Bidding Custom Software Projects Posted on Mar 23, 2018 | Kate Washut Our process for bidding custom software projects. Continue Reading
Frequently Asked Questions, Part 2: Project Timelines, Change Control, and Red Flags Posted on Mar 08, 2018 | Kate Washut Part 2 in our series answering questions about working with software developers. Continue Reading
Demystifying Nerd-Speak in 10 Easy Terms Posted on Feb 08, 2018 | Kate Washut 10 terms explained to help you understand your software development team. Continue Reading
Far Reads Recap: Joy, Inc. Posted on Jan 25, 2018 | Kate Washut Our latest Far Reads book club pick was “Joy, Inc.” by Richard Sheridan. Here’s our recap. Continue Reading
Investing in Software for the Long Term Posted on Jan 11, 2018 | Megan Horn Custom software projects are an ongoing investment in building, continually improving, and enhancing a system. Continue Reading
Three Options for Adding Custom Software Development Capacity Posted on Dec 07, 2017 | Megan Horn What do you do when you have a need for custom software, but your internal team doesn’t have capacity? We lay out three options and the realities of each. Continue Reading
Build or Buy? A Software Consulting Case Study Posted on Nov 30, 2017 | Kelly Kimmich When software is the answer to a business problem/opportunity, should you build custom, buy off-the-shelf, or something in between? Continue Reading
Using ASP.NET Boilerplate for Efficient Custom Software Development Posted on Nov 16, 2017 | Megan Horn This year we started using ASP.NET Boilerplate for some of our web application projects. The open-source framework allows us to spin up new projects quickly and with some of the core functionality integral to the types of systems we build. Continue Reading
Why Software Costs Change Posted on Nov 02, 2017 | Kelly Kimmich Even when costs change, scrum has come a long way in helping teams deliver working software in priority order within budget limits. Continue Reading
Easier Data Access & Management: The New Data Portal Posted on Oct 26, 2017 | Jen Aiello Far Reach re-wrote the regional data portal for two local economic development organizations to improve backend data management and front-end data access. Continue Reading
10 Important Software Testing Considerations Posted on Oct 19, 2017 | Megan Horn At Far Reach, our custom software testing procedures are pretty rigorous. Here are 10 important things that should be tested in every software system. Continue Reading
The True Cost of Technical Debt Posted on Oct 05, 2017 | Megan Horn Technical debt is the extra development work that comes down the road when developers write code that is easy to implement in the short run instead of applying the best overall solution. Continue Reading
Chrome Just Made SSL Even More Important Posted on Sep 28, 2017 | Chad Feldmann Throughout 2017, Google has put a focus on Internet security, pushing website owners to implement more secure practices by rewarding secure sites and punishing non-secure sites in Chrome. Continue Reading
The Cone of Uncertainty in Software Development Posted on Sep 21, 2017 | Kelly Kimmich Developing custom software can be risky—for our clients and for us. We use the cone of uncertainty to understand risk and estimates as we progress through projects. Continue Reading
Data and the Stockdale Paradox: Know Your Own Reality Posted on Sep 14, 2017 | Kelly Kimmich The Stockdale Paradox says to keep a positive attitude but always maintain awareness of reality. One way to maintain an objective view of reality is with data. Continue Reading
Blogs, Books, and Podcasts. Oh, My! Posted on Sep 07, 2017 | Megan Horn There are endless resources out there about software development, scrum, company culture, and leadership, so we compiled our favorites to share with you. Continue Reading
Far Reads Recap: Today Matters Posted on Aug 31, 2017 | Megan Horn Our latest Far Reads book club pick was “Today Matters” by John C. Maxwell. Here’s our recap. Continue Reading
Do Learning Goals Work? Posted on Aug 24, 2017 | Kate Washut Earlier this year, we started using learning goals as a means of encouraging personal and professional growth within the Far Reach team. Has it worked? Find out. Continue Reading
Multitasking Ruins Productivity Posted on Aug 10, 2017 | Megan Horn Raise your hand if you’re a habitual multitasker. Do you get distracted by each incoming email? Do you switch between projects and tasks? We recently learned just how unproductive multitasking really is. Continue Reading
Measuring Team Happiness Posted on Aug 03, 2017 | Angie Steffen We think a big part of that is being happy at work. Well, how do you know if team members are happy if you’re not tracking it? Continue Reading