Custom Programming

Serving the Investment & Insurance Industry for Over 20 Years

OVERVIEW

Softext Publishing Inc. has worked on several custom software projects or clients over the twenty years that we have been in business. These projects have been a combination of desktop applications and web-based programming using a various tools and languages.

The following is a summary of the programming languages we currently use.

ASP – VBScript
Javascript
Ajax
PHP
Visual Basic
Clarion
Access
Excel

Services

As a result of developing our own in-house commercial applications and custom projects for clients we have gained the skill necessary to manage all aspects of a software project from inception to delivery to clients. These services can be provided individually as part of a larger project. We are willing to work independently or in tandem with your own staff or consultants.

Systems design and planning
Interface design and testing
Documentation writing & design
System programming
Testing
Project management
Proposal writing
Cost Estimating

Systems Design and Planning

As much as one-third of your project time should be spent in the design and planning phase before actual coding begins. Specifications reduce errors, coding time and revisions while assuring that functions and features are not forgotten. The larger the project, the more time this initial engineering phase requires.

Interface Design and Testing

On-screen operation is commonly a weakness for programmers that are thinking about “under-the-hood” mechanics and less about usability and user interaction with the system. We can develop the overall “look and feel” of the system using a variety of design tools or turn “roughed-in” screens into a usable interface.

Documentation Writing & Design

Good user documentation is an essential component of most software application whether in the form of an on-line system in HTML or PDF or in a printed manual. We have developed extensive manuals for our systems (800+ pages) in easy-to-understand terms intended to reduce support desk demand. Our services include design, writing, editing and verification for print or digital media. We work in Framemaker, Indesign, Word, or standard HTML and have used RoboHelp and other help system development tools.

System Programming

We can the write the code, in a structured well-designed format that is commented to assist future changes and reworking. Before programming, we assure that the problem and solution are well understood to minimize coding time and assure that the first solution is the right solution.

Testing

The last person that you should have test your system for errors and compliance to specifications is the person that wrote the code. Programmers commonly know all the “short-cuts” and methods of avoiding problem areas which don’t appear until later. Every error found after the product reaches the hands of users costs at least 10X as much as if it was found in-house.

Project Management

Organizing your own team of programmers and require some external assistance to keep the project on track and in budget. We can assist with a project development, testing regimen and creation of deliverable dates.

Proposal Writing

Looking for funding for your software project either form in-house sources or third-party investors? We can develop the necessary high-level design commonly necessary for this purpose.

Cost Estimating

How do you determine the expense of a programming project if you do not have experience with the development process? We can assist by reviewing specifications, skill levels and production time and developing a general budget for development cost.

Our Approach to Project Estimation

Wherever possible, we provide customers with fixed-price contracts with a low-high range of no more than 25%. This approach requires development of a good working specification at which point you can decide to utilize us for all or part of the project development. We typically allow 25% of the project estimate for development of system specifications.

Our financial terms are usually:

40% of the low project estimate price at inception
50% on delivery of the completed project
10% holdback due within 30-days from the project completion date

Different terms can be negotiated and will be based on the scale and nature of the project.

Our programming services are billed at a rate of $65 - $75 per hour.

Project Summary

The following are some of the numerous software development projects we have completed over the last couple of decades.

Personal Banker - a CRM (client relationship management) system for assisting bank representatives to better service customers and manage their workflow. (Royal Bank)

Canada Information System - developed for the International Trade Expo in Seville Spain, this tri-lingual (English, French, Spanish) application, developed for the Ministry of Trade & Commerce, managed an information database about Canada which incorporated over 800 documents in all three languages. The system included a programmable interface which allowed for on-site programming of the document retrieval module to allow for the addition of new documents.

Ferry Reservation System - developed for the Owen Sound Transportation Company, this system manages reservations and all passage information for the auto/passenger ferry systems operating from Tobermory and Pelee Island. Originally developed as a desktop network, it was recently rewritten as a browser-based application using ASP and Visual Basic operating on an MS SQL-Server database. ( Ontario Northland)

Specbuilder - is an application designed to generate technical specifications documents for engineers and technicians. This program features on-the-fly document assembly and combines both desktop and web-based programming. (Sydenham Publishing). This project was developed in Visual Basic.

Express - This commercial software program to assist financial planners and insurance agents to present solutions to some of the most common questions they are asked. The easy-to-use interface permits on-the-fly changes to input data and an immediate on-screen graphic presentation. Reporting is in the form of easy to understand illustrations incorporating colour graphics and user-definable explanations. This system is entirely written in ASP.

MWJ Design Technical Information System – Extensive revisions and redesign of an existing application for manage a bill of materials and technical information interacting with a 3-D drawing system to assist maintenance of mining equipment. This browser-based application required extensive redesign and Javascript programming.

Our Philosophy

We believe a good software program is one that provides you with significant long-term benefits. Good systems are trustworthy, easy to use and reliable. Over time, their operation becomes second nature to users. We build these characteristics into our products. We constantly seek feedback from our system users and involve users in the ongoing development. We design to provide the best combination of features at an affordable price. In order to deliver on this promise we control all aspects of production. Our systems are designed, documented and supported by our in-house staff allowing us to respond quickly to changing requirements and technology, and provide ongoing improvements.