Tailored Development in SharePoint

When the business requirements for a new IT system are exacting, with specific demands about look & feel, integration and user behaviour, component approaches alone may not deliver the necessary business benefits. With such requirements bespoke development, whether partly or completely, will be necessary to achieve the required deliverables.   

Even with tailored solutions, the SharePoint platform provides an excellent starting point, with partially-configured or template solutions for a wide range of regular programming tasks.  These include: authentication, access security, searching, document control, workspace & web-page creation, database creation and integration, discussions groups, graphical & tabular displays, menus and portlet ("web-part") creation. This means that tailored development is not really "from scratch" at all; far from it. In fact with the template code provided by Microsoft programmers can avoid reinventing common modules and can concentrate on adding-value.

The environment for providing coded solutions based on SharePoint 2010 is well integrated and much improved.  Our developers use Visual Studio 2010 linked to Team Foundation Studio which together provide an integrated coding, debugging and source repository system. 

Development Approaches
Our approach to development depends largely on the shelf-life of the required system.  For systems that are relatively temporary (i.e. up to 2 years working life), our approach is most likely to employ browser-based or SharePoint Designer-based development for the bulk of the system.  Where 3rd party components can be used cost-effectively, they will be.  Where custom displays, look & feel and behaviour is required, then these will be coded in C# against the SharePoint API using Visual Studio 2010, and packaged as features in .wsp files for controlled deployment on customer sites.  All C# code generated will be stored in TFS.

Where the required system is intended to have a longer life-span (i.e. 2+ years), and where it is likely that the initial delivery will be followed by periodic updates to internal code, or if the development is likely to require several developers working in parallel, then our approach will typically entail a coded and packaged solution. This will be generated within Visual Studio with all code stored in and shared from TFS.  The intention will be to enable logical modules to be upgraded as new versions and to support accurate configuration management of the system.  Debugging of issues will be carried out on test-bed versions of the system using Visual Studio.  Testing and fault reports will be stored in TFS.

Development Methodology
Our preference is to run projects using an Agile-style of management. We combine the essential ingredients of more traditional methodologies (User Requirements Specification, System Specification, Integration Testing, User Acceptance Test) with a cyclical development approach featuring constant monitoring of progress against user requirements and reacting quickly to changes in requirements or shortfalls in progress.  Customers are encouraged to take an active role in the on-going monitoring of progress and the constant reappraisal of priorities. Code is unit tested as it is created as a matter of course.  Specification and testing documentation is maintained in-step with development activities.

Experience and Credentials
InfoStrata Solutions develops collaborative business applications powered by SharePoint.  That is our strap-line, and that is all that we do. As a business we are focussed only on SharePoint. Since incorporation in 2005, we have built many line-of-business systems on SharePoint 2003, 2007 and more recently on SharePoint 2010.  Prior to this several of our staff worked together on SharePoint 2001 and .NET application development.  Some worked for many years as IT and Quality consultants.  Others can even remember working with technologies such as C++, C, VB and Fortran (IV that is!!).  So we have long experience of development generally, as well as with SharePoint.  Our developers are all Microsoft Certified technical specialists and professional developers on SharePoint 2010 (MCTS, MCPD).  Several are also Chartered IT Professionals and/or Chartered Engineers.

Such quality gives us the breadth to offer a full range of services as follows:

If you have a business system requirement that you would like to discuss, give us a call.  You may be considering SharePoint, but may not be sure if it is the right fit.  You may be concerned how long the development is likely to take (and at what price!).  Ask us, before you invest.   If it's too late, ask us anyway, before you spend any more!