Moments of Truth for Custom Software
During a recent leadership conference the Entrance team began brainstorming how to make our custom software consulting even better. The leadership team has since started an active conversation among our consultant team on this topic.
One of the main points the speaker made was that every business has moments of truth that make all the 
difference. For a restaurant, great food and service can be destroyed by a dirty floor or cockroaches. For a clothing store, the most stylish dresses can’t be outweighed by long lines and unfriendly clerks.
One of the Entrance values is “Improve everything,” or as some of us say, “Suck less every day.” As apotential client you may be wondering how we live out this value.
We see moments of truth as one huge opportunity to bring this value front and center. The below is directly from the Entrance custom software team themselves. We see this list as just a few of the places that we strive to improve the quality of our work every day!
Four Moments of Truth in Software
- Any sprint demo
This is the first chance that clients have to see how the Agile methodology works. This isn’t just about selling an idea. It has to meet our client’s needs and efficiently deliver software that works.
- Fixing custom software bugs
Every custom software application gets bugs once in a while. A good development team will identify the problem and fix it as quickly as possible. It’s just not acceptable to say a bug is fixed if it isn’t.
- Owning mistakes
By the same token, every team makes mistakes. It’s how that team owns up to them and makes it better that defines this moment of truth.
For one client, the developer communicated to the client about his mistake. He then quickly fixed it. As a result, the client appreciated his work even more than they would have if there had been no mistake at all!
- Requirements sign-off
This is one of those steps near the end of the custom software process that can make all the difference in terms of satisfaction. The development team and the client sit down to review what was promised and what has been delivered.
This can help bring to the surface any gaps in the final deliverable. If any are discovered, the team can develop a plan for making it right.
Improve Everything with Custom Software
Improving everything is a value that the Entrance team must live out every day. In addition, all of these moments of truth involve a degree of transparency.
As a client, it’s your job clear about what you need and to stay engaged through the process. The result of transparency on Entrance’s side is that you always know where your project is and how we’re delivering on your business need.
For more on quality custom software check out our Agile series, “Getting the Most for Your Money.”