James Ross

Software Developer / Consultant

Whether it is on the Web, for your PCs, or Network, I can create software solutions for your business. I have experience with the latest software development technology. I can work with you and help you tackle what you need to help your business. Please contact me with any questions.

I will take on projects in any application area. I am especially interested in designing data centric applications for business solutions. I can help your company with automating processes. Do you have a plethora of disconnected programs, spreadsheets, and other documents? Do you know what your bottom-line is right now or what it might be next month? Can you place your hands on the exact data you need at any given time? If you need a more efficient way to handle your business information, I can help you. You need a custom application to organize and centralize your data and automate your business information flow. I can design systems for the data storage, retrieval, and processing that is custom crafted for your data and documents.

Before you sign over your project to a software shop, please check with me. I have the experience and expertise to create a variety of software applications in less time than you think. Besides that, I will be able to save your business money! I use a no-nonsense approach to software engineering and use the keep it simple principle as often as possible. I can design applications and web sites that are easy to use and understand. I can price these projects in a range that is affordable for any size business.

Custom Software Services

• Web Application Development: Custom web based applications for your local intranet or for the internet. I can create a web site for your customers to login and check the status on their orders. I can create web applications for any kind of data entry, reporting, or database processing.
• Application Development: Custom Windows (GUI) applications for your business using the latest technologies. Data storage can be on the local hard drive, or on a local intranet (LAN), or over the internet; using xml, database, or web services.
• Web Services Development: Web Services are ideal for business to provide data to end customer applications or to share with other businesses. Keep whoever uses your data up-to-date now using web services.
• Data Migrations: Do you have data stored in one format that needs to be converted to another? Do you need a data feed from the HR department to another company or department?
• Data Reporting: Custom reports. Automated daily, weekly, monthly reports emailed to management or stored on a web server ready to be viewed at any time.
• Document Management: Custom document management. Data merge your documents. Template based, generate forms, quotes, invoices, receipts, etc...
• Consulting: If you need a technology specialist that understands software development to help you manage and/or organize a larger project that will take a team of programmers and designers to create, I can work as a team player to help get your software developed.

Development Cycle

*NOTE* Even though I generally would like to follow these steps, these are not written in stone and they can be changed. If we agree to do business then we can be as informal or as formal as necessary to satisfy our end goals. These steps will not be necessary for simple projects.

• Quote and Design Specification Draft: If I am given a general description of the project, I will provide an informal quote. This is an initial estimate without having all the details spelled out. I can usually provide this within 24 hours of receiving the description. If you like the ballpark figure, we can then schedule a time to get together and go over the project in detail. After this I will generate a detailed quote. It will include all the objectives of the project and what technologies will be used to implement them and an estimated time for completion. Depending on the complexity of the project I might require a small deposit to accomplish the next step.
• Design Specification and Contract: Every part of the project that is to be delivered is detailed in writing and/or in a diagram in a Design Specification Document. A skeleton of the application is developed which demonstrates what functionality the final product will provide. A signed contract and 25% of the total payment is necessary to continue with the project.
• Software Development and Testing: The application is written and developed according to the design specification. During the development, test data is generated and the application is tested for correctness and for bugs.
• Production: This is the delivery and the implementation of the software in a production environment. This might be as simple copying the software to your sales team notebooks and providing a back-up CD or it could mean creating and populating the data on a database server and installing the software on a web server. The remaining 75% of the final payment is due.
• Maintenance follow-up: During a period of 6 months following the delivery of the project, bugs or typographical errors will be corrected at no cost. Functionality will be corrected according to the Design Specification, any new functionality will require additional cost.

Experience and Technology

I have experience in the following programming languages, tools, applications, and more.

• Microsoft Windows:
  • Visual Studio .NET (Microsoft's latest development platform)
    • C# .NET Windows Applications
    • C# ASP.NET Web Applications and Web Services
  • SQL Server (Database Server)
  • IIS (MS Web Server)
  • VBA / MS Access (Visual Basic for Applications / LAN Database Applications)
  • MFC / Win32 API / C++ (Classic Windows Programming)
  
  
• Linux:
  • Perl (CGI scripts / web apps)
  • PHP (very popular web scripting language)
  • MySQL (very fast database)
  • Apache (the most popular web server)
  • PostgreSQL (traditionally, the most industrial strength open source database)

If you hire me to do a project, I will go above and beyond to make sure you are a satisfied customer. I can provide my resume, references, and examples of my work upon request.

For all your custom software development needs please contact me!

For a quote please write me at:
Or use the form on the contact page.