dX Software Systems

  I have been a self-employed software consultant for over 25 years. Quite often, folks wanting to become independent consultants have asked me how to get started. “How do you get the word out?” “How do you market yourself?” These are usually the most asked questions. Rather than go into a long, time-consuming essay about the ins and outs of promoting oneself, here are thirteen basic ideas you can use that will go a long way toward promoting yourself as an independent consultant of any kind.  Try one or try them all.  Whatever works for you is what counts.   1              Give people two business cards instead of one.  Ask them to pass the extra one along to a friend or business associate. 2              Build word-of-mouth referrals by creating flyers with inserts offering promotional discounts.  Ask owners of your local dry cleaners, hair salons, and restaurants to distribute thyem in exchange for bigger discounts on your products or services. 3              Hire a native... Read more

    Software development projects fail when they do not meet the following criteria for success:   • It is delivered on time.  • Itcomes in on or under budget.  • It works as required.  Only a few projects achieve all three. Many more are delivered which fail on one or more of these criteria, and a substantial number are cancelled having failed badly. So what are the key factors for success? Organizations and individuals have studied a number of projects that have both succeeded and failed and some common factors emerge. A key finding is that there is no single overriding factor that causes project failure. A number of factors are involved in any particular project failure, some of which interact with each other. Here are some of the most important reasons for failure. Lack of User Involvement Lack of user involvement has proved fatal for many projects. Without user involvement, nobody in the business feels committed to a system, and can even be hostile to it. If a project is ... Read more

Over the years I've read several books on screenwriting. Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder is one of the best. The text is upbeat and breezy, easily digested and fun to read.  One comes away with a fairly clear understanding of how a screenplay is structured and the points in the plot that must be present to make for a compelling movie-going experience. The title of the book comes from the author's suggestion that the writer must provide his hero an opportunity to do something nicethat will endear him to the audience. In other words, the hero needs to be likable. Saving a cat in distress is such an archetypal opportunity. The issues involved in creating a screenplay are covered in chapters that discuss the creation and fine-tuning of your logline, working on your story pitch, deciding on your genre, molding your hero, the pace of your story, outlining your story and putting it into a structure that helps move the plot along, and other nagging items like marketing your work and... Read more

I have no Apple products in my life. No iPhone, no Mac, no iPad, nothing. Long ago, as a young computer software developer, I hitched my wagon to Microsoft’s rising star. I reasoned that with its strategy of licensing its products as widely as possible, I could reap the benefits of a broader market for my services. I wasn’t disappointed. I perceived the Apple universe as a limited field with a high cost of entry, focused on small specialty applications in which I had no particular interest. Nevertheless, the technological developments that Apple produced over the years have caused the world of computing to lurch in directions that were not anticipated by the group of connected people who were considered “those in the know”. We who are not in the Apple camp have been affected by these developments, and have had to adapt to new paradigms over the course of our careers. This is primarily because of the taste, the will, and the drive of one man, Steve Jobs. Water Isaacson’s... Read more

It has been noted elsewhere that there are many parallels between writing software and building homes. The most obvious aspect is that in each case a thorough well-planned design is crucial to the success of the project. At dX Software Systems we recognize the importance of good system design, and we attempt to educate our clients to do the same. But imagine if an architect had to work from a specification like this! Dear Mr. Architect: Please design and build me a house. I am not quite sure of what I need, so you should use your discretion.My house should have between two and forty-five bedrooms. Just make sure the plans are such that the bedrooms can be easily added or deleted. When you bring the blueprints to me, I will make the final decision of what I want. Also, bring me the cost breakdown for each configuration so that I can arbitrarily pick one. Keep in mind that the house I ultimately choose must cost less than the one I am currently living in. Make sure, however, that... Read more

What is a consultant? What does a consultant do? When should I use an expert? As most of us know, we cannot be experts in everything. There are many circumstances that welcome the talents of an individual with specialized expertise. Sometimes, even when well informed on the project, we come up short trying to wear "all the hats", and have a tendency to sit too close to the problem to see the solution. Understanding the ways in which a consultant can be a resource to overcome these pitfalls allows us to fully utilize time management potential and get back in the driver's seat. WHAT IS A CONSULTANT? A consultant is not a temporary or part-time employee. A consultant is an independent contractor offering his or her specialized services or skills to clients for a fee. Like your doctor, lawyer or plumber, he is a counselor who is employed for his or her knowledge, experience and judgment as well as his skills. Besides being an authority in a specialized field, the consultant is project... Read more

  Often, folks who are looking to have computer programming done are surprised when the consultant presents them with the estimated cost of a project. Their objection usually takes the form similar to, “Why is it so expensive to contract with a software developer?” or “I can hire a junior programmer for a year for what you want for this!” These questions really are misunderstandings of the value an experienced consultant brings to a project. If a contractor quotes you a rate of $100 an hour, you’re probably going to be quick to respond with, “That's about $200k a year! Forget that!” But that misses a lot of things. Aside from the fact that the contractor has to pay their own insurance, workers comp, FICA, and all the overhead of running a business, let’s focus on what you're actually getting. It’s not merely an hour of that person's time you’re getting. You're also getting the years of experience they have in doing similar challenging work for other firms. They've seen far more... Read more