LOCATION: Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) Lab
SITUATION:
Williams Communications Solutions identified a market niche to support call-forwarding and other call center operation needs with a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution PBX (Private Branch Exchange) offering. The Dialect Information Suite included several software solutions, each with related Installation, Administration, User, and Quick Support manuals; licensing requirements; and customized training material for each client installation.
NEEDS DEFINITION:
The software division had a product but lacked a repeatable process to generate a quality software suite that integrated the software product, related documentation, and licensing provision in a consistent, controlled manner.
SOLUTION DEVELOPMENT:
Comprehensive Analysis Foundation: The first year included functional analysis, software development analysis, information-needs analysis, and concept-to-customer analysis to understand the full scope of product delivery requirements.
COMPASS Methodology: The resulting methodology, COMPASS (Completely Objective Method Producing Advanced Software Solutions), established seven gated phases:
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Product Request: Market and customer need identification
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Project Definition and Planning: Scope, timeline, and resource allocation
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Prototype and Functional Specifications: Concurrent development of prototypes and detailed functional requirements
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Code and Information Development: Software coding and documentation creation in parallel
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Quality Assurance System Test: Internal validation of functionality and documentation accuracy
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Product Release: Controlled deployment to production environments
Maintenance: Ongoing support and continuous improvement
Waterfall Methodology with Concurrent Development: COMPASS used a Waterfall methodology with functional specifications developed concurrently with prototype development, ensuring documentation requirements informed design decisions and vice versa.
Continuous Improvement: Inputs from each department during each phase generated continuous process and product improvement criteria. This structured feedback loop ensured that both the methodology and the resulting products evolved to meet organizational and customer needs.
Integrated Quality Delivery: Both software and documentation progressed through the same quality gates, ensuring that customers received fully integrated, professionally validated products where all components met established quality standards before release.