Our service is software development. This includes, in particular, the development of custom software. Software testing is also an important core area of our work. However, we also customize standard software, e.g., from SAP, Microsoft, WordPress, or Typo3. Our software development services include requirements engineering, software-based process automation, data analytics/data science, and interface development.
Our services are modular in structure. You can commission individual service modules or a combination of services with different durations. We also offer our software development services on an hourly basis. We can work at your premises or remotely, whichever you prefer.
Our service portfolio includes both backend and frontend software development. We also specialize in numerous different software interfaces. We develop software and (micro) services on your mainframes, servers, in the Amazon Cloud, or in Microsoft’s Azure Cloud. Of course, we are also experienced in app development for Android or iOS.
We provide our services in agile or multi-agile environments such as Scrum, SAFe, or Kanban. Regardless of the project environments our clients have, our SW consultants are not only certified but also experienced. This also applies to classic methods such as Waterfall, V-model, or Phase models.
The same applies to our Requirements Engineers. As former SW developers or SW architects, they are certified process analysts with empathy and a knack for relevant questions.
We know that our clients’ employees can also communicate wonderfully in English. Nevertheless, project efficiency decreases if communication takes place exclusively in a foreign language. Numerous studies confirm this. Therefore, we offer our clients project communication in their respective native language in our core countries DACH, USA, and China. One face and native language to the customer.
We know that our clients’ employees can also communicate wonderfully in English. Nevertheless, project efficiency decreases if communication takes place exclusively in a foreign language. Numerous studies confirm this. Therefore, we offer our clients project communication in their respective native language in our core countries DACH, USA, and China. One face and native language to the customer.
Before Corona entered all our lives, we held the view that our services could best be provided on-site at the client’s premises. Short physical, personal communication channels and meetings were always our arguments for providing our services on-site at the client’s premises.
However, the Corona situation has shown us that communication via video conferences, messenger, and project management platforms is no less personal and effective. Therefore, we now frequently provide our software development services virtually. The time saved can even be usefully invested in our client projects. Furthermore, the environment is also protected by reduced travel. However, we now know that getting to know each other in person, especially at the beginning of client projects, fosters quick mutual trust.
We work with software development services every day. This area can get a bit technical. As an IT manager or IT contact person, we want to briefly present our experience and knowledge from a technical perspective.
We provide software development services both internally at HighPots and for clients. Services related to software development are our daily business. We have been developing custom software since the late 1980s. On behalf of our clients and partners, we develop software professionally, quickly, and economically.
We support you in choosing the right project organization and the appropriate project management method. Whether multi-agile, agile, hybrid-agile, or waterfall—we are familiar with most of them. Our consultants work with multiple environments and methods on a daily basis, including Scrum, RUP, Kanban, MSF, Hermes, Waterfall, Prince2, etc., as well as in different process environments such as CMMI.
It all starts with defining requirements, which we work out together as a basis for further steps. The result is, for example, UML-standardized use cases, flowcharts, user stories, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, etc., created via Enterprise Architect. Of course, we don’t forget requirements such as performance, data security, data protection, runtime behavior, license management, and maintenance intervals.
Based on your requirements, our software architects and software engineers design the right architecture for your business and IT environment. Of course, this not only creates the basis for programming and software development, but also takes into account cost-efficient maintenance and testing as well as error management. Naturally, we also define the deployment processes for test and production environments as well as release management for you.
Defining the right database model for a future-proof data room is essential. We would be happy to explain when a classic database for structured data makes sense and when a NoSQL database should be used. We often see NoSQL databases such as MongoDB or Cassandra being used unnecessarily.
In many projects where HighPots took over from other service providers, it became apparent during the revision of the technology that data consistency was more important than performance.
We also frequently observe that document-oriented NoSQL databases such as MongoDB are used for graphs instead of more suitable NoSQL databases such as Neo4J. We would be delighted to assist you in selecting the right data space, its architecture, and harmonization.
The custom software is programmed in the defined project environment using the frameworks, server components, databases, programming languages, and their IDEs defined by the software architects. Whether front-end or back-end, we have the right software developers for your project.
Testing is an important task and is carried out on the basis of test documentation and test plans. Test automation, unit tests, functional tests, load tests, and end-to-end test procedures are performed in accordance with DIN ISO standards and/or ISTQB guidelines.
It is a well-known cliché that technicians are reluctant to document. We are fortunate to have technical consultants who enjoy documenting. We take care of both the documentation in the code and the documentation for your data protection officer, your IT administration and DevOps, and of course for your support team.
Good requirements engineering not only reduces project costs, but also makes the feasibility of the project transparent at an early stage. In addition, good requirements engineering significantly increases the likelihood of project success. The development of IT infrastructures and software that meet all requirements can only be based on a solid foundation.
In order to understand the needs and requirements of the business, it is essential to ask precise questions and also to question them.
People are reluctant to respond to unpleasant individuals. Empathy is an essential skill that a requirements engineer must have.
All stakeholders involved must understand the project. This requires clear communication in words, writing, and especially in diagrams. Regardless of whether process flow diagrams, user stories, epics, use cases, sequence diagrams, object and class diagrams, activity diagrams, etc. The ability to clearly structure, logically abstract, and present requirements and needs is another skill that a requirements engineer must have.
A translator is distinguished by their mastery of the languages of the sender and recipient (and vice versa). An interpreter must even be able to do this in real time. A requirements engineer who has no practical experience in software development and comes exclusively from the world of processes is a risk. The same applies vice versa. For this reason, at HighPots we exclusively employ requirements engineers who have practical, long-standing experience in both business and technology.
The ability to be at home in both worlds is an important building block for success. Experience in technology should not only include programming, but also software architecture and IT infrastructure. A requirements engineer at HighPots is therefore an experienced generalist who is skilled and trained in psychology, technology, and languages, and who also has a command of business process management.
Custom software allows you to stand out from the competition and makes you independent of standard software from major manufacturers. Custom software involves risks, but also offers great opportunities.
Custom software developments (individual software) map internal company processes better than standard software. In the age of digitalization, this is an important competitive advantage. However, setting up release and support management involves more effort.
Custom software development frees your company from arbitrary licensing, security, and release policies imposed by software manufacturers. Many software manufacturers today are either multinational corporations that do not prioritize your needs, or small companies with resource constraints.
However, custom software also has disadvantages. These are listed further down on this page. When considering the advantages and disadvantages of custom software development, we at HighPots have tried to be objective.
In the medium term, custom software is no more expensive than purchased standard software. This is confirmed by relevant studies (e.g., by the Fraunhofer Institute DOI23/45 dated February 15, 2021). The studies take into account the total cost of ownership, including the costs incurred when the software is to be removed from the organization.
Our objectivity is not compromised, as we use standard software internally at HighPots. For example, from SAP, Microsoft, or the Typo3 Association. Therefore, we are familiar with both the costs of customizing standard software and the licensing costs and change policies of the major providers of standard software.
We also regularly customize standard software on behalf of our customers. Customizing standard software is therefore an important pillar at HighPots, just like individual software development. This enables us to present objective arguments for and against standard software.
Standard software is understood as a “pre-packaged product for a clearly defined area of application.” Custom software is software that has been developed specifically for use in a particular organization.
Standard software is divided into:
We have even already noticed that manufacturers of standard software already have a lot of legacy code. This negates the advantages of standard software.
In addition, manufacturers of standard software have to make constant compromises in the development and provision of their software. After all, the software has to be suitable for all customers and industries and cannot be tailored to each individual customer.
It is often argued that the customization options offered by standard software negate the major advantage of customized software: namely, the ability to tailor it to the different processes of different companies.
However, this argument does not reflect reality. The customization options offered by standard software are limited.
It should also be noted that code developed for customization often needs to be adapted, e.g., when new releases of standard software are available. Code frameworks for customized software are also subject to release cycles, but the decision as to whether and when the release should be installed can be made freely.
Where does your company earn the most money? In which areas does your company have expertise? Where is the added value? Once you have answered these questions, answer the second question: How strongly does the software influence your company’s added value? The greater the dependence of the company’s success on the software, the more intensively and sensitively you should discuss the following two questions:
Can my company still stand out from the competition if it uses the same standard software as its competitors?
Does my company want to be heavily dependent on a standard software manufacturer in this sensitive area?
Of course, you could argue that introducing standard software reduces the risk of failure. Or that competition using this or that standard software has expanded.
In addition, you could also argue that, in the case of custom software development, there is also a dependency on the software service provider that develops the custom software.
However, this argument can be countered with good project resource planning. By integrating your own developers into the custom software development project. To keep custom software development from becoming too expensive, you can use standard components. For example, widely used programming languages, common software architectures, and IT infrastructure components not only make it easier to recruit technical staff, but also facilitate possible later familiarization with the code.
Standard software reduces the risk of failure during the implementation phase of an IT project. However, there is a high probability that standard software will cost more money for customization and maintenance over time than customized software. You may also have no choice but to use cloud services, which means you will have to place your trust in the standard software manufacturers. You are also at the mercy of the licensing policies of standard software manufacturers. If your competitors are also working with the same software, it becomes more difficult to gain a competitive edge in digitalization.
With customized software and a trustworthy service provider, you have a better chance of outperforming the competition and saving costs.
However, it is much more important that the service provider is authentic and experienced. They must be a good listener and able to accurately estimate the costs involved in order to provide you with a suitable quote. They should understand exactly what you need. This requires a great deal of experience and knowledge in Requirements engineering. It is important to document and outline your requirements precisely. This includes your internal process environment, the processes that the future custom software is to map, as well as communication with other systems and reporting. But the service provider should also record non-functional requirements, performance, security, etc.
Unnecessarily complicated requirements and processes should be simplified. Experience from similar projects should be incorporated. See also our consulting portfolio in the area of software strategy.
The service provider developing the custom software should work with proven modern technologies and software architectures. Custom software development should ultimately be innovative and function reliably—it doesn’t have to be “hip.”
That would only result in losing customers and dissatisfaction. It is therefore important that the custom software development company is realistic and honest.
The service provider developing the custom software should also agree to developers from your company participating in the project. The service provider should understand that you do not want to become completely dependent on them.
If possible, widely used, standardized, and well-documented technologies and programming languages should also be used. This way, you can replace developers with as little additional financial expense as possible if necessary. Or you can counteract potential staff turnover.
Data analytics experience at the service provider should be a prerequisite for developing custom software. These days, software can’t be developed without thinking about databases and data analysis requirements. Software developers need to know what kind of data analysis will be possible, even if the customer’s requirements only include simple reports. The field of data is developing rapidly for all corporate customers, meaning that today’s requirements will no longer be valid tomorrow. Therefore, the software architecture and database structure must be future-proofed when implementing custom software. Service providers should have knowledge and experience in the areas of data, data rooms, data analysis, and data analytics for custom software development.
We work with software development services every day. This area can get a bit technical. As an IT manager or IT contact person, we want to briefly present our experience and knowledge from a technical perspective.
We provide software development services both internally at HighPots and for clients. Services related to software development are our daily business. We have been developing custom software since the late 1980s. On behalf of our clients and partners, we develop software professionally, quickly, and economically.
We work with software development services every day. This area can get a bit technical. As an IT manager or IT contact person, we want to briefly present our experience and knowledge from a technical perspective.
We provide software development services both internally at HighPots and for clients. Services related to software development are our daily business. We have been developing custom software since the late 1980s. On behalf of our clients and partners, we develop software professionally, quickly, and economically.
We work with software development services every day. This area can get a bit technical. As an IT manager or IT contact person, we want to briefly present our experience and knowledge from a technical perspective.
We provide software development services both internally at HighPots and for clients. Services related to software development are our daily business. We have been developing custom software since the late 1980s. On behalf of our clients and partners, we develop software professionally, quickly, and economically.
Full-Stack Frameworks
Non-Full-Stack Frameworks
Repository Systems with which We Have many Years of Experience in Custom Software Development
We Have Project Experience in the Following Deep Learning Software and the Listed Machine Learning Software Packages:
Software for Mobile Devices Such as Smartphones, Tablets, Wearables, or VR Glasses with Android or Apple Operating Systems.
At HighPots, we have used our many years of experience to put together a practical and comprehensive package of software services for our customers. You can order the entire package or just individual modules.
We also continue to develop software for conventional client-server environments. Here, we draw on the following experience: