Introduction

It is often seen that even small client projects takes double of expected time and three times the expected cost. Though client and analyst both agree in union that they have clear understanding of requirement still the expanse of additional cost and time is evident. The major factors responsible for this are urgency to convince the client, the insufficient knowledge of client’s business domain, grey areas in project, time to create prototype, development of project, insufficient communication in developer(s) teams and high number of revisions from client side.

Turanto™ is a cloud based tool for application development that facilitates the analyst to develop a prototype for clients quickly through its graphical user interface modeling. The generated application has ASP.Net coding platform with reusable code for programmers. In this paper we discuss the capabilities that Turanto provides and the general class of applications that it is very well suited for prototyping

Communication Ease

Business analyst presents the application model against the requirement of clients for feedback and reviews. Though it happens that there are lot of sophisticated tools for demonstrating the various aspects of required model, the client generally fails to visualize the final view of application. Even if key aspects of application are programmed for client’s feedback, a wholistic view of application misses. With Turanto, the model of working application can be demonstrated parallel while discussing the needs. Turanto, a browser based tool, enables prototyping through domain model specification with prediction around visual interface, database design, and integration needs. Once the basics of the problem are available in a model, Turanto then overlays the common enterprise requirements on that, to create a complete working application prototype. The application modeling is based on entity-relationship diagram and even a technically mute person can create an application that meets up to 80% the need of client. This application is instantly accessible via a URL in web browser and also mobile and android APK can be downloaded.

Client reads the design and comes with feedback. With every feedback of client, the process design is revisited to meet client’s need and assembling new requirements. Every cycle of presentation, feedback and revisiting process consumes equal and ample amount of time. The severe clause of this cycle is depreciation in client’s interest and loosing competition to parallel organizations. Turanto cuts all the hectic and delay caused due to revisiting requirement. The application model is as easy to edit as simple was creating it. Turanto is the tool where with which you create an application, deploy it, get feedback and update with required changes at same time. Turanto is an upper hand in competition with parallel organizations and keeps client’s interest high all the time. Agile Software Engineering processes can then be leveraged to keep incrementally updating this prototype, until a sufficiently complete picture evolves to take on a WaterFall development model. The organization retains its choice of development methodology – Turanto simply enables stakeholders to see a working application sooner, so they can provide more complete feedback.

Accelerate Process

Once a project is approved and is beyond prototyping stage, Turanto further saves time and cost by providing ready to go deliverables.

Turanto provides WEB APPLICATION, MOBILE APPLICATIONS and ANDROID APK through single application model. It automatically deploys the newly created solution onto private data center or cloud servers. It configures the URL and completes the configuration as required. The deployment can be linked to 3rd party login solutions (say Facebook or Google), or, can leverage Active Directory or Windows Domain login within an enterprise. The deployment can start out in the cloud during the prototyping phase, and then moved into local data center during the go-live phase.

The mobile solution is generally available on a mobile browser. However, it is architected with Apache Cordova, thus easily transferred into a native Android application or a native iOS application. There is a Turanto application Runner available on Google Play that can be used as well. The default prototype mobile solution integrates with native smart phone capabilities such as camera and GPS, but more importantly, connects to the same data and applies the same validity rules as the web application.

Turanto automatically generates SSRS guide based on application model. The guide is in Microsoft’s Word format (.docx) with complete model details. The guides minimizes the efforts of documenting the application model for writing team. The guide is customizable and present in universal format (word). Turanto also provides various guides like:

• Deployment Guide
• User Guide (Generated Application)
• Guide to Build Applications
• Customization Guide
• Security Guide

The applications developed on Turanto portal are based on ASP.Net framework. The application coding is symmetric for all your applications and present in standard manner (with proper folder nomenclature). It is easy for programmers to understand the code and customize the application by modifying the code. Moreover, the weeks of time required for basic code development is saved.

Turanto supports a large domain of applications that suits the need of an enterprise. The applications manages the data and process through its entity relationship model and various levels of security that constraints the permissions of users. Turanto however is not compatible with anything that requires algorithmic computation, though the requirement can be leveraged for other aspects of application. Turanto is exceptional at building Management Systems (e.g. Asset Management System) or Tracking System (e.g. Tracking Registrations for a conference). Turanto is additionally leveraged in migrating from MS Access or Excel based systems to web and mobile applications.

Resource Reusability

It is just the nature of software that it still remains more of an art than engineering. Thus, a project’s deliverable is heavily influenced by the resources applied to it. Frequently though, to respond to business constraints, the resources have to be moved across projects. These new-to-project resources generally take a little longer to acclimatize to the project setup and code. Frequently, they may need to re-adjust code to their preferences, resulting in hidden delays. However, if all resources are used to the established style of architecture, code, and documentation, as created by Turanto, it is much easier to move resources. Everyone is now familiar with the internal database table naming convention, to the session management setup, to the different sections in a documentation guide.

Thus working with Turanto is a best practice in an organization so that at least when the code or system has to be productized, it is already built using all the standard practices dictated by all clients. Thus, the effort required to bring that edge system under a central umbrella is so much less.

Performance Aspects

Turanto on one hand enhances the communication clarity, on other hand also speed up the model finalization. Both demonstration of application and revising the application are handy process. As Turanto is web based tool that runs on browser, it can be operated anytime anywhere using a web enabled device with internet connection.

The return of investment through the customized approach of application development when compared with Turanto based application lags around 50% in time to achieve same set of qualities. The standard efforts bypass the manual intervention required to achieve those standards.

Increase in ROI is achieved at every step using Turanto. The time required by developers to create a prototype for presentation and then create an application is half using Turanto. Also, the applications from Turanto follows same suit of coding pattern and file organization which reduces the difficulty in customization. The deployment of application on a private server and hosting application for access any internet enabled device through a web browser.

The time used in application development using Turanto is compared with traditional application development methods. The statistics of data in table are fed by customers of Turanto who have inherited Turanto as mandatory part of application development process. The table demonstrates how the customers have saved ample time by switching to Turanto. Through significant reduction in analysis time sales person can convince the client in one or two meetings that leads to greater probability to project awarding.

Summary

Turanto is an essential product for time and cost management in application development. The quick prototype development has greater significance in client interaction, requirement assessment and probability of project awarding. Turanto benefits the programmers with structured application code for web, mobile and android applications. An organization can save up to seven times the time required in application development using Turanto. Thus, Turanto prototyping system enables an organization to reduce risk in new system development and helps engage the end users quicker, while enabling the developers to deliver a more complete system quicker.