BetterProcess Handbook

This document covers the end-to-end process followed in BetterCommerce Product Development across all the work-streams.

The document can be used as a guiding principle for all the strategic and tactical decisions required to be undertaken during the product development process.

Lets start with the most important 3Ws - Why ? Who ? What ?

Why a new process ?

There are already loads of different process frameworks in the industry, then why do we have a separate or new process ?
Indeed, a very pertinent question - and the response to that is quite simple. Most of the process frameworks focus on one area of software development and rarely cover the end to end spectrum. The ones that do (CMM, etc) are extremely complex and almost require an army to just follow that process and require tons of paperwork to be maintained in theory and significantly lack on pragmatism needed in today's dynamic world.

The process is designed based on the following principles:

1. Simplicity - The process should be simple to understand and follow.
2. Non-intrusive - The process should not require significant changes to the normal way of working.
3. Pragmatic - The process should be practical and not just a theoretical framework.
4. End-to-end - The process should cover the entire spectrum of software development cohesively.

Who is it for ?

In general, this process is suitable for companies who are building software products or solutions. Going further down, it would be useful for:

1. Software Product Companies focused on cloud based offerings.
2. SaaS Software companies making regular releases.
3. Small to mid-size teams, i.e. from 2 to 100 people.
4. Companies who outsource software development and would like transparency in their projects through the lifecycle.

Who is this NOT suitable for ?

1. The process is possibly not suitable for Tier 1 enterprise companies.
2. Companies where process compliance is more important in paper than practical.
3. Companies which have a pencil pusher culture, have complicated & beaurocractic processes.

What areas does it cover ?

The BetterProcess is designed to cover end-to-end spectrum of software project and product development. The following visual shows the areas covered in the process.