Longer than a website, and the delay is rarely from programming.
One well-defined process is usually operational in six to eight weeks. A portal with links and multiple user roles takes three to six months. The lead time is mainly determined by the number of connections and how quickly decisions are made on your side.
STEP BY STEP
This is how you approach it
- Drawing up the scope and process, one to two weeksWhich steps, which roles, which exceptions. This is the most important part: mistakes here are the most expensive to fix later.
- Control access to systemsTest environments and API keys from your existing suppliers. This often takes longer than expected because it depends on third parties.
- First working version, three to four weeksOne process from start to finish, usable. Not finished, but really usable - that's where you learn the most.
- Testing with real usersLet the people who will be working with it use it with real work. What seems logical in a demo often turns out to be different in practice.
- Install couplingsOne to two weeks per connection, depending on the API. This is the phase in which external parties determine your pace.
- Refine and transferExceptions, error handling, documentation and explanations. This part is structurally underestimated and determines whether the system continues to be used.
PITFALLS
Where delay comes from
Rarely from programming. Mostly waiting: for access to a system, for a decision, or for someone to make time for testing.
And from a scope that gradually grows. Any addition is fine, but it moves the date: that should be said out loud, not done silently.
- Access to systems — depends on third parties, arrange it early.
- Decisions — appoint one decision maker.
- Schedule testing — users must be given time for it.
- Scope that grows — each addition shifts the date.
- Well: start small — working one process beats five and a half.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
More about lead time
Can it be done faster?
By doing less at a time. Completing one process completely in six weeks is realistic; five trials in the same time period did not. The programming work is rarely the brake.
When can I use it?
After the first working version, usually after four to six weeks. Then it is not complete, but it is usable: and that is exactly the intention.
What if the process changes during construction?
Small adjustments are part of it and we will accommodate them. If the process changes fundamentally, then re-examining the scope is fairer than continuing to build on something that is no longer correct.
CONTINUE READING
Of course, continue reading about this subject.
When is it possible? work?
Tell us which process is causing the problem. We provide a realistic schedule, not an optimistic one.