Application Development

With over 15 years of experience in web application development spanning both the .NET and Ruby on Rails platforms, I am an expert in implementing solutions to solve your problems.

I can help your business with their application development needs in a number of ways; complimenting your current development staff or by letting you outsource the whole thing.

If you care about platform, I can write software targeting Apache or IIS web servers using Ruby on Rails or ASP.NET. If you don’t care about platform, you’re my favorite type of person, and I’ll work with you to establish an environment and keep it going.

How I work

I like to break a project down into a series of smaller releases, typically 1 – 2 weeks. At the start of each release we’ll work together to select which features are the most important, at that time, to have built. I’ll keep you updated of status with an online tool that people love, and when I have a problem or question I’ll pick up the phone and call you. At the end of the release I’ll do a demonstration for you of what features were built in software that could be pushed to production. I try to schedule these in the middle of the week, Monday’s are almost always busy and most people are just thinking about the weekend on Friday. We can do these demos online.

Project rescue

Have a project or product that is spiraling out of control? Are deadlines consistently missed, communication almost non-existent and surprises popping up everywhere you turn?

If any of those questions resonate with you your project might be in need of a rescue and it can help to have an objective, fresh set of eyes take a look. Project Rescues are broken up into a series of discrete phases but almost all include discovery and recommendations. Who implements those recommendations is left to you. I can help train or kickstart an existing team.

One critical step after recommendations, however, is buy-in. You’ve paid to find out what the issues are and how to fix them, or have them fixed. You have to be committed to enabling those recommendations to be implemented before we would continue.

Ask the Expert

Ask The Expert is meant for those situations when a full-scale consulting engagement is not appropriate or is not desired.

Find out if Ask The Expert is right for you. Here are some scenarios:

• You have an existing IT infrastructure that works fine, but you would like some advice on how to improve its efficiency, reliability, stability, etc.
• You are looking at new IT solutions and find the choices overwhelming. You would like some guidance on where to start, but don’t want a full-scale engagement.
• You are considering new IT vendors and would like some advice from an independent third party.

With this service, you’ll get full access to Mark’s years of knowledge and experience at a fraction of the cost of a full-scale consulting engagement. Because of its nature, there are time limits on this consultation service.

Feel free to contact me to find out if this service is appropriate for your needs.

Service Options

Two forms of Ask The Expert are available:

Telephone and email consultation without documentation review

Communication takes place via telephone and email during business days. If I need to read a substantial amount of information, please consider the next level of this service.

Telephone and email consultation with documentation review

Communication takes place via telephone and email during business days. With this option, you can send us any documentation regarding the topic, which we will review within a reasonable time. This way, we can decide ahead of time which material to discuss during our conversation, hence greatly improving efficiency and effectiveness.

This service is time-bound, with two standard options:

• One hour (cumulatively) of phone conversations plus unlimited email exchange for up to five business days following the initial call.
• Unlimited phone conversations and email consulting for thirty (30) days.

Guidelines for the consultation

• I will sign any non-disclosure agreement prior or during the service if this is a concern. I always operate in full confidentiality and trust.
• The service time interval starts with the first call or email discussing the subject(s) you would like to address. There is no need to rush.
• More then one person in your organization can engage in this service; however, I accept emails ONLY from ONE email address. Change of address is possible during the service, but this can be initiated only from the previous address.
• I prefer to schedule phone calls in advance (through email or voice mail) to maximize efficiency.
• I will personally respond to emails on the same business day when messages are received during business hours. Emails received outside business hours will be replied to on the next business day. Business hours are Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm EST/EDT.