We offer a comprehensive suite of Professional Services |
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Consulting & ManagementThe role of “Trusted Advisor” is earned. One client at a time. We’ve earned our stripes by “saving red accounts”. By defining a recovery plan, and then making it happen. And most of all, helping our clients avoid the many potential pitfalls by working closely with them. We do this through industry experience, best practices, and effectively managing the challenges that are Business. A growing company, a mid-size organization, or an enterprise — All can benefit from new expertise, fresh ideas, and proven leadership. Just ask our clients. Development/ImplementationWe started, almost 30 years ago, creating custom software. We automated the Toronto Stock Exchange’s data, and presented it graphically, before the IBM PC was born. We created the application development tools the US Army used to write their Nuclear Attack Simulator. Yes, we’re serious about software. Over the years, we have also created several packaged solutions, and have won awards, and received recognition as industry leaders. Our expertise also extends to assisting and supporting you with your implementations, with third-party products, or your own. Take one look at the types of businesses we have served, and the list of software we have created and/or implemented, and we are sure you will conclude, Water’s Edge Software is all about software. |
Our professional services include consulting, software development, project management, account management, process improvement, complete development and implementation life-cycle, serving Toronto (GTA), Brampton, Burlington, Etobicoke, Hamilton, Milton, Mississauga, and Oakville regions, and abroad. Project, Program, or Account Management:Assist and support your management team, or provide management leadership at the project, program, or account (client) level. Client/Vendor Management:This unique, collaborative role represents, promotes, and defends your (the client's) interests when dealing with Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), consultants, integrators, and other third-parties. All too often, clients "don't know what they don't know," and thereby unknowingly expose themselves to serious risks by allowing third-parties to direct and/or "manage" them. We work closely with you and your vendors. We ensure that your needs are well-articulated, and completely understood. We ask the tough questions, identifying the risks before they become problems, and ensuring that you have the information you need to make informed decisions. After all, you are most qualified to decide what risks are acceptable to you and your organization. This proactive, advisory role is best engaged early in a project, even before contract negotiations with vendors (where unmet expectations often begin), and retained throughout the project on a periodic basis. ConsultingWe are available to offer our expertise on a consultation basis. Common areas of interest are information systems endeavors, and business processes. Complete Project Life-Cycle (custom development, and package implementation)Our team brings to the table the knowledge, expertise, and experience that is essential at all project phases. This may mean as little as defining what your team should consider to optimize their performance (guidance and recommendations), to working with your team (team augmentation), to executing the deliverables (outsourcing). One of our popular methodologies divides a project into the following iterative phases: (Note: Smaller projects may combine phases and/or deliverables, and omit some deliverables) Project DefinitionThe project is defined at a high level. The team, and especially the stakeholders and executive sponsors are identified. A Project Charter and a Scope Document are typically prepared to define "what's in and what's out". Project DiscoveryIn this phase, the team performs due diligence in discovering "what they don't know." This may include technical challenges, organizational challenges, etc. Requirements DefinitionDuring this phase, at the very least, the perceived needs are documented in a User Requirements document. Often, as a byproduct of research and formal process, we discover that actual needs differ from those that were articulated at the outset of the project. System DesignThe proposed business solution is defined and documented. This starts with a Functional Description document that describes, at a high level, how each in-scope requirement will be addressed. A Detailed Design document then translates the solutions in the Functional Description to detailed specifications. Development/ConfigurationApplications are developed and unit tested. In case of package implementations, the majority of work is configuration. ValidationValidation (testing) is performed using a variety of methods, for different purposes. This includes (but is not limited to), unit testing, system testing, integration testing, performance/ load tests, stress testing (stressing the system to the point of deliberate failure, in order to understand how it behaves when pushed beyond the planned envelope). DeploymentThe Deployment Plan (prepared earlier) identifies often-overlooked items such as a Communications Plan, User Training Plan, Training Materials such as user manuals and courseware, Support Training Plan, Schedules, Training Environments, Logistics, etc. SupportThe Support Strategy and Support Plan detail how the system will we supported, once deployed. This includes user support, as well as technical system support and maintenance (e.g., database maintenance, revisions to the system, bug-fixes, etc.) Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Sales Force Automation (SFA)With our experience as a former Siebel Senior Technical Account Manager (Senior TAM), we have the understanding of CRM and SFA business processes, and system implementations. Custom DevelopmentWe help you determine if custom development is right for you. If it is, then we can facilitate the process, take on the development ourselves, partner with your team, or promote and defend your interests when you team with a third-party (e.g., other consultants, integrators, developers, etc.). 4D DevelopmentWith 4D design and development experience dating back to the 1980s (v2), and now, with ongoing development in 4D v17 SQL, Water's Edge Software is a welcome addition to anyone wanting to leverage the power, and the benefits of 4D. Our emphasis is on usability, functionality, high performance, scalability, and zero-maintenance systems. System IntegrationDo you have a legacy system, and you have outgrown your current stand-alone accounting system? Integrate your current system with new packaged solutions for real-time information exchange, and an accelerated Time To Value (TTV). We can help you see the possibilities on how to maximize your current information systems' investment by augmenting its capabilities, rather than replacing it. Process Analysis, Improvement, and Re-engineeringThey say "change is good," but we disagree. We believe that good change is good. A key to bringing about desired change successfully, is to understand what is today. It is one of the reasons why ISO-certified companies are able to improve, is because they have had to thoroughly understand what is actually happening in their organization. We can assist and support you in documenting your current processes, identifying opportunities for improvement, and then, engineering revised or new processes to optimize your organizational effectiveness. Strategic PlanningHaving a cohesive and viable Strategic Plan is invaluable, even for small organizations. And yet, many organizations are guided by sales and revenue targets, and the hope that they will be realized. A Strategic Planning Session, including facilitation, gives your organization the tools you need to formulate a strategic plan, and to validate it, thereby giving you good reason to have confidence in your plan. DocumentationTechnical documentation. User manuals. Quick-start guides. And everything in between. We excel in creating deliverables in Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat (PDF), and online formats. For an example of our work, download a copy of the Tools Plus Pro User Manual.
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