Third Stone Software has many years of experience in software consulting. We are ready to handle any project you have, from complex multi-tier J2EE applications to short-term staff augmentation. We are available to work on-site, and also have had great success with remote projects.

Business Analysis

The most important step in any project is to understand what you, the customer, want and need in a web site or application. We will discuss in depth your ideas with you, identify and interview the major stakeholders, and create a detailed project proposal.

Architecture

Third Stone Software will work with you to determine the hardware and software requirements for your project. We have extensive experience with open source software and can recommend alternatives to commercial products where appropriate. We can help you integrate your project with legacy software using messaging standards.

Design

Before any development is done, we will create for you a mock-up of the design that you can interact with on-line, securely. The purpose of the mock-up is to give you the "look and feel" of the final product. Our design and development process incorporate an iterative feedback cycle, so that you can provide rapid feedback on the project’s direction. Our web-based interfaces employ strict XHTML and CSS.

Development

Third Stone Software employs a modified extreme programming (XP) methodology for software development, the major components being short iteration cycles and short daily "scrums". Short iteration cycles means that you are able to view and interact with your software as it evolves. We believe that this agile process is more responsive to your needs and will result in a higher-quality final product. Short daily scrums allow the project participants to communicate and respond to issues as they arise.

Testing

Third Stone Software incorporates testing into the development process via extensive unit and integration tests. When possible, we prefer to employ Test Driven Development (TDD), where comprehensive tests are written before any actual code is written. We have found that code that has excellent test coverage is generally bug-free, meets the requirements and specifications, and helps to ensure that future code maintenance does not adversely affect the product.

Maintenance

We don't want our relationship to end when the project ends. We will always be available for on-going maintenance and support.