The Collaborative team is able to cover all aspects of software development and deployment, from early basic thoughts and ideas, to building conceptual designs, right through to the final hand over, as well as support and advancement thereafter.

Our team has access to a vast amount of resources who specialise in particular fields, from which we are able to leverage, should it be required.

We are experienced in being able to translate customer ideas into useable software solutions, where our philosophy is to provide simple to use tools which allow its users to run their organisation by providing proactive management by exception dashboards – that means trusting clean business information and trapping dirty and problematic information – then presenting this to the correct people to address.

Our core delivery requirement is to provide a simple fitness for purpose solution which is suited to all users. Our services cover the whole spectrum of software development. However, not all projects require each of these services, and some projects require our assistance in only one field. The following paragraphs aim to provide some insight into what our Collaborative team are able to offer from a consulting point of view.

IT Strategic Services

The intention behind this service is to offer clients a full range of professional services that cover the business and process review of current operations in order to determine fit to generally accepted practice and positioning to technology trends. The output from this service will be a thorough analysis of current situations, a plan for the future and justification for change that is needed to leverage strategic intentions and achieve business objectives.

Process Review

Sometimes, only an idea exists in a person’s mind – and how that is translated into a software solution is where we are geared to provide professional guidance. Other times, customers have existing legacy systems, which are disparate, in need of modernising, and often not supported anymore. Effort needs to be placed in understanding and defining what the AS-IS system does with a view of providing guidance on how this can be ported to more modern offerings, and more importantly, which parts of it can be replaced with standard software products.

We are well suited and experienced to understanding what customer requirements are, to then build and present conceptual software designs for customers to visualise, to touch and feel their own business data and ideas. We feel that this approach brings the customer closer to achieving their vision, and results in early business rule definition. Role players feel much more comfortable viewing designs which embrace how they do things and how their own data evolves.

Collaborative, do however advocate the use of tried and tested software products, in order to address standard business operations, and seek to bridge gaps where no software exits. We don’t want to re-invent the wheel where there are sound products on the market already, and are offered at a fraction of what it would cost to build. Our skill lies in our ability to integrate into these systems so that it streamlines the overall business process.

Procurement Consulting

This service is aimed to assist clients in determining what technology and solution options are best required to achieve a given set of business requirements. This service will offer a controlled and fully auditable process to take business requirements in to a formal process of selection and appointment. The full process will follow the practice for RFI, RFP and RFT type engagement but will focus on the selection of a solution or technology set, based on pre-approved evaluation criteria. Due to a large number of established vendor relationships it is possible to include mediation and project resolution services in order to conclude procurement projects successfully. This service can be linked to advanced project management and IT strategic consulting services.

Project Management

As practicing Microsoft Certified Partners, and in combination with our Project Management Consulting and training associates, we are positioned to offer services covering the deployment of the Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM) Solution. The general strategic decision for organisations to implement a Project Management Office (PMO) is in line with a large number of enterprise clients. We are experienced in the deployment of PMO solutions as well as with MS-EPM. This service is not product orientated and more focused on the provision of a full service and training offering around the project management spectrum. The deployment of a PMO ideal for organisations that need strong coordination and standardisation between projects and project managers, centralised resource management, or higher-level reporting about projects and resources.

This service also covers the creation or selection of a Project Management methodology. We advocate a consultative process of determining the needs for a methodology and then through objective negotiation, select and then fully deploy that methodology. In our experience the use and selection of PRINCE2 would be appropriate to consider as a framework for good project governance and control. However, our project management philosophies are strongly aligned with the PMI (Project Management International) guidelines as covered by the PMI PMBOK.

Please note that coupled with the selection of a methodology, we would advocate a concerted program that covers personnel profiling and selection, training, ongoing coaching and project intervention, mentoring, and professional certification. The end result is the aim to achieve embedded knowledge, in both the individuals selected and the enterprise as an organisation on a whole. Our Professional Services include Project and Programme Management Consulting, Permanent and Contractual Placement, Mentoring and Coaching Interventions and Skills Development Programmes tailored to client specifications.

System and Process Training

The intention of this service is to offer clients a service to educate its operational staff in the generally accepted and best practices. This service covers generic operations and those associated with the deployment of MX Systems software and associated third party products. Our philosophy is to deploy systems, working with capable and trained people using good processes and advocating best and generally accepted practice.

In addition, we are able to provide libraries for authorised users to access a wide range of multimedia files, in the form of help files, videos, software tools, and how-to documentation.

Systems Development Services

Over the years, our software portfolio has become expansive, covering a number of industries. Our system development services allow for the engagement of a team to achieve the support base required to realise specific customer requirements obtained from a detailed process review. Our project based approach includes the design, development and deployment of bespoke information systems. Systems development projects can vary from those that are simple to those that are more intricate, including interfacing with third party applications and external electronic devices.

We have experience interfacing with many third party software suites, preferably through the use of formal Application Programming Interfaces (API’s) to cover the data transfer between these systems. We have successfully integrated into a number of popular ERP systems and have covered areas such as procurement, receiving, sales orders, call-offs, manufacturing, and invoicing, just to name a few. We make use of industry standard relational database management systems as well as the associated business intelligence tools. In addition, we have experience in interfacing to external hardware system in order to connect data, examples include various weigh-bridges, scales, and PLC’s.

Web Enablement

Our system development services include the design, development and deployment of internet based portals. Web enablement initiatives can vary from those that are simple to those that are more intricate such as those including information interchange and security activation. Through our associations, complete commerce enabled solutions can be delivered, including full banking activation and third party solutions.

Collaborative are currently involved in building a modern portal framework which allows for the creation of discipline specific tiles, much the same as what is presented in the modern Windows 10® look and feel – which provide a means for authorised users to carry out management by exception.

In addition, Collaborative are also involved in a number of web portal type projects, where cloud computing and the advancement of mobile computers, tablets, and smart phones are empowering users to access business data.