Process Steps

Our Workflow

A unique series of steps to ensure the project runs smoothly from start to finish

What is a Workflow?

Let’s take a look at this process together

A workflow is the sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes, from initiation to completion. Understanding our client’s vision for their project and executing this flawlessly is imperative to us and our workflow! Starting at the very beginning, when the idea first sparks and you present your project to us, we’ll take you on the journey to when we launch it out into the world. We’ve outlined the process in the summarised steps below.

Discovery Phase

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

1. Client Inquiry

It all begins when you, the client, send an inquiry to us, briefly outlining your project and budget.

2. Client Requirement Specification Form

We then ask you to fill out a form with the requirements for your project: where you are asked questions such as, what is your end goal, what integrations will it need, and what functionalities are required. These answers will help us tailor your product outline before we start building.

3. Corporate ID File Request

Your Corporate Identity (CI) helps you stand out from the crowd. We want to make sure that your project includes this vital branding from the onset, so we’ll ask you for a document with your business’s colors, logos, and fonts to use in the project.

Scope Phase

THE PLANNING & PROPOSALS

4. Initial Meeting

Once we have these documents, we’ll sit down with you and find out more about your company and your vision for your product. Together we will work out the core components of what you want your product to do and what target market you are hoping to reach. This will also give us the chance to meet and connect on a human level.

5. Client Proposal

Once we’ve collected all this information we gather it together in a proposal for you that explains App Inlet’s work processes, who we are, which of our team will be handling your account and outline an estimate of the project’s cost and timeline estimations.

6. Approval of Proposal

If the proposal meets your expectations, you give us your go-ahead and we will move into the functional spec phase, where we will outline the project in greater detail!

7. Functional Specification Document

This document shows you the wireframes (graphical representation) of how your system will work. To map out this section, we’ll use your input on what information needs to go into your databases and what resources your system needs to hold (products, data tables, artwork etc.). We’ll also research what your competitors are doing and contract a system that will make you stand out from the crowd while still being relevant.

Creative Phase

THE DESIGN & FUNCTION

8. Prepare the assets

Upon receiving the signed wireframes, the design team will prep all the assets, photos, icons, and vectors, bundle the fonts, colors, and logos, and generate a developer’s link that will hold all the specifications for the build. 

9. Design & Functionality

Now for the fun part, making your product come to life with design and prototyping. You’ll be able to see how your product will look and interact. Designing the full system, you’ll see how all the screens will connect together and function as a whole with buttons, drop-downs, popups animations, etc. We’ll integrate your colors, logos, and fonts so that your product reflects your image.

Function Phase

FRONT TO BACK DEVELOPMENT

10. Frontend Integration

The frontend and backend developers work together to code the project to make it work and look like it should. They take the prototypes from the design team and build the code that will support its functionality. The frontend developers mainly focus on styling the face of your project, integrating the code to display as you have seen on the prototypes.

11. Backend Integration

The backend developers make everything fit, sync, fill, respond and go to the correct commands. For example, they program the functionality of what should happen when you click something or fill it in.

Client Onboarding

App Inlet Inquiry & Proposal

1. App Inlet Inquiry

You begin the process as soon as you send an inquiry to App Inlet. This usually begins with the request for App Inlet’s capability to complete the required project. A brief outline of the project and budget will need to be provided to us.

2. Receive Proposal

App inlet will send through a form for you to fill out with our requirements for your project. Based on these specifications App Inlet will send you a proposal that consists of a presentation of intentions and solutions to the project as well as a quote with costs involved in carrying out such a project.

3. Accept proposal

You will analyze App Inlet’s proposal and presentation. If you are happy with the offer, we will meet up, and you can give the go-ahead. You will then receive a corporate identity file request from App Inlet. This is the company branding file, which contains everything from the logo to brand colors and fonts, etc.

Once App Inlet is satisfied with the file, both parties can begin the next phase of working together.

Project Charter

View Plan & Accept Proposal

4. Ideation Sessions

Where all the ideas, possibilities, hopes, and dreams are explored. We will work with you to fully explore your system, be it pre-existing or still just the dream. We’ll find all the areas where improvement, enhancement, or new features can be applied. Then we look at the best approach to achieve these goals.

5. Mockups

Turning ideas into a visual format, showing what each screen will contain, the flow and function. We collect all the data gathered through ideation and specs and pill it together in a mockup. We will engage with you to discuss and format the function for your exact goals.

6. Review of Project Charter

You will be sent a full proposal of the suggested way forward with an estimated timeline, introduction to the primer leads on the project, quotation for the Functional Spec and estimated figure for the whole project.

7. Approval of Project Charter

If you feel we could bring your vision to life, we’ll finalise these specifications for your project and write a contract. The contract, among other things, will provide our quotation for the whole project and show your commitment to working with us.

If you approve the charter, then you will sign and provide payment. 

Wireframe Review

Analyse The Design & Blueprint

8. Review Design
You’ll be given a link to interact with your prototype. You will see how all the screens would link, respond, and even animate in some cases. This gives you a chance to work out any final changes or modifications that need to be done before the Dev team starts building.
 
You’ll engage with the product owner and the design team to refine the final version.
9. Wireframes Sign off

Once you are happy with your designs and the prototyping, you will be asked to sign off. This will lock down the wires to that version so the dev team can start their process.

Client Testing

Functionality Checking

10. Frontend Testing

You’ll be issued a link within a staging environment where you can test and review your work up to that point before it is made public. So you can ensure it is looking and responding the way you want.

11. Backend Testing

Check that everything is as it should be on your dashboards. 

Launch Phase

PRODUCT RELEASE & SUPPORT

12. App Deployment & Support

After we’ve tested that the product looks and functions as you want it to, we’ll launch it onto the relevant platform! We then provide you with continued maintenance and support to fix any issues that may arise as your customers begin to use and interact with your product out in the real world.

13. Bug Reports

After your app has been released you may experience the odd issue or bug. If there’s a problem with how your product functions, we will work out exactly what is wrong and fix it as a part of our continued maintenance.

We hope this has helped you visualize how we make your product for you, as well as given you a behind-the-scenes look at what we do every day. Using this streamlined process, we can work together to build a product that reflects your business’s needs and vision! If you want to know more about how we work, see our explanation on ‘What is scrum’, and if you want to understand more about who we are as a company, see our Methodology page.

Ready to Set Sail?

Let’s Build this Thing Together!