Your Top Questions Answered: Healthcare Software, AI & Compliance
Find answers to common questions about our custom healthcare software development, AI development, automations, and other healthcare IT services.
FAQs About Our Healthcare Software Industry Expertise & Experience
Custom Healthcare Software Development
Custom Interface Development
Healthcare Integration Development
Reverse Engineering & Technology Migration
Database Design & Development
Business Automation
Structured Software Maintenance Services
HIPAA Compliant Application Development
Requirement Analysis & Software Requirement Specification Development
Reports & Data Warehouse Development
Specialty: HL7, CCD, CDA, BlueButton+, EDI, HIPAA Mirth, EMR, EHR, m-health, Android, iOS, Java/J2EE (Spring, Hibernate, JSF, Portlets, etc.), .Net (ASP.net, C#, WCF, WPF, etc.), HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, Salesforce.com, VB6, Domino, SQL, Oracle, Crystal Reports.
Technosoft has been providing software development services to the US healthcare market for more than fifteen years. Our solutions are successfully helping caregivers provide quality patient care in over 30 hospitals across the USA.
HIPAA: Technosoft has been involved with major healthcare software providers to make their solutions HIPAA-compliant since the early 2000s. We have senior HIMSS Certified Healthcare Security Professionals on our staff. Technosoft has developed many HIPAA privacy and security-compliant solutions. We also provide HIPAA consultancy and audits to many healthcare software development companies.
HL7: We have developed many HL7 interfaces including in/outbound Scheduling SIU (S12-S16, S26), in/outbound Billing P01, inbound/outbound ADT (A01-A36), in/outbound Charges (P03), in/outbound Orders (O01), in/outbound Results R01, Radiology, Lab, Text, PDF, PS, HTML, JPG, Quest and base64 R01 interfaces, etc.
EDI, HCFA, & CMS: We have extensive experience developing EDI, HCFA, and CMS interface solutions. We have worked on 835, 837(p), 997, and 227 EDI transmissions to Medicare, BCBS, Highmark, McKesson, HBOC, Cerner, Siemens, Scheduling.com, and many other healthcare systems. We have interfaced with EGate, Clover Leaf/Quavodox, and many other interface engines. Recently, we helped a few practice management and billing system providers comply with EDI NPI additions. We have also developed IRF-PAI, 700s, 701s, and CMS 1500 form solutions.
Healthcare Modules: We have been involved in developing the following healthcare modules/projects:
- Disease Management
- Diabetes Educator Solution
- Personal Health Record System
- Physical Fitness and Wellness
- EMR Care Management
- Diet and Nutrition
- Remote Monitoring/Telehealth
- Scheduling, Reminders, Alerts
- Secure Video Calling/Remote Secure Conferencing
- Medical Management
- Point-of-Care Services
- Master Patient Index
- Physician Database
- MD Authorization for Rehab
- Case Management
- Progress Notes
- Treatment Plan
- Patient Evaluations
- Scheduling
- Patient Stratification
- Orders Management
- Referral Management
- e-Prescriptions
- Letters
- Diagnosis/Coding Imports
- Short and Long-Term Goals Tracking
- Accounts/Visits Management
Others: We have worked on CCOW, JCAHO, CCHIT, and other healthcare industry standards.
We have extensive experience developing database solutions using Oracle, SQL Server, and MySQL. We have worked on many large database projects involving hundreds of tables and thousands of stored procedures. Technosoft has vast experience in data reporting solutions using Crystal Reports, SQL Server Reporting and Analysis Services, Crystal Analysis, and various other reporting tools. We have designed and developed over five hundred reports running on SQL Server, currently deployed at over 30 hospitals across the United States.
We create multiple mockups and wireframes for the website and deliver them to the customer. The user can select a particular layout, and then the layout will be optimized based on user feedback. In the first iteration (before making the application functional), we deliver the user interface to the customer for their feedback. Before delivering for customer review, the interface goes through an internal review process.
Our User Interface design team is trained in Usability and Information Architecture areas.
We use Visual Studio for Microsoft projects and Eclipse for Java and Salesforce projects. We have separate development and testing environments. Developers have access to the development platform while test engineers have access to the testing platform.
Technosoft has Business Associate Agreements in place with many business associates, covered entities/hybrid entities. We have HIPAA policies and procedures in place. We will be happy to execute a BAA after review.
Our solutions help caregivers provide quality patient care. We have created numerous applications for hospitals, pharmacies, physicians, patients, and manufacturers.
Following is a summary of some of our install base:
Our Burn Clinics iPhone and web apps are deployed in three burn centers and one hospital.
With the rollout of our latest Android tablet and iPad Diabetes Educators application, we now have the honor to serve around two thousand hospitals and clinics across the USA.
Our Primary Care Physician application has been rolled out to around 30 clinics and is still growing.
Our Rehab Healthcare application is in use in over 20 hospitals across the USA.
Our Dermatology iPad application is in use in over 50 clinics around the UK.
Our Mental Health web application is in use in over 50 hospitals across the USA.
Well, we are a Business Associate of a few vendors, so we have the required HIPAA policies and procedures in place. We provide periodic training to our developers on HIPAA. I myself am a HIMSS Certified Healthcare Security Professional since 2002, and I provide HIPAA training and compliance support to my clients as well.
Java/J2EE, .Net, Android, Objective C, Swift, Node.js, Angular, etc. 100%
ADT, Orders, Scheduling, Billing, Results, CCD, 837, CMS 1500, etc.
Yes, we have developed and integrated with many non-FHIR APIs, the most popular being for Athena and Kareo. In addition:
We have integrated many wearable devices for our customers.
We have recently finished coding a HIPAA-compliant video conferencing solution for an over 150,000-user base using WebRTC APIs.
We have recently implemented Continua-based integration of patient devices with Android and iOS using BLE.
HL7/FHIR: We have developed and managed many HL7 interfaces including: in/outbound Scheduling SIU (S12-S16, S26), in/outbound Billing P01, inbound/outbound ADT (A01-A36), in/outbound Charges (P03), in/outbound Orders (O01), in/outbound Results R01, Radiology, Lab, Text, PDF, PS, HTML, JPG, Quest and base64 R01 interfaces, etc. We are currently developing an HAPI FHIR-based solution to show holistic patient data exposed via the Azure API gateway. We are also integrating a behavioral health app into EPIC using FHIR, and we are integrating a results data view into EPIC using FHIR. We have our own smart app published on the SMART on FHIR framework, MedPriceCompare.
Please see the following URL for more info:
https://techno-soft.com/hl7-fhir-interface-design-and-development.html
https://techno-soft.com/fhir.html
We have integrated with many wearable devices using the Bluetooth protocol. We have integrated several of the healthcare industry’s leading devices, wearable devices, fitness and activity trackers (Misfit Shine, Misfit Flash, Fitbit, iWatch, Google Glass integration, etc.). We have integrated with many blood glucose, hypertension, and cholesterol monitors.
The following are some of the devices we have integrated with:
- OneTouch UltraMini Meter
- OneTouch Ultra 2 Meter
- OneTouch Verio Meter
- OneTouch Verio Sync Meter
- OneTouch Verio IQ Meter
- CONTOUR NEXT USB Meter
- Nova Max Plus
- Nova Max Link
- Accu-Chek Aviva Blood Glucose Meters
- Continua Bluetooth Profile
- FDA GMP practices implementation, etc.
We have recently integrated Accu-Chek Aviva Connect to Android and iPhone-based devices using Continua protocols. We have also integrated using Apple HealthKit, API-based integration, as well as SDK-based integration of wearables.
If your requirements are not firm, then perhaps using agile methodology will really help.
1. Make sure you hire a team with a healthcare background.
2. Break down your requirements, convert them into wireframes, and document them in Confluence or Jira stories.
3. Create small sprints and do daily scrums, at least initially. Institutionalize code reviews.
4. Have solid QA. Involve end users as much as possible.
5. and the list can go on.
We follow Agile methodologies or any SDLC that our customer suggests. Typically, for an app development project, we will start with the following stages:
- Requirement Elicitation Phase
- A: Requirement Gathering Meetings/Calls/Docs review
- B: Stories/Specs Development
- C: Mocks Development
- Prototype Development
- Iteration Plan Development
- Iteration 1 Development
- Iteration 1 QA
- Iteration 1 UAT
- Iteration 1 Deployment
- Iteration planning and then back to Iteration Development
During these iterations, we follow Project Monitoring and Control procedures.
We follow agile methodologies and typically have backlogs and sprints defined in JIRA or some other issue management system. For enhancements and new features, we develop stories and then from there create JIRAs assigned to engineers. We can offer maintenance and support services tailored to our customers’ needs.
We have worked with Epic, Allscripts, McKesson, HBOC, Cerner, Siemens, Open Dental, Care 360, eClinicalWorks, Practice Fusion, Athena, and many EMR/EHRs. We have done CCD, FHIR, HL7 ADT, Orders, Results, Billing, and Scheduling integration. Phyxit, cSymplicity, BurnHelp, WoundHelp, etc.
Sure, please see below a few links:
UMC Burn Consult: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/umc-burn-consult/id1091994762?mt=8
HealthSlate: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/healthslate-diabetes-management/id990695811?mt=8
iConsult Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iconsult/id582740414?mt=8
Time Tracker: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ez-time-tracker/id643589856?ls=1&mt=8
Burn Help: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/burnhelp/id943504063?mt=8
Real Appeal Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/real-appeal/id971710445?mt=8
Orbera Coach Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/orbera-coach/id1101157261?mt=8
FAOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foas/id1212245280?mt=8
Wound Help: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/woundhelp/id943861273?mt=8
FAQs About Our Security & Privacy Policy
Yes, all Technosoft employees sign an NDA before they are allowed to work on client projects. They are made aware of their responsibility related to privacy and security.
We have policies and procedures in place to ensure your software security and privacy. All employees sign an NDA, and physical security is implemented to avoid any breach.
We will be happy to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), enforceable in a US court of law. We have a basic NDA that we can send to you, or if you have one of your own, we will be glad to review and execute it.
We use both version control and labeling in Visual SourceSafe.
Please see our Configuration Management process in detail.
Technosoft’s network has been built and deployed using state-of-the-art Cisco routers by our own in-house Network Administration Team. Utilizing redundant fiber, DSL, and wireless-based connections, we have over 4 Mbps links. Our LAN network is based on a Microsoft Windows domain environment, equipped with a DNS server, an email server, database servers, a backup server, a VoIP server, and a web server. Having multiple internet links over different media, we ensure 24×7 internet uptime. We have real-time/daily/weekly backups on a tape drive to ensure data protection. Data is also secured using an ISA Firewall and centralized Trend Micro OfficeScan antivirus protection. 100% power uptime is ensured by UPS/generator power backups.
All data related to projects is present in the respective VSS repositories, Test Director, emails, and the project server. Incremental backup of all data types of all live projects is taken according to the below-mentioned frequency on an external USB drive or DLT tapes by the System Administrator. If any other data needs to be backed up, the Development Manager or respective Project Manager or Team Lead informs the location of the data to the System Administrator via email. System Administrator reports the status of all backups to the concerned Project Managers, Development Manager, QA Manager, and Process Engineering Manager on a weekly basis using the Weekly Backups Tracking Report. Backup of completed/closed project(s) is taken on CDs/DLT tapes as per the requirements of the Development Manager.
The following are the typical data that require frequent backup:
1. All VSS project and organizational repositories – Daily incremental backup, Weekly full backup
2. Test Director Databases – Daily incremental backup, Weekly full backup
3. Project Server – Daily incremental backup, Weekly full backup
4. All Employee Emails – Weekly full backup
We have some controls like CCTV, security guards, a reception area, and ID cards. We also have a visitor screening process in place. We are also in the process of designing and implementing ISO 27001 security standards at our facilities.
We use both sFTP and VPNs.
FAQs About Outsourcing to Technosoft?
Every type of business. As we all move ahead in this competitive age, those who are not outsourcing are at a competitive disadvantage against those who are outsourcing. Here we enumerate three main reasons why you should consider outsourcing software development:
Cost: The primary reason customers started getting software written offshore is the same reason people vacation in Mexico: it’s cheaper.
Time: With outsourcing software maintenance, you can free up your IT department’s time to work on strategically important tasks.
Skilled Resources: It’s not about just saving costs; it’s about adding talent too (says Randy Walker of IBM about outsourcing).
Specialty: HL7, CCD, CDA, BlueButton+, EDI, HIPAA Mirth, EMR, EHR, m-health, Android, iOS, Java/J2EE (Spring, Hibernate, JSF, Portlets, etc.), .Net (ASP.net, C#, WCF, WPF, etc.), HTML5, CSS3, jQuery, Salesforce.com, VB6, Domino, SQL, Oracle, Crystal Reports.
Please see details on: Offshore Software Development
If it does, the reality is it was going to happen anyway. In a global economy, if competitors are benefiting from lower-cost/high-quality software, everyone is forced to match or risk obsolescence. The best assurance of long-term secure employment for any department in any business is to be as productive and efficient as possible. Whether that means having software developed offshore or not is solely your decision to make. Be aware, though, that unlike Infosys, Wipro, and Netsol, which all have offshore departments, Technosoft is in no position to completely take over your department. Our abilities are suited to augment and enhance the energies and talents of your department. We provide hard-to-find talent and let you gain a competitive edge by developing applications that your IT staff doesn’t have time to build.
I believe that by helping your department get more from your budget and resources, our services can contribute greatly to the long-term success of you and your team.
Technosoft is an offshore software development company with stringent quality control and a proven software development delivery system. We are a Microsoft Certified Partner, an ISO 9001:2000 certified, CMMI Level 2 appraised company, and an IBM Advanced Business Partner. We specialize in healthcare software development, integration, and quality assurance services outsourcing.
How We Differentiate Ourselves:
On-time, within-budget delivery
Highly skilled developers and QA engineers
Software development following software engineering principles
Focus on process-driven development and communication clarity
Customer focus: Explicit and implicit needs are fulfilled
Technosoft currently has over 45 employees. The majority of the development is done offshore. Our project manager and marketing wing are located in the US, and the development is done offshore.
Pakistan is in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India to the east and Iran and Afghanistan to the west, and China to the north.
We provide a US Project Manager, within the same time zone, with excellent communication skills, and with an offshore price tag.
We recognize that poor communication skills and the language barrier are two major problems many organizations face while getting software developed offshore. Technosoft is not affected by these problems because of the following:
- All Technosoft employees are hired from leading universities where English is the primary medium of education. All employees have at least a bachelor’s degree in their relevant discipline.
- Our employee selection criteria are very strict. We make sure that all employees are competent in communicating with computers as well as humans.
- All new employees are mandated to take three months of mandatory American Business Communication skills courses. Successful completion is required before an employee can start working on client projects.
- Teaching materials/CBTs from leading US ESL (English as a Second Language) scholars are constantly acquired and provided to offshore employees.
These measures have proven very successful and add to Technosoft’s competitive edge. We invite you to attend a conference call with any of our technical or management resources and see for yourself the communication clarity and language skills.
We have project managers assigned at each level. Our assigned PM and the team coordinate with on-site resources over daily/weekly phone calls/scrums. A video/voice call is always best to clarify requirements, report progress, and resolve any issues, etc. In an offshore setting, we try to have the right mix of communication to make sure we develop exactly what you need. So, for management of resources, once it’s established what needs to be built, we let the PM do the project monitoring and control to ensure delivery as promised. We use JIRA Epics/Stories to document the requirements and then create JIRA tasks out of those Epics. Those tasks are then assigned to different sprints. Developers provide estimates for the tasks, and the PM discusses with the client and finalizes which task goes into which sprint. Those sprints are then managed as per plan and tracked accordingly.
The majority of our hiring is through fresh BS graduates of Computer Science, Software Engineering, and IT. We conduct recruitment tests at major schools and then shortlist them for interviews. After about three technical interviews and 1-2 coding assignments, an employee is selected. After that, they have three months of probation before they are promoted to become a full-time developer.
Last year, we processed over two thousand candidates, out of which we hired only nine employees. Only six out of these nine employees were able to clear the probation period. So we are very selective in hiring our developers and QA resources. And after hiring, we make sure that we keep the top talent. All our developers are in Lahore, Pakistan.
We do not have any California health plan customers at this time, but we are familiar with some of the California-specific security and privacy laws. We have developed solutions for Kaiser Permanente, and somewhat recently for a genomic startup out of UCLA.
All developers are fluent in English, and 90% of our customers are from the US. All our PMs conduct daily/weekly calls with our US customers effectively. I would strongly suggest that we get on a call, and you could see for yourself.
Sure, we use Skype, email, Slack, etc.
Yes. We assign a customer to a PM/Team Lead, and we cross-train resources to ensure that at the developer level, anyone from the team can do the task if the other developer is on vacation, etc. If the work volume is such that you would need permanent full-time employees, then we can dedicate a set of resources for you and induct additional resources that are cross-trained and are on standby to take on additional work when needed.
We have a very low turnover rate. We have customers and employees assigned to those customers for many, many years. I can provide references of existing long-term customers who have been working with the same Technosoft resources for 5-8 years now.
Well, the source code and related materials are placed in BitBucket or GitHub, VSS/SVN (tool of your choice). We usually provide development services, so we do not own the completed project. We can discuss your specific IP needs.
JIRA is our tool of choice, but we can work with any other issue management system, such as Asana, etc. JIRA is good for managing releases, task assignments, etc.
Well, we highly recommend a weekly scrum at the very minimum when a project is in progress. Every week, we send a status report with all the previous week’s data to our client. We can do on-site meetings as needed.
Every Monday, here at Technosoft, each employee’s past week’s progress is reviewed by the Software Development Manager and the CEO. And alongside, each customer’s projects and progress are reviewed with the assigned PM. Each PM provides the weekly plan for the week as well, and that plan is reviewed next Monday against the progress. We are a CMMI Level 2 appraised company, and we follow the required Project Monitoring and Control process.
We do, but not all customers require this. So it is basically based on customer needs. We have Selenium, Appium, Cucumber, etc., expertise available. And we strongly recommend getting automated regression tests developed for stable products in a maintenance phase.
Very easy. We can create scripts for API-based software to be tested by just checking out the code from source control. For UI testing, the third party will need to have the Appium/Selenium framework set up.
We are focused on healthcare software development.
We have developed systems for many healthcare disciplines.
We are very good at HL7, FHIR, EDI, etc. integration.
We are very good with HIPAA-compliant development.
We have been doing this for over 15 years; our solutions are deployed in over 1,000 hospitals and clinics across the USA.
We have worked with some of the most prestigious hospitals in the US, and we have worked with almost all the major EHR/EMRs in the industry. And on top of that, our rates are extremely competitive for the quality of service we provide.
Here is a succinct overview of how we’ll keep you informed and engaged every step of the way:
Initial Phase: We’ll kickstart by crafting mock screens based on your project requirements. Your input will guide us as we shape the workflow to align perfectly with your vision.
Continuous Communication: Throughout the development process, we’ll maintain open lines of communication. You’ll have the opportunity to review and approve each phase before we proceed, ensuring we stay on track with your expectations.
Iterative Approach: We’ll break down the project into manageable chunks, establishing clear iteration plans tailored to your priorities. Weekly progress reports will keep you updated on our advancements, ensuring full visibility into our activities.
Daily Insights: For those who prefer more granular oversight, our developers can provide daily timesheets, offering detailed insights into the tasks completed and the hours invested.
Version Control: Our development process includes regular code check-ins to an online Git repository. This allows you to track progress in real-time and access the latest updates whenever needed.
Quality Assurance: Each iteration will undergo rigorous QA testing, with features deployed for your review and feedback every two weeks. This ensures you’re continually involved in shaping the project’s direction.
Additional Project Management Tools: As an added layer of transparency, we can integrate MS Project to provide you with daily updates on project progress. Our commitment to transparency and quality is backed by our CMMI Level 2 appraisal and ISO 9001:2008 certification. Rest assured, we have the processes in place to accommodate any level of transparency you desire.
To ensure that the project is on track and meeting expectations promptly, you will be able to see the following milestones:
Integration of MS Project for daily updates on project progress, providing an added layer of transparency.
Crafting mock screens based on your project requirements to align with your vision.
Clear iteration plans tailored to your priorities, with weekly progress reports to keep you updated.
Opportunities to review and approve each phase before proceeding, maintaining continuous communication throughout the development process.
Daily timesheets provide detailed insights into the tasks completed and the hours invested, for more granular oversight if preferred.
Regular code check-ins to an online Git repository, allowing real-time tracking of progress and access to the latest updates.
Rigorous QA testing of each iteration and deployment of features for your review and feedback every two weeks.
FAQs About Our Quality?
We are a CMMI Level 2 appraised and ISO 9001:2000-2008 certified company. This is proof of our commitment to high-quality and reliable software development. We compete on the basis of high quality and provide the best possible solution.
The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) was developed to help identify process areas that reduce business risk for the customers and suppliers of software or software-related services. It was created by the Software Engineering Institute (SEI), a research center within Carnegie Mellon University. The CMM helps ensure that our customers are dealing with:
A professional software organization with proven best practices of software development and management in place.
A company whose processes are successfully appraised by an independent federally funded software engineering organization.
A company committed to software quality and on-time delivery.
The ISO 9001-2000 is a general system of product quality criteria that focuses on key elements such as product functionality, reliability, usability, maintainability, portability, and efficiency. This certification supports our customers’ buying decisions by ensuring a fully functional quality management system is in place and a world-recognized body confirming that we say what we do and we do what we say.
Technosoft has the following vendor partnerships:
MySQL Enterprise Partner
Microsoft Certified Partner
IBM Advanced Business Partner
Sun Microsystems Associate Business Partners
Organizational Partnerships/Certifications:
Microsoft Certified Partner
IBM Advanced Business Partner
Sun Microsystems Associate Business Partners
MySQL Enterprise Partner
Certified under ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System Standard
CMMI Level 2
Employee Certifications:
Oracle Certified Application Developer
Microsoft Certified Solution Developer
Sun Java Certified Programmer/Architect
Principal Lotus Certified Professional
HIMSS Certified in Healthcare Security
Technosoft has a QA application certification process. This certification process allows our customers to specify their quality requirements. Based on the agreed-upon certification level, the quality of delivery is guaranteed. All project payment terms are structured with a 10-20% payment based on the quality of delivery. Additional quality-of-delivery-based payments can be tied to application certification requirement criteria.
The testing team starts understanding the system during the analysis and design phase. They create their test plans and test cases before the development work is completed. They log defects in defect tracking tools to generate reports at the end of the project. Technosoft QA is well-trained on automated testing tools usage for functional, stress, and regression testing.
Our developers are trained to unit test their code comprehensively, ensuring minimal leakage of defects to the testing phase. Wherever required, we use unit testing tools or create our own unit testing stubs. We usually do unit, smoke, functional, usability, integration, compatibility, and regression testing. We only do automated testing for selected projects. Load and stress testing is done using automated tools.
FAQs About Our Methodology & Process?
Project-related activities at Technosoft fall into three major phases: the pre-contract phase, the post-contract phase, and the post-delivery phase (maintenance).
Please see our SDLC Process in detail:
Technosoft is a CMMI Level 2 appraised company. We are very much focused on process improvements, and we are proud to be the only company in the world to have its CMMI processes publicly available for use.
Please see our Project Management process in detail.
We believe that on-time quality deliveries require accuracy in estimation, dedication, pre-planning, management oversight, and excellent software development processes. Technosoft uses COCOMO II-based methods to ensure effort estimates are accurate. We then convert these effort estimates into a schedule by using MS Project Central Server. We add adequate slack time to ensure the creation of a realistic schedule and deadlines. A schedule commitment is then obtained from the resources assigned. This committed schedule is then followed religiously. Over the course of the project, the MS Project plan is updated regularly, and the weekly project plan status is communicated to all stakeholders. This transparency avoids any delay that may be on the horizon.
Over the years, we have delivered projects ranging from a few hundred lines of code to 10 million lines of code with a very happy customer base. Over 95% of our new business comes from existing customers. We would love to provide you with references from our existing customers.
We, the Project Managers, are usually afraid of the 90% done syndrome here on-site while working with on-site developers, let alone tracking projects offshore. On-site, at least we can bug the software engineer to pull some info, but offshore, how can we know the true status? What if we get a notification of a delay in project delivery a few weeks before the launch of a 12-month-long project?
We understand all these fears. We have been there and know these issues.
With Technosoft, right after requirement specifications are finalized, you will receive a detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and project schedule/plan. This WBS will provide you with the effort estimate, and the project plan will provide you with the schedule and milestone dates, tied to deliverables and WBS. Every week, you will receive weekly status reports along with an updated color-coded project plan in MS Project and Adobe PDF format. This color-coded project plan shows, at a glance, the up-to-date progress. The status report shows detailed task status, time spent, risks, and tasks that will be worked on next week. There will be no mysteries, no hidden crazy schedules, and no surprises.
In addition, you will be able to have a weekly conference call with your team. In addition, you will have access to your project manager via phone, IM, and video conferencing. You will know about project status as much or as little as you want.
We usually deliver an alpha release after development to our QA engineers. After testing and fixes, a beta release is sent to the customer for beta/user acceptance testing. After beta testing and fixes, a release candidate build is released to the customer for their review. After some minor changes (if required), a gold release is directly deployed on the customer platform or is sent to the customer for deployment.
We first develop an RS document, refining and consolidating requirements gathered from different stakeholders. After creating an RS, we create a High-Level Design/Architecture Document and an Analysis and Design document (A&D). A&D has functional analysis (UML-based), user interface (blueprints/sitemap and wireframes), database design, and class diagrams.
Yes, sometimes they do contain production data, and we ensure that new updates will not result in data loss and that production data is secure.
In the requirements gathering phase, we first list all system stakeholders and then we focus on gathering requirements from each one of them. These requirements are documented in a Requirements Specification Document (RS) and are categorized by stakeholders. After gathering, the requirements are analyzed and adjusted to create a consistent, clear, complete, and concise set. Afterwards, the RS is sent to stakeholders for review, and their review validates our understanding of the system. If there are any gaps identified during the review, then all of those are corrected, and the RS is re-circulated to stakeholders until it is approved.
We understand that design is a very important phase, and we give thorough attention to it. In the design phase, we first select a technology solution for the application. To select an appropriate solution, a number of options are listed and graded on a set of pre-defined criteria. The most appropriate solution is then chosen and further described in the Application Architecture document. Various architecture diagrams are drawn to illustrate application layers and components. Each component is then further evaluated, and a make-buy-reuse analysis is done. Afterward, the testing and production environments required for the application are documented. Application Architecture is then shared with the customer for review and approval.
Functional details of the application are elaborated using the UML technique. Use-case diagrams are developed, and details of each use case are written in the Functional Specification. Database design is documented as an ER Model in the Technical Specification, while Object-Oriented Design is documented as a set of class diagrams. Functional and Technical Specifications are reviewed by the customer.
Development follows the Architecture and Design phase. The development team lead first creates Coding Standards for the project using the organizational coding standards. Coding standards are discussed with the team to ensure that a similar coding style is followed by every single developer. During development, the Technical Quality Assurance Team reviews code at different checkpoints. Code review results, documented in a checklist-based report, are discussed with the team. The development lead ensures that all issues are rectified. An application integration plan is created before the completion of development. The development lead then integrates all components, executing the integration plan; at the same time, they document results in an integration testing report. After integration, the application is delivered to QA for testing.
Development is mostly decomposed into 2 to 3 iterations. Each iteration is delivered to the customer for review and to give the customer better visibility of how the application is being developed. Usually, the first iteration contains a functional GUI that is not integrated with the database. The second iteration has major functionality, while the third is completely functional. After the final iteration, the customer performs User Acceptance Testing (UAT). The final build, after fixing all major UAT defects, is the release candidate.
FAQs About Our Organization?
Since 2002, we have been dedicatedly to working for companies developing healthcare solutions for the U.S. market. Many of our clients are well-versed in software development and have healthcare solutions deployed at main hospitals.
We augment their resources with our HL7 integration, HIPAA privacy, and security services.
We are ISO 9001 certified and CMMI Level 2 appraised. We are an IBM Advanced Business Partner and Sun/MySQL partner.
Within our 12+ years of healthcare software development and integration experience, we have created many apps for hospitals, pharmacies, physicians, patients, and manufacturers.
Technosoft is purely a software development services company. All our revenue comes from application development, maintenance, integration, and quality assurance services.
FAQs About Our Team?
Technosoft currently has over 45 full-time employees. Every technical resource holds at least a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a relevant field. Most of our employees have more than 5-8 years of experience. Resumes of our employees are available on request.
At Technosoft, we provide training from time to time to technical staff before assigning work to new staff. We continuously test the knowledge of our developers via a series of certifications. Almost 60% of Technosoft employees hold leading industry vendor certifications. Some examples of these certifications are:
HIMSS Certified Healthcare Security Professional
Microsoft Certified Professionals
We have a Knowledge Management Portal where teams post reusable code, utilities, etc., for sharing with others.
Our focus on quality and our standards requires a pool of talented and quality-conscious resources. To meet these requirements, we are very selective in our recruitment process. Technosoft hires from the top technical universities in the country. Each new hire goes through a vigorous selection process. The selection is designed to parse out candidates with higher credentials in process orientation, skillset, communication, quality, and leadership. We also continuously look for experienced developers who share our commitment and resolve to produce quality software on time, on budget, and on customer vision.
At Technosoft, we conduct annual training on Business Communication Skills. All of our teams of developers are fluent in technical English (both written and spoken). We also encourage using English as the internal communication language on an ongoing basis. Our teams of developers are available for conference calls, IM sessions, etc.
There are 20 PTOs allowed for Technosoft resources. However, Technosoft does not charge our customers for sick time. There is no deduction for employees hired as offshore FTEs in a captive center arrangement.
FAQs About Our Communication & Support?
We provide project managers who work regular EST hours and are available via regular phone, instant messenger, Skype, etc. In addition, we ensure that your team and the Team Lead set up a regular decent crossover time. That means that you will have almost daily two to three hours of time to communicate with each of your team members.
We do not always guarantee Project Manager (PM) availability within the USA. However, 99% of the time, a PM is made available with a maximum of one week’s prior notice. We also provide on-site deployment and go-live support, as well as on-site requirement elicitation and co-design services. In short, if any phase of your project requires an on-site PM, then we will have a PM available.
Our US-based account manager will be available during US regular business hours to you all the time. In addition, we ensure that the offshore team and your on-site team work out a no-stress 2-3 hour crossover time. We adjust the team’s work hours such that they have a good 2-3 hours of common work time with the on-site team to have calls, IM, etc. Enough time to have a good communication flow, and no on-site person has to wake up early or stay late.
We take our clients from new development to the maintenance/support phase. We offer software development and support services. We have many companies with maintenance/support agreements in place, and we would be happy to provide references of our existing clients with whom we have had the pleasure to work in this capacity.
Our typical turnaround time is 8-24 hours for our support contracts.
We do not usually have developers following US regular business hours permanently. However, we usually provide this initially as the team gets up to speed with the on-site team. This is the typical learning curve time when lots of interaction is required. After this, a few hours of crossover time is sufficient.
We ensure that the offshore team and your on-site team work out a no-stress 2-3 hour crossover time. We adjust the team’s work hours such that they have a good 2-3 hours of common work time with the on-site team to have calls, IM, etc. Enough time to have a good communication flow, and no on-site person has to wake up early or stay late.
We recognize that poor communication skills and the language barrier are two major problems many organizations face while getting software developed offshore. Technosoft is not affected by these problems because of the following:
- All Technosoft employees are hired from leading universities where English is the primary medium of education. All employees have at least a bachelor’s degree in their relevant discipline.
- Our employee selection criteria are very strict. We make sure that all employees are competent in communicating with computers as well as humans.
- All new employees are mandated to take three months of mandatory American Business Communication skills courses. Successful completion is required before an employee can start working on client projects.
- Teaching materials/CBTs from leading US ESL (English as a Second Language) scholars are constantly acquired and provided to offshore employees.
- Effective communication skills and the ability to speak English professionally are part of the periodic performance evaluation of each employee.
These measures have proven very successful and add to Technosoft’s competitive edge. We invite you to attend a conference call with any of our technical or management resources and see for yourself the communication clarity and language skills.
FAQs About Our Proposal & Pricing??
Yes, we can. If you have already gone through a requirements elicitation phase and have created a software requirement specification document, then we can give you an estimate and start the development phase. If you have already developed an application and would like us to provide maintenance services, then we would be delighted to provide such services.
According to the Standish Group Survey of 2004, only 29% of projects are completed within time and within budget. Our success rate is about 85%, which means that our customers were satisfied with 85% of our projects, with time and budget overruns of less than 20%.
We follow a Project Estimation Process in pricing a project. We use an Estimation Sheet based on the COCOMO II estimation methodology to estimate the project size and effort. The Project Manager establishes estimates for project size, effort, resources, duration, and cost on the basis of available information using the Estimation Sheet template. The Development Manager reviews and updates the estimation sheet as required and approves the estimation sheet. Estimation Process in detail.
We use Microsoft Project to create the detailed WBS and schedule for the project. Effort estimates are derived from the estimation sheet. This schedule has all milestones and deliverables identified, and it is provided to the customer. The schedule is continuously tracked and updated during the course of the project. An updated schedule with completion percentages is delivered to the customer on a weekly basis.
After the deployment of the system, Technosoft provides support and warranty for 2 to 3 months. All problems with software that don’t qualify as a change or enhancement to the system will be covered under warranty. If some problem qualifies as an enhancement or a change, then Technosoft will notify the client and will charge for that work separately. These types of changes will require a separate Change Request Document.
No warranty will apply to the software if it has been
(i) modified, altered or adapted without Technosoft’s written consent;
(ii) mistreated or used in a manner other than in accordance with the details provided in documentation;
(iii) repaired by any third party in a manner which fails to meet Technosoft’s quality standards;
(iv) improperly installed by any party other than Technosoft;
(v) relocated without Technosoft’s written consent, to the extent that problems are attributable to the relocation.
Technosoft will not provide warranty or support for the hardware and other third-party software.
We provide a warranty for the software we deliver. All problems with software that don’t qualify as a change or enhancement to the system will be covered under warranty. If some problem qualifies as an enhancement or a change, then we notify the client and will charge for that work separately. These types of changes will require a separate Change Request Document. We don’t provide warranty or support for hardware and other third-party software. Our warranty period is usually 2 to 3 months, depending on project size. There is a cap on the maximum hours we can spend on defect fixes, and these hours are typically about 10% of the overall project effort. We sign a separate maintenance contract if the customer wants to get maintenance services for a longer time period.
Average Technosoft engagements require 80-95% offshore development charges and 5-20% on-site charges. Offshore charges range from $15/hour to $40/hour. On-site charges range from $35-$100/hour. Technosoft can provide fixed cost, time, and material estimates, as well as set up a complete back office. In a back office setup, the client pays a low monthly fee for the number of resources hired offshore.
The following are the usual payment terms:
- 20% at project start
- 30% specs approval
- 20% on Iteration 1
- 20% on UAT-ready delivery
- 5% on first set of issues resolution, if any
- Remaining payment on project completion
For new customers with a larger project, the payment terms can be discussed to ensure a comfortable level for the customer. We accept all major credit cards and PayPal, or you can send your checks to our CT, USA office.
For a project-based contract, we spread the payments around the project’s milestones. Initially, we require a 20-30% payment. For raw resource hiring, we require a 10% initial payment. A 40% payment is due after one week, and the remaining monthly payment is due at the end of the month. At this point, the customer is usually satisfied with the services of the resource, and from there on, we start billing a month in advance.
For new customers with a large project, payment terms can be relaxed/negotiated to ensure a comfort level for the new customer.
We accept checks, money orders, approved company purchase orders (PO), wire transfers, PayPal, and all major credit cards through PayPal.
Often, our customers own the source code. This is discussed and finalized during the contract phase.
This is discussed and finalized during the contract phase. The majority of our projects’ source code is owned by our customers.
Yes, we will be glad to provide our customer references on request. You can see testimonials on our website.
We believe in total client satisfaction. Most of our clients are our long-term partners, proof of our commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction. We don’t believe in getting one-time projects, but rather want them to be a stepping stone in starting and developing a long-term relationship.