When it comes to software development, accurate estimates are critical to the success of your project. Unfortunately, relying on automated systems to generate estimates orquick quotes based on a few questions often leaves businesses with figures that are too vague to be useful.

If your business is working on old software nearing the end of life and you are considering spending money to update it, add features, or pivot to a new technology, there is only one way to ensure the investment is worth it! Tap into resources that have seen a vast array of projects to help provide a second opinion and suggest options that may not have been considered.

Following this value-added approach ensures that your company’s time and money are well spent when you end up moving forward on your modernization efforts.

Why Automated & General Estimates Fall Short

Automated quoting systems rely on algorithms that generally factor in basic project details and incorrect hourly rates for specific tasks while ignoring certain aspects of your system and team. In addition, even when the person leading the charge is well-versed in the current technology, we find that often, what is being estimated is not the complete story.

Automated estimators and quickly defined quotes also often fail to account for the complexities, legacy systems, or unique business rules that make your project distinct. The result? Estimates that underrepresent the scope and costs of your project lead to budget overruns, delays, or unmet expectations.

As an example, take a look at this AI-based software estimator, and you will quickly realize the time spent and the result is in many ways meaningless: costgpt.ai

Below, you will find an outline for a pre-estimate assessment that many of our new customers faced with outdated software systems request us to use in evaluating their existing systems before providing an estimate. Understanding all your options can change everything.

Pre-Estimation Software System Evaluation Process

IMPORTANT NOTE: Along with the technical assessment, defining the project’s scope is essential. Defining the scope of a software development project is one of the most critical steps in the feasibility study. It establishes the foundation for what the project will achieve and provides a clear understanding of the project’s boundaries, resources, and objectives. A clear scope definition ensures the technical evaluation and report is tailored to the correct requirements, and that all stakeholders are aligned on goals, functionalities, and limitations.

Once you have the scope outlined, the following technical evaluation can be concluded with recommendations that help meet your specific goals. Contact our team to help you complete these two areas and present a detailed report.

1. Current Technology Evaluation

Objective: First, we will assess the existing technology stack to understand its capabilities, limitations, and alignment with the business goals.

Components:

• Technology Stack Review: Inventory of current software, tools, languages, and frameworks.
• System Performance Analysis: Through direct conversation and questions, we identify where things are slow or troublesome.
• Technical Debt Analysis: Identification of outdated or inefficient technologies that may hinder future growth.
• Security Review: Assessment of security measures, potential vulnerabilities, and compliance with industry standards.
• User Interface (UI) Evaluation: Analysis of current tech stack for the user interface and identifcation of any UX professional requirements.
• Team Capabilities Analysis: Assess team size, skills, grasp, etc.

2. New Technology Suggestions with Phased Implementation Approach

Objective: Recommend modern technologies that can enhance system performance, scalability, and maintainability.

Components:

• Technology Recommendations: Detailed suggestions for new technologies, tools, and platforms.
• Compatibility Assessment: Ensure new technologies integrate seamlessly with existing infrastructure and software.
• Phased Implementation Plan: Develop a step-by-step approach to adopting new technologies, minimizing disruption.
• Pilot Test: Recommendations for pilot project to test new technologies in a controlled environment before full deployment.
• Training and Knowledge Transfer: Plan for upskilling the development team on new technologies.

3. Impact on Business (Internal/External)

Objective: Evaluate the potential impact of technology changes on business operations, both internally and externally.

Components:

• Business Process Impact: Analysis of how new technologies will affect existing business processes.
• Stakeholder Impact Analysis: Assessment of how different stakeholders (employees, customers, partners) will be impacted.
• Customer Experience Impact: Evaluation of how changes may improve or challenge the customer experience.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Financial impact assessment, including cost of implementation vs. expected benefits.
• Risk Assessment: Identification of risks associated with technology changes and strategies to mitigate them.

4. Infrastructure

Objective: Assess current infrastructure and recommend upgrades to support future growth and new technologies.

Components:

• Current State Hosting Assessment: Review of servers, storage, and network hardware.
• Future State Hosting Analysis – Cloud vs. On-Premise: Evaluation of current infrastructure against cloud solutions, considering scalability and cost.
• Scalability and Flexibility: Analysis of the infrastructure’s ability to scale with business growth.
• Disaster Recovery and Redundancy: Review of disaster recovery plans and redundancy measures to ensure business continuity.
• Infrastructure Security: Assessment of infrastructure security measures and compliance with industry standards.

5. Reporting

Objective: Improve reporting capabilities to provide actionable insights and support decision-making.

Components:

• Current Reporting Capabilities: Review of existing reporting tools and processes.
• Reporting Requirements Analysis: Gathering requirements from key stakeholders for desired reporting capabilities.
• Data Visualization Tools: Recommendation of tools for better data visualization and reporting.
• Automated Reporting: Suggestion for automated reporting systems to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy.
• Integration with Business Intelligence (BI): Integration of reporting tools with BI platforms for advanced analytics.

6. Database

Objective: Evaluate and optimize database systems for performance, scalability, and data integrity.

Components:

• Database Structure Review: Analysis of current database schema, design, and performance.
• Data Integrity and Consistency: Assessment of data integrity measures and consistency across databases.
• Database Scalability: Evaluation of the database’s ability to handle increased data loads and user demand.
• Backup and Recovery: Review of current backup and recovery strategies.
• Database Security: Assessment of database security measures, including encryption and access controls.

7. Documentation

Objective: Evalute current state of documentation and map out future state options.

Components:

• Current Documentation Review: Evaluation of existing documentation for accuracy and completeness.
• Technical Documentation: Ensure that technical architecture, codebase, APIs, and systems are well documented.
• User Documentation: Review and update user manuals, help files, and other end-user documentation.
• Knowledge Base Creation: Technical recommendations for a centralized knowledge base for easy access to documentation.
• Ongoing Documentation Practices: Recommend best practices for maintaining up-to-date documentation during and after the project.