How Atomic Goes About Setting a Project Budget

If you’ve worked with other custom software companies, you’ll notice that Atomic’s approach to budgeting is unique. It’s a lot more time-intensive and comprehensive. In fact, when I deliver a budget model to a customer who is comparison shopping, they often tell me something like, “This is the most comprehensive analysis I have seen from […]

Product Owners Shouldn’t Shy Away from Customer Surveys

One factor that determines the success of product development is how much value customers get from the product being built. This is why I’m a proponent of surveying customers before, during, after product development.

Cross-Platform Mobile Frameworks – Benefits & Tradeoffs

When clients first contact us about building a mobile app, they often wonder if they should build separate native mobile apps for both Android and iOS platforms, or if they should use a cross-platform framework. In the past, cross-platform frameworks have gotten a bad rap, and for good reason. They were slow, they didn’t look […]

Is Software the Best Solution? These 5 Questions Will Help You Decide

These days, most companies are expected to have some sort of digital or connected solution. Even industries that have been paper-based or seem removed from connected solutions are feeling pressure. Their executives may think they need a solution, but what should it be? And how do you determine if software is the right solution?

What To Expect From Your Product Development Team

Over the years, I have seen business people and stakeholders become frustrated with the teams who make custom software for them. It’s understandable! Few people have any preparation for their first custom software project. They dive in with enthusiasm and subject matter expertise. Sometimes, it goes great. Sometimes, it goes poorly. I believe that the […]

Writing a Great Software Development Contract, Part 4 – Breaches and Termination

Sometimes, an engagement doesn’t go according to plan, and it’s a good idea to agree on what to expect if this occurs. Custom software contracts commonly define how to fix a situation if expectations aren’t being met, and they may also define rights for terminating an engagement.

Writing a Great Software Development Contract, Part 3 – Warranties, Indemnifications, and Liability

Custom software services contracts should call out the promises you and your partner make to each other. The contract should also define who will be responsible, and to what degree, if certain issues arise.

Writing a Great Software Development Contract, Part 2 – Intellectual Property Rights

Custom software contracts need to be clear about intellectual property rights—the ownership and use rights for each component in the final product. A software product can have some components that are custom, some that are open-source, and others that are commercially licensed. And each can have separate IP rights.

Writing a Great Software Development Contract, Part 1 – Overview & Principles

If you’ve never worked through contracting for custom software development services, it can be challenging. Your existing templates may be rooted in business relationships focused on purchasing tangible goods or pre-existing software. Custom software dev contracts have unique considerations and require a slight shift in mindset. I work with Atomic’s clients and our legal team […]

Why Milestone-Based Payments Are Never a Good Idea for Custom Software

During two separate meetings with potential new accounts this week, milestone-based payments (sometimes also called fixed-bid payments) came up in conversation. One potential customer was interested in working this way; the other one had just been burned by it. These conversations reminded me of the reasons milestone-based payments are a bad idea when you’re building […]

Atomic Spin

Atomic Object’s blog on everything we find fascinating.

Resources for Clients