Services > Software Development

A core part of our business is custom software development.

We can develop a system to meet your needs rather than you having to modify your business to suit the way an off-the-shelf package works.

Just a few examples of the types of systems we have built are:

  • online business processes
  • business intelligence and reporting
  • corporate intranets
  • web applications with real time updates
  • mobile applications
  • web portals with multimedia such as webcams, image galleries etc.
See our portfolio pages for some case studies.

internet image We will help you decide on the best solution for the user interface. Whilst many of our applications have web browser-based user interfaces,
we have also built some large desktop client-server systems.

Our Methodology

Building a business information system is a complex task. We have developed our own processes and techniques for tackling projects. This begins with clearly establishing the goals for the project and capturing the client's requirements, whilst recognising they will change.

Key features of our approach are:

  • requirements capture - both functional and non-functional (e.g. usability, performance, scalability, ...)
  • risk reduction - tackle areas with highest risk first
  • iterative - prototyping and building the system in small increments
  • client involvement - lots of input and feedback
  • change management - processes to deal with changing requirements
  • test-first development - unit and functional testing are automated from the start
  • ongoing support - help, support and maintenance continue long term.

Client involvement is critical to project success.

Our most successful projects are those where the client has been closely involved throughout. When you do an Alchemy project, be prepared to roll your sleeves up and get stuck in!