The Elements of an Hanu Software COE

HSS has established a structure for all of our COEs, consisting of the following key elements:

1. Languages and Technologies
2. Tools
3. Process
4. People

Languages and Technologies

Each COE includes various programming languages, technologies, development libraries, and compilers related to the particular technology domain of that COE. For example, .NET COE uses the following technologies:

1. C#

2. VB.NET

3. ASP.NET

4. Web Services

5. JavaScript, VB Script

6. XML, XSL, XPath

7. and many more

Tools

The HSS development tool set is an important element of our unique selling proposition, namely, our ability to deliver solutions for many different life cycles, budgets, and timelines. We do not believe in developing a new solution from scratch for each new project. Our tool set includes process tools, engineering tools, analysis tools, utilities, and controls.

Process

HSS has developed a quality management system (QMS) that documents and defines our software development processes. Implemented by all of our engineers, our QMS is based on ISO quality standards and on the Software Engineering Institute’s Capability Maturity Model (CMM).

The key components are:

1. Inspections. At each stage of development or maintenance, we perform a detailed, technical peer review of the software design and code implementation. Identifying and fixing errors at this early stage prevents bugs from entering the code, saving time and expense, and avoids bugs in the delivered software.
2. Code Reusability. We have developed a library of more than 100 frequently-used software components typical in .NET applications. These components are tried-and-tested, with proven designs and free of critical bugs. Our components can be re-used without change, or with modifications. At the design phase of a new project, our engineers determine which components are suitable for the new application. Only code unique to the application is designed and written from scratch. Building existing, high-quality software in this way into a new application saves the HSS customer time and expense, and helps ensure quality in the deployed application.
3. Change Control Board. The HSS QMS requires strict adherence on the part of our software developers to the defined requirements for an application. We have also established a Change Control Board, a group of engineers that reviews all major requests from developers or testers to make changes to the requirements. Using this Board prevents “feature creep,” a typical problem in the software development industry, keeping the development schedule on track and with the features that the customer expects.
4. Nightly Software Builds and Testing. At HSS, each night we make a new build of an application and run a series of tests that verify its basic operation. Making builds nightly enables us to find and fix integration errors almost immediately. It also enables us to track feature implementation against the schedule, because we can see on a daily basis which features have been implemented.
5. Risk List and Plan. As part of our QMS, we develop a list of the top-10 risks for each development project, together with a plan for addressing each risk should it materialize. Our engineers assess the risks weekly, resolving any and identifying potential new risks, minimizing impact to the schedule and to software quality.

People

Quality human resources are the fundamental asset in any organization. At HSS, we staff each COE with employees who are skilled in the set of tools, languages, and products used by that COE. We hire primarily engineering graduates who are experienced, trained, and certified in internationally recognized IT skill sets. For example, people on the .NET COE are certified MCPs and MCSDs.

What this means to our customers is that their solutions, products, and software are developed by certified resources, so our customers need not worry about the people deployed on their projects. This also means that HSS customers receive value-added recommendations for long term planning and can develop IT roadmaps with confidence that the recommendations from HSS are based on the latest knowledge.

The .NET Center of Excellence at Hanu Software Solutions

Background

Despite all the attention given to returns on IT investments, little progress has been made in linking all the elements of IT to what a business is trying to do. Managing IT investments, and demonstrating the value of IT value to a business, are more challenging than ever, and most businesses seem to be losing ground. Often, management asks CIOs to justify the very IT components that provide value to the business.

This white paper describes strategies that HSS has developed to maximize our efficiency in delivering .NET solutions to our customers.

As a software service organization, whose business itself is IT, we have learned how to align our operations on technology-centric Centers Of Excellence (COEs).

What is a COE?

The term Center of Excellence (COE) is a generic phrase used across many types of institutions, mainly in education, research, and healthcare. The IT industry picked up this phrase and started using it to define the collection of tools, resources, and skills used to perform specific development and maintenance tasks by a focused team working at a single location.

Sometimes ”COE” became more of a marketing term, with little substance behind it, for IT. This was because IT service organizations happen to be project-centric organizations with defined schedules and objectives, in contrast to other departments that may not have the vision, longevity, and resources to maintain a long-term delivery system focused along a common thread.

Making Business Sense

From the start, HSS has had a strategy of delivering value-added, cost-effective solutions to our customers on a continuous basis. As our company grew, we saw the need for a common set of processes and procedures that would allow us to create solutions quickly and leverage project knowledge across projects, so that we can deliver continuously-improving services and solutions. This need also mandated that all specialized tool sets, languages, and the knowledge of how to use them be available to our engineers in a structured and defined system, enabling our engineers to develop new solutions flexibly, faster, and at lowered costs. Enter the HSS Center of Excellence.

Overview

The Microsoft .NET platform marks a paradigm shift in the way applications are developed for the Internet. It incorporates open standards that enable businesses to collaborate over the Internet with minimal investment. Hanu Software Solutions Inc. (HSS) is an expert in using .NET to develop solution frameworks and applications. We have established a dedicated Center Of Excellence (COE) that leverages our expertise in the .NET platform for the benefit of our customers. Our COE team delivers technical excellence through improved system architectures, applications development capabilities, and reusable enterprise components, and also focuses on building business solutions using existing and emerging .NET technologies and standards.

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