Working with De Facto Software

We normally start with an informal chat to gain a high level understanding of your business and your drivers for change. If we think we can help, we schedule an online demonstration of our solution. This is a high-level "look and feel" demo which is designed to stimulate questions and further conversation. If you like what you see then we follow up with ballpark pricing estimates for the project, just to ensure everyone is aligned and we are not wasting anyone's time.

The next stage is an in-person visit where we do a "deeper-dive" demonstration covering some of the key areas of the project. If further meetings and demos are required, we are happy to facilitate these. Throughout this time, we are using the information gathered to produce a Project Assessment Plan (PAP). This enables us to get enough detail to decide which project methodology would be appropriate based on the complexity of the project and the experience of your project team. It also allows us to revise our initial pricing estimates if necessary.

Standard Projects: These are simple solutions requiring configuration and minor development only. They are run as a straightforward, single-stage project beginning with a workshop to build out and agree the PAP. From here we proceed to the Project Implementation Phase.

Complex Projects: If your business has unique nuances that require bespoke design or extra thinking, we classify it as complex. Complex projects are broken into Business Systems Analysis (BSA) stages for your peace of mind.

• The Business Systems Analysis (BSA) Contract: This stage has its own contract, meaning you’re not locked into the full implementation yet. You can walk away after the BSA if you choose (though, honestly, nobody ever has!).
• The BSA Process: We’ll spend time with your teams to uncover every requirement and make sure nothing is missed. We then document all the requirements and potential solutions.
• BSA Agreement: We present the BSA Document to you, and you sign this off once you are satisfied it all looks right.
• BSA Project Estimates: Based on this thorough understanding of the project requirements, we are able to more accurately estimate the implementation cost.
• Implementaion Contract: If you decide to go ahead with the Project Implementation Phase, then we issue a contract for this work.

Configuration and Development: Regardless of the type of project, when we move to the implementation phase we manage the projects the same way. Our Project Team configures the solution to meet your business requirements. While most projects are handled through configuration alone, we love a challenge. If you need something brand new, our developers jump in to work alongside the project team. Throughout this process we keep you informed on progress with regular calls and feedback sessions.

While the core system is being configured, our MIS specialists are busy behind the scenes setting up your dashboards, reports, and any third-party integrations required.

Before you ever see the system, our in-house Quality Assurance (QA) team puts it through its paces with rigorous manual and automated testing. At the end of this process we carry out a detailed workshop with your Project Team to asses if any more configuration work is required before we move onto training and UAT.

Implementation: Before training begins, we deploy the system onto your own dedicated EDP Cloud Environment. We then train key members of your Project Team over a series of sessions, between which they can explore the system in their own time. At this point we only activate the base system subscription (which covers a project team of up to 10 users), remaining user subscriptions only need to be activated as the wider team is trained by your project team.

Our Project Team are on hand to assist throughout the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) process. This process is also iterative, as your team come across things that are not quite right, we make tweaks and these are tested until your team are satisfied everything works as intended. We will be supporting you throughout this process, helping as needed.

As you near the end of UAT, we will meet with your team to plan the deployment of the solution.

Deployment: We know that switching systems can feel daunting, but there’s no need to worry. We’ve done this many times, and we’ll be right there with a clear plan for:

• Data Conversion: Deciding what data is going to be migrated, refactored and how this is going to be done, for static, historical and open transactional data.
• Data Cleansing: Making sure your new system starts with "clean" information.
• The Big Day: Recommending the best practices for a smooth "cut-over" and helping you manage your legacy data.

Early Involvement: We involve our Customer Service team early in the project so they know your business inside and out before you even go live. This begins as part of Project Team training.

Go-Live Support: We’ll be on-site (or virtually on-hand) during your launch to support your team and settle any first-day nerves.

Ongoing Care: We don't do outsourced call centres. With De Facto you get to deal with real people based in the UK. Our Customer Service team have been supporting customers for decades and they pride themselves in their fast response and dedication to solving customer issues as efficiently as possible. Every customer is also allocated an Account Manager who will work to build a trusted partner relationship with your organisation. They will be in regular contact, and will be your first point of call for any new functionality or requirements.