Frequently Asked Questions.

About Geneca

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Why should I choose Geneca?

While many companies believe that delivering software on target, on time, and on budget is impossible, we understand that you need us to deliver your product successfully so that you can start marketing, selling, and training with confidence. Our best practices around requirements definition, software development, and project governance have set the bar higher. That’s why, for us, every project is an opportunity to convince IT leaders to demand better results from their service providers.

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What differentiates Geneca from competitors?

Geneca is focused on making custom software that helps you grow your business. Instead of being focused on technology and methodologies, we drive teams to produce great software products that increase your revenue. We spend our R&D dollars to invent and discover ways to build better products faster and with more predictability so you can make commitments to your customers and drive your marketing and sales efforts while taking advantage of a quick time to market.

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Why should I trust Geneca?

In an industry where 70% of projects still fail to be delivered on time and on budget, Geneca’s 97% success rate speaks for itself. We understand that building custom software products is more about people than about technology, so we have designed ways to identify and correct things that can get in the team’s way. Everything from crowd sourcing on project status to capacity and functionality planning, we do what it takes for you to know everything that is going on and to be able to have the flexibility your market requires.

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What technologies does Geneca work in?

Geneca’s team is fully versed with numerous technologies. To view a more in-depth list of the technologies Genecians work with most often, click here.

If you do not see your current technology on the list, just ask.  Many of our developers have over 25 years of experience and have worked with too many technologies to list.  What this means is that we’ve seen and done that. We work in different industries and different technologies. We use the tech that makes the best product. We are not a solution being applied to every problem.

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What industries do you work with?

During our 20 years as a custom software company, we have worked with almost every industry.  Our current clients include healthcare, finance, insurance, management consulting, human resources, retail, restaurant, real estate, military, transportation, and manufacturing.  From block chain to supply chain, we bring expertise in a variety of industries.

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Do you work with start-ups?

We love a start-up with a strong vision, contagious enthusiasm, and a realistic budget.  Because we have talented team members working in every product stage from requirements through architecture, development, testing, and launch to the market, we are able to help start-ups by offering flexibility and architectural vision during the crucial early years.  Your start-up may not be able to hire everyone you need today, but you can rent the best talent when you need them with a Geneca partnership plan.

Recommended Reading: Why your startup needs a custom software consulting company.

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How successful are your projects?

Geneca has a 97% success rate in an industry that averages around 30% as the norm.  We dedicate considerable time, energy, and money to ongoing Genecian education and R&D ensuring that we bring a balance of historical expertise with cutting edge practices.  We learned from our past, created processes, tools, and internal products for our present, and are dedicated to building our future and yours—successfully.

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Do you guarantee the budget?

Yes.  Our budget is based on our shared outcome model of designing work.  What does that mean?  We will work with you to design a scope of work and to price it accordingly.  We will both have tasks that must be completed on time in order to meet all deadlines and complete all work.  Your Genecian partner will work with you from the start of the project through the product’s launch to ensure both your company and Geneca meet all deadlines.  As you decide on new features, we will help you scope out your next release. You will have the visibility into the features and capacity to make informed choices that are best for your business.

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What is IP and does Geneca have an IP policy?

IP stands for Intellectual Property.  When you build your product with Geneca, you will own the code and the intellectual property.

Project Workflow

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How does Geneca build custom software?

Geneca is focused on building software that adds to your competitive advantage and makes you money. That means that we need to be able to understand your business and your customers, capture the expertise you want to provide, create that expertise in an easy to understand way, and take your product to your customers. All this while planning for the future and creating the visibility to ensure the outcome. We help you drive into your vision while not removing flexibility. We are the magic balance of planning and agility, wrapped up in a software company.

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What should I expect on our first call?

Since we are here to build what you need, not sell you an existing product, your call will be with a software professional, not a sales person. The goal is to learn about your needs, timeline, budget, and commitment to ensure that we will be a good choice for your project.

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What if I am not ready for development?

We are happy to work with you at all stages of readiness.  If you have an idea and need help figuring out what your software needs are before you propose the work to your boss or your board, we have services that can help you.  We love geeking out over cool ideas and bring 20 years of experience in bringing ideas to launch.

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How does Geneca prevent issues?

Geneca builds using an agile methodology with short sprints and clear communication.  You will always know exactly what is happening at the level of detail you desire. It will be clear, consistent, and aligned to your needs. We will not only tell you what has happened and what the plan is, but we will forecast the future. We use crowd-sourcing techniques to drive better answers and plans and to anticipate problems before they become real.

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What is expected of my company during the course of development?

Throughout the course of your project, we keep every piece of information together and in sync to allow you the best visibility and control of the project. We work with you to ensure your needs are met. You will have a client partner to guide you throughout the entire process. In addition to encouraging you to see what we are building in real-time, your client partner will schedule regular showcases allowing you to show your features to your team. Just as we have commitments, you will too. Your Genecian partner will be right there to help you plan and schedule the things we need from you. After all, we cannot (and should not) build your product without you. You are always part of the loop to adjust all aspects of the product and project.

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Do you write all of the code from scratch?

Geneca will leverage libraries, open source tools, frameworks, and our own extensive library of code as we build.  If there is a tool that provides what we need, we will use it to save you time and money.  That said, every product will need custom code written from scratch. Your product and all the code that goes with it, will be owned by you entirely regardless of the source.

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How will I know what is happening in my project?

We believe in being transparent and communicating strongly.  You can be as involved at the level you wish from attending the daily 15-minute stand-ups to having weekly check-ins.  Our project tools enable us to anticipate challenges and solve them before they become risks.  Your plan will also include regular showcases and your user acceptance testing as your team is essential to the success of your project. We will connect the dots and create visibility into the future.

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Do you use offshore resources?

We do not.  In our experience, offshore resources only appear to cost less in the beginning and are far more costly to a project in the long run. We find the proximity and cultural context provide more than enough extra efficiency to offset the lower hourly cost. We don’t strive to be cheaper by the hour, we drive to make your project faster and your total cost of ownership lower.

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Does Geneca provide on-site development?

Yes. Geneca’s Developers and Experience Analysts succeed regardless of the environment in which they work. We’ve partnered with a broad range of clients, and many have had different preferences when it comes to where the teams make the magic happen. If you have a specific preferences or security requirement, we are happy to accommodate.

Existing Software projects

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I have a legacy product that is no longer meeting my needs, can Geneca help?

Certainly.  We have plenty of experience helping clients design a new product to replace an aging one.  We can evaluate your current product, assist with your user research, and build a product that will serve you well far into the future. We can then help you launch your new product to your customers and help get them excited to adopt.

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Can you take over my existing custom software?

Definitely.  We will ask you to demonstrate the product to us and will audit your code before providing you with a detailed plan for your product’s future. We offer a full technology group so all roles required to support and evolve your product are available from requirements to code to tuning.

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Does Geneca provide on-site development?

Yes. Geneca’s Developers and Experience Analysts succeed regardless of the environment in which they work. We’ve partnered with a broad range of clients, and many have had different preferences when it comes to where the teams make the magic happen. If you have a specific preferences or security requirement, we are happy to accommodate.

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Do you use offshore resources?

We do not.  In our experience, offshore resources only appear to cost less in the beginning and are far more costly to a project in the long run. We find the proximity and cultural context provide more than enough extra efficiency to offset the lower hourly cost. We don’t strive to be cheaper by the hour, we drive to make your project faster and your total cost of ownership lower.

What’s right for my business?

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Why should my business invest in custom software?

If your competitive advantage can be delivered or helped by software, you want to build your software custom. In these situations, adapting to existing software will squash your uniqueness and differentiation. If the software can’t contribute to your unique service or product, a prebuild software package is the right answer.

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Why is custom software such a large investment/so expensive?

Custom software products carry a large cost simply because they are custom to you. Using the same software product other companies use allows you to share the costs across all the users. The appropriate way to leverage custom software is when you are capturing a product or service that is unique, part of your competitive differentiation.

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How do I decide between custom software and off-the-shelf?

Custom software and off-the-shelf products both have their pros and cons. Although custom software generally costs more upfront, in the long run, it can actually save your company money. Scalability is something to consider when determining which option would be best for your business. If your company has specific requirements or will potentially add in additional features on a regular basis, custom software is a better option. With custom software, you can add in all kinds of unique features and specifications tailored specifically to your company, in addition to implementing updates much more frequently.  On the flip side, you only need to advance your custom software when you want to; you don’t have to upgrade each time the vendor wants you to and pay to customize it each time.

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What is Business Intelligence and how do I know if my business needs it?

Business intelligence can be summarized as a technology-driven process used to analyze data to assist end users in making more informed business decisions. There are many different programs and tools available to help users obtain these metrics and information, ranging from data analysis applications to visual data software. Business intelligence can provide your company with many benefits, including enhanced decision-making, increased efficiency, improved internal business processes, and an acquired advantage over competitors, to name a few.  Business Intelligence can be utilized in custom software to make a smarter product that helps more people in different ways. More information is better!

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We help you start

Not ready to hire a full-time in house team, but you know you need serious tech talent? We have solutions to get you started.

We help you scale

We help you drive innovation and discover new revenue opportunities. Our team can build everything you need to grow to new heights.

We help you disrupt

We help you disrupt entire industries through custom software development, so you can achieve your technology, operational, and financial goals.

Are you getting the most out of your current product strategy?

Let’s Talk.

Whether you are inventing your new product or evolving your current one, we’ll meet you where you are and help navigate the way forward.

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