How we work

Contents

1. Methodology
2. Our area of expertise
3. Project steps
4. Project meetings
5. Project delivery kit
6. Effective meetings
7. Define boundaries
8. Timesheet

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Methodology

We offer a project-based approach to clients who want to engage our services for a specific project. This modality establishes a binding agreement detailing the scope, timeline and payment terms. The contract sets expectations and responsibilities, defining the roles of both parties, ensuring clarity on requirements, and protecting everyone’s interests.

We prefer this method because it allows us to plan and execute the project in line with the partner’s needs. We take on the role of active partners in the project, collaborating with clients to set clear objectives, milestones, and deliverables, ensuring the project’s success. This helps us build long-term relationships and deliver a very high-quality work.

We also provide a capacity-based model for clients needing flexibility in requirements. The client accesses variable resources from our company at optimal times, such as during workload peaks or between validation phases. This method can be a viable alternative when the project is not yet fully defined.

Our area of expertise

Volcanic Minds delivers excellence. Our mission is to craft top products with our team’s diverse expertise, including:

• tailor-made solutions
• CX / UX / UI design
• web and mobile applications
• devOps and system integrations
• strategy & CIO / CTO as a service

Attention to detail, maximum efficiency, and an innovative approach are among our strengths. We have a mobile-first approach to hybrid app development and an SEO-oriented approach to building digital solutions. We build scalable systems from the outset, without the need for large initial investments, yet ready to handle demanding workloads.

We have more than ten years of experience serving clients in sectors like banking and finance, manufacturing, advertising, digital evolution, and citizen services, we bring substantial expertise to every project.

We provide superior products and solutions that meet all your needs. We are Volcanic Minds.

Project steps

Managing a new IT project requires careful planning and execution to ensure it’s completed on time, within budget, and meets the desired outcomes. Here’s how Volcanic Minds operates when handling a new IT project:

• Engage: We begin by actively engaging with stakeholders to understand their requirements, objectives, and goals. This involves thorough documentation and analysis of the project scope, expected timeline, and budget.

• Mockup: Next, we study the target audience and create prototypes or mockups. This step identifies potential design or functionality issues early on and allows stakeholders to provide feedback on the project’s design and features.

• Creation:

  • Management: Effective team management is crucial. We assign roles and responsibilities, set clear goals and targets, and monitor progress. Our project managers ensure the team works efficiently, addressing any issues promptly.

  • Development: We design and develop the technical aspects, including hardware, software, and network infrastructure. Our technical expertise ensures the project is built to specification and meets stakeholder requirements.

  • Sharing: We keep stakeholders informed through incremental sharing of development progress and manage change requests efficiently. Regular communication and progress reports ensure the project aligns with expectations.

• Evolution: Finally, we manage deployment, product evolution, and provide release support. We deploy the project, verify its functionality, and offer ongoing support. We also maintain and update the project regularly to meet changing needs and requirements.

Project meetings

At Volcanic Minds, we use the Scrum methodology to manage projects effectively. Scrum incorporates meetings and rituals that foster productive collaboration and deliver value to our clients. Some Scrum ceremonies are:

• Planning: The team convenes to determine tasks for the upcoming sprint. We review the product backlog—a prioritized list of features and requirements—and select items to address.

• Daily Meetings: Brief sessions held every day at the same time. Each team member provides a quick progress update and discusses any challenges, ensuring alignment and awareness. These daily touchpoints are crucial for maintaining momentum and quickly addressing any challenges.

• Review: At the end of each sprint, we demonstrate completed work to stakeholders and receive feedback, which helps refine the product backlog. By incorporating stakeholder feedback regularly, we identify and correct issues early, preventing them from persisting into subsequent stages of the project.

• Retrospective: The team reflects on the previous sprint to identify areas for improvement in our processes. This feedback directly affects the backlog.

By employing Scrum, we achieve a flexible and adaptive project management approach. Our team collaborates effectively to consistently deliver value, enhancing project efficiency, client satisfaction, and our ability to adapt to change.

Project delivery kit

At the conclusion of every project, our commitment continues. We provide our clients and partners with comprehensive documentation detailing all the processes involved, along with the complete DevOps infrastructure setup if required. We also ensure that the source code is delivered to the client or partner upon receipt of payment.

We transfer our project knowledge, helping clients understand the development process, providing future reference, and identifying improvement areas for subsequent projects.

In essence, the handover process isn’t just about delivering the source code—we provide all related knowledge and materials. We are dedicated to ensuring our clients have full control over their projects and understand every aspect of the development. Our goal is to enable clients to maintain and adapt their projects according to future goals.

Effective meetings

To ensure productive meetings, it is essential to establish rules that apply to all participants, including partners and colleagues. Meetings should be held between 09:30 and 12:30, and between 14:30 and 17:30. As a fully remote company, participants are expected to keep their cameras on and be punctual.

Only essential personnel should be invited, with attendees informed of the topics discussed via summary emails when appropriate. This avoids wasting time and ensures that only those who can contribute attend.

Meetings should not exceed 50 minutes. Participants must come well-prepared and informed about the topics to be discussed.

Finally, it is crucial to conclude each meeting by sharing established goals or a list of topics for future meetings. By following these guidelines, all participants can ensure productive and efficient meetings.

Define boundaries

Defining the boundaries of a project is essential to determine its specifications and protect the client’s interests, ensuring we work towards the right objectives.

It’s not an easy task, but we consistently apply this validation throughout the project. Even if our clients have a clear idea of what they want to achieve, it’s our job to analyze and validate these boundaries, providing an external perspective.

Timesheet

At Volcanic Minds, we believe in trust and autonomy in managing workload. We do not require employees to fill out timesheets unless requested by the client or if stipulated in the contract.

We encourage employees to communicate openly with their manager about any requests, questions, or concerns regarding time tracking.