Q: How easy is it to engage PSC on a project?
A: It's quite easy. For our static analysis services, we need to spend some time on the phone with a technical point of contact from your company to discuss the bill of materials needed from you as the input into our analysis process. Most customers can secure FTP their software or ship us the software on media via courier.
For our dynamic or run-time services there is some added complexity to the engagement. Our team needs access to our customer’s test environment. We can replicate this test environment or have to field a team at the customer’s site to perform the analysis. The logistics involved varies by customer and requires dialogue to determine the effort needed by both teams.
Q: Can I upgrade from a "Pilot" to a subscription based service?
A: Customers purchasing services as a “Pilot” first time engagement can always upgrade to a subscription.
Q: What is Development Service Unit (DSU)?
A: DSU's is a unit of work which has an associated fix price. This allows us to provide firm fix price service capabilities to our customers versus traditional time and material contracts. This also allows customers tremendous flexibility in how they buy and use DSU(s). The more DSU(s) that are purchased, the cheaper the price point per DSU. Every service offered has an associated number of DSU(s) required to perform it segmented by size of the code (lines of code).
Q: Will I own the tools at the end of a service engagement?
A: Your Company will own the results, however, you always have the opportunity to purchase the tools on your own for future needs. In some cases our customers already own the tools necessary to perform the service, however, they don't own the internal domain expertise to attain the necessary results or have teams with the spare time to perform the analysis.
Q: What security precautions are you taking to safeguard our software artifacts?
A: PSC provides safeguards on a number of levels. With experience and clearances sufficient to work for the Department of Defense (DOD) we have developed a comprehensive customer software security policy available upon request.
Q: How can they work on code they're not domain experts on?
A: Most services our customers would agree do not require application domain expertise. The types of problems we look for are standard and agreed upon by most software executives as problems they never want to have instances of within their applications. Our domain expertise is in the area of software automation and manufacturing process methodology.
Q: Why can't I just do this myself?
A: Our services are not based on your company's inability to perform these services internally; rather they are based upon PSC guaranteeing your company results. Also, we can provide your company with ten major services at a lesser cost to your company. Our company has pre-configured production lines being run by skilled engineers tooled with automation technologies within a manufacturing process methodology.
Q: Why don't you sell me the tools, deploy them for me, and teach me how to do it?
A: We do engage in technology partnerships with some of our clients on a case by case basis. We have clients that want to change the way they do business by integrating information system technology into their core organizational structure. We are happy to discuss such strategies to those customers that want to take their game to the next level.
Q: What are the deliverables from a service engagement(s)?
A: At the end of a service engagement customers receive several different reports.
Executive ScoreCard Summary - The executive scorecard summary report is designed for management to quickly assimilate data from PSC’s technical report through graphics and comparative statistical information. In addition to the comparative analysis, the Scorecard report offers a summation of the data and process improvements which prevent errors and other deficiencies.
Detailed Technical Report - This report contains a detailed source code analysis review of individual instances and overall qualitative indicators per the scope of the service as identified in the software. It also provides recommendations for practical software development process improvements and describe solutions resulting from the source code inspection services performed in Immediate/Near, Mid and Long-term perspectives.
e-Defect Report(s) – PSC delivers all of the above reports electronically including all of the Raw Data files resulting from PSC’s analysis. The Defect reports are supplied in two (2) formats, a .CSV (comma separated value) and a .xls (Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet). The .xls report is delivered with “Macros” so program engineers can rapidly navigate from the defects to the actual source code using a code editor program.
Delivery Meeting – PSC will conduct a delivery meeting with both the executive and technical teams to review all of the above reports either at the customer’s site or virtually (webinar). This ensures your organization prioritizes the resulting data and develops an action plan to deliver immediate value to the company.
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