upon set of
project deliverables. The following elements are part of that process.
When you’re ready to get started, give us a call.
Problem Definition
All projects need to have clear and measurable deliverables. Typically, we will define between three and five deliverables for every fixed-price project. This requires us to understand the important business, technical, and operational characteristics before the project begins. This work is done on our dime. We would rather walk away from a project than to begin one with ill-defined deliverables. Our clients value this approach because a well-defined project saves them time, effort and money.
Letter of Understanding
Sometimes problems are inherently complex and they need structure.
Sometimes clients don’t really know what they need but seeing the
options in black and white can be of tremendous benefit. To quickly
bring order to those types of situations we produce a Letter of
Understanding.
We begin by talking with a client to develop a good understanding of the
problem they are trying to solve, their requirements, priorities,
resources, constraints and other practical considerations. We then
discuss with them various ways to structure an engagement to address
their needs. To make sure that we heard it right, we play back our
understanding of the situation together with our recommendations in a
short, detailed document we call a Letter of Understanding. Then
together we refine the Letter of Understanding, as necessary until it
properly captures the project objectives, constraints and deliverables.
In all cases, agreement on the content of this document and the project
deliverables lays the groundwork for success.
Statement of Work and Contracts
We use two formal documents to describe the business relationship
between ISCS and its clients. Our Consulting Services Agreement
describes the legal terms and conditions surrounding the provision of
the professional services. Our standard Consulting Services Agreement is
less than two pages long.
A Statement of Work is a companion document to the Consulting Services
Agreement. It defines the project specific deliverables, acceptance
criteria, milestones, and project cost. A typical Statement of Work is
one to two pages in length.
Consistent with our basic tenet of being easy to do business with, these documents are concise, complete and easy to understand.
Deliverables
Our deliverables, whether they are in the form of a document, a presentation or software, are distinct in their quality, brevity and clarity. Our clients appreciate having measurable milestones and understanding where we are in each project at all times. Our methodologies ensure that there is never a disagreement over when a project is “done.”