Most software development consulting firms solicit for any and all work that they can lay their hands on, whether or not they have the requisite domain expertise. By domain expertise, we aren't referring to their knowledge of computer science, programming languages, operating systems, and other software tools (which we take as a given), but their understanding of the application to which the software is being applied. While we are not above accepting work outside our usual areas of expertise, we focus primarily on work where we have acquired domain expertise. This allows us to anticipate requirements and to communicate better with our customers, to their benefit.

Custom software development is often a money sink, fraught with risk. Whether you employ permanent programmers, or use short-term contractors or consultants, all insist on being compensated for their time, not their results. That lowers their risk - at your expense. Douglas Adams' aphorism, "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they makes as they fly by," aptly expresses what happens to too many software development projects. But it is no laughing matter when it is your company's resources, and perhaps survival, at stake.

Software development has matured into an engineering discipline. It is possible to predict within reasonable bounds the amount of effort any given project will require, so you should be wary of anyone insisting it is impossible to quantify the effort. All of our engineers have a decade or more of experience, and have a solid understanding of the software engineering process. As a result, Lugoj is able and willing to be contractually held to delivering custom software on time, on budget, and with a warranty against defects.

Here is what you can expect when dealing with us:

• Initial Free Consultation
• Fixed Times and Prices for Deliverables
• Weekly Progress Reports and Feedback
• Our Work Comes With a Warranty
• Pay Only on Acceptance of Deliverables
• You Own the Deliverables
• Confidentiality and Non-disclosure

First we will spend some time with you to establish the broad scope of the work you want done. You will need to take this step whatever route you take toward development, so the time spent is not wasted. We use this "high level" discussion to estimate how long it will take to put together a detailed Requirements Document (a detailed description of what the software is expected to do) and a Proposed Contract detailing delivery schedule, the cost, and conditions for acceptance of the software.

Working out satisfactory and affordable requirements in a reasonable amount of time is the most difficult part of the process, and could require several iterations. Because it is so difficult, many consulting firms charge for this portion on a time and materials basis. We do not - we quote you a fixed price for delivery to you of the Requirements Document. If you already have requirements worked out in satisfactory detail, then we will waive the fee and deliver a Proposed Contract for the software project.

Keep in mind that the delivered Requirements Document serves as a basis for competitive bidding - with our Proposed Contract serving as a benchmark to compare other bids. With us, lowering your risk does not translate into higher cost!

We will provide weekly progress reports and source code snap shots at all development milestones, and more frequently as needed. We will seek your feedback during the course of the project and take corrective action as needed.

We provide a standard one-year warranty against defects in our deliverables. Longer warranty periods may be negotiated. Obviously we cannot warrant against defects in third party software, nor for any platform that was not indicated in the requirements. But we will do our best to locate any deficiencies or incorrectly documented behavior in third party software and attempt to either work around the issue or work out alternative solutions.

Naturally we perform regression and load tests at the unit and system level as part of our quality assurance. Defects that cost you will cost us!

You pay only when you have evaluated and accepted delivery of the software according to the contract. Should any disputes arise that cannot be resolved, a previously agreed upon mediator will be employed.

You own all the deliverables. On occasion we may ask if we may license some piece of your project that we are to deliver. But you own the intellectual property rights to the finished project.

All work and discussions will be confidential, and we will execute the usual confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements to protect your valuable trade secrets.