Sugoi Consulting - Technology

What works for you?

We are a tight organization of technology professionals, consisting of the core of the engineering department of The Robot6 Experience, Inc., a boutique web development firm. Our experience working together at Robot6, and earlier at Organic Online, Inc., one of the most respected web development firms in the country, allows us to work in focused, efficient development teams to analyze your complex business problems into simple, discrete tasks. We work seamlessly to augment your internal development efforts, or we can take on responsibility for individual projects. Our approach to technology in both network administration and software development is to find the combination of tools that will solve your problems.

Among other projects, members of our team have worked collectively and individually on such major projects as the new websites for Macy's, Starbucks and Home Depot, the design and implementation of an on-line credit card application processor for one of the country's largest financial organizations, the building and maintainance of internal networks for major hospitals and data-storage facilities, and the administration and maintainance of the computer systems for San Francisco's Department of Elections.

Software Development

Our approach to technology in both network administration and software development is to find the combination of tools that will solve your unique set of problems. We specialize in J2EE development. That doesn't mean that every system we build needs to be 100% pure Java. Perhaps you have a legacy system that needs to be adapted? Or you have a website that relies on huge amounts of raw data delivered in fixed-width text files. Sometimes the best solution is to adapt an older technology to your existing infrastructure, thus for example simplifying the migration to a Java enabled system. Our developers work with a wide range of languages and technologies and won't be afraid to tell you if an older, less-hyped system is going to solve your problem.

Integrated Networks

Don't believe the marketing materials that tell you a homogeneous network is the only possible way to ensure network stability and security. Just because Linux makes a great fileserver doesn't mean you need to make your desktop users understand a command line interface. On the other hand, no one wants a DNS server to end up with a "Blue Screen of Death". Every system has its strengths and weaknesses. Our job is to construct and maintain your network using the most appropriate tools for the tasks you need it to perform. That is why, though we specialize in Unix-based systems, our seasoned network consultants are well versed in all the major systems and protocols and are constantly educating themselves on recent developments in all corners of the field.

Our Approach

Risk Aversion

Researchers have found that a defect inserted into the project stream early tends to cost 50 to 200 times as much to correct late in the project as it does to correct close to the point where it was originally put into the stream.

The Sugoi Consulting process, therefore, enforces phase containment, the detection and correction of defects in the phase in which they were created.

Testing is interlaced throughout the project to ensure early detection of defects. In the initial Discovery phase, while Sugoi works in close concert with the client to articulate the requirements of the project conclusively, we simultaneously assess and prioritize all foreseeable risk factors, to ensure the most efficient allocation of resources during development. In the Planning phase, our engineering team test proofs of concept for feasibility. During our iterative Implementation phase, we address the most critical and risky functionality early and unit-test as we complete subsystems in order to ensure functional delivery. Our quality engineers focus on end-to-end system testing and browser compatibility testing during the Testing phase.

Project Methodology

Sugoi Consulting approaches the website development process with standard software project methodologies, breaking a project's development into 5 discrete phases. This process may be adapted to fit a particular project's technical or temporal requirements.

Phase	Questions Answered	Deliverables
Discovery	What are the general requirements for the site?	Technical Brief
Planning	What are the blueprints that will guide the creation of the site? What procedures will Sugoi and its clients use during the building process to communicate with each other?	Functional Specification Acceptance Document
Implementation	Is the site as initially conceived viable?	Alpha Website
Testing	Is the site working as Sugoi Consulting intends?	Beta Website Known Bugs List
Acceptance	Is the site what the client expected?	Final Website Maintenance Documents

Definition of Deliverables

Technical Brief: The brief defining all technical requirements for the project which provides technical direction for the team.
Acceptance Document: The document defining the conditions under which the site will be considered acceptable to the client.
Functional Specification: The document describing the server-side functional requirements for each projected webpage of the site.
Alpha Website: The code constituting the untested first draft of the website.
Beta Website: The code constituting the tested website, ready for client review.
Known Bugs List: The document resulting from the quality assurance process detailing all bugs known by Sugoi Consulting but considered acceptable for launch.
Maintenance Documents: The documentation necessary for the client to maintain and update the delivered site.

The client reviews all deliverables at the end of each phase for accuracy and completeness. By getting client sign-off, we ensure a common understanding of the project throughout each step of the development process.