Aurimas Adomavicius - Better Business Through Tech

Not a happy life

Sat, 11 May 2013 11:20:49 -0500

Not a happy life

Sunday Blues on Flickr.Reminds me of Greece.

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 21:45:47 -0500

Sunday Blues on Flickr.

Reminds me of Greece.

Chicago Theatre on Flickr.Amazing low light performance from the...

Sun, 28 Apr 2013 19:06:19 -0500

Chicago Theatre on Flickr.

Amazing low light performance from the new Fuji X100S! Never leave home without it…

A Lifestyle Camera - Fuji X100S on Flickr.One of the most...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 18:44:46 -0500

A Lifestyle Camera - Fuji X100S on Flickr.

One of the most exciting cameras I’ve ever owned! Love the industrial design, too, and can’t stop taking pictures of it. Shot with Canon 5dMk2 + 135mm F/2L

DevBridge Group sign up! We’re legit!!!!

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:28:52 -0600

DevBridge Group sign up! We’re legit!!!!

South on the River on Flickr.

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 17:48:25 -0600

South on the River on Flickr.

Change on Flickr. Another fall, another year, another thought.

Sat, 17 Nov 2012 18:35:00 -0600

Change on Flickr.

Another fall, another year, another thought.

Excited to announce that DevBridge has been selected as one of...

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:07:54 -0600

Excited to announce that DevBridge has been selected as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, 2012!

Hired a new designer at DevBridge. He tells me that he’s had 3 concussions in a row while...

Sun, 21 Oct 2012 13:59:21 -0500

Hired a new designer at DevBridge. He tells me that he’s had 3 concussions in a row while snowboarding, and that his mental capacity at that time was reduced to 15%. He’ll fit right in. We do need to get a helmet for this boy.

Proud to lead this amazing group of people. :) #boss #day (Taken...

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 14:26:38 -0500

Proud to lead this amazing group of people. :) #boss #day (Taken with Instagram)

What a morning! #chicago #architecture #highrise (Taken with...

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 07:41:07 -0500

What a morning! #chicago #architecture #highrise (Taken with Instagram)

Sore Throat

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 08:31:29 -0500

People at the office are making me say “Make me an offer I can’t refuse”. Have a presentation for an agency at 11am and I sound like Billy Campbell in “The Killing”.

DevBridge is hiring!

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 20:42:54 -0500

DevBridge is hiring!

DevBridge is now a member at the Illinois Technology Association

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 09:41:53 -0500

DevBridge is now a member at the Illinois Technology Association:

We’re all very excited to join this progressive community of companies that either work in or utilize technology for their growth. Looking forward to participating in panels, events, and community gatherings!

DevBridge.com Takes #1 Spot on Organic Search

Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:03:00 -0500

Try “Chicago Web Development” in Google. We just got bumped up to #1 result! Google uses multiple servers for result caching, so I’ve heard some people still seeing us in the second spot.

SEO has been a valuable lead generating tool for us for the last four years. Some of our long term business partners found us by using those same keywords in Google Search. :)

We’re always here if you need help with your search engine strategy!

Jaguar XJS on Flickr. Noticed this beauty while on a stroll...

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 11:55:00 -0500

Jaguar XJS on Flickr.

Noticed this beauty while on a stroll through the neighborhood last night. Jaguar XJS, a proper machine. Trying to figure out if this is the v12 model.

Wow, Avon. I guess spelling takes a back seat. (Taken with...

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:23:49 -0500

Wow, Avon. I guess spelling takes a back seat. (Taken with Instagram)

Turn up the bass.

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 18:16:44 -0500

Turn up the bass.

Benefits of Agile Development in Fixed Price Projects

Sat, 01 Sep 2012 18:00:29 -0500

We are seeing an increasing number of our customers embrace Agile project management. Classic waterfall project management defines a finite scope of project that is locked in after the research and discovery phase. The reality is that it does not work for several reasons: products evolve, requirements change as features are put into place, and expectations from onset of project are often unclear because there is no reference point.

So how do we leverage the benefits of Agile, such as responding to change throughout the lifecycle, in fixed price projects? First step is to define a budget based on the backlog of features identified upon kickoff of product. The difference between Waterfall and Agile, then, is that we’re going to communicate with the customer in a much higher frequency. This allows us to identify out of scope features that have not been originally estimated and then add them to the backlog much earlier in the process. This still results in a Change Request and additional cost for the customer, but it’s done in a proactive fashion. This prevents frustration over missed deadlines, allows for adjustments in product to match real needs of user throughout the project, and puts the customer in control.

A real world example is a system we’re currently building. We defined the scope in good detail and continued to wireframe the system. Wireframing is inexpensive and allows us to explore user stories based on the original backlog of features. The client was provided with wireframes for all interactions on the site and identified several features that were originally lacking from the Request for Proposal. With minimal investment and early in the project schedule we identified an increase in scope of roughly 35%. This, however, did not cause discomfort because the client made these discoveries on their own and initiated the conversation about adding these features. A similar process of producing, submitting for feedback, and adjusting continues throughout the lifecycle - first wireframes, then active prototypes, then completed modules of the website.

The reality is simple - classical fixed price projects do not exist once you reach a certain level of complexity. Neither the customer nor you can predict 100% of all features and requirements that a system may need. There are two ways your client can come out of this: frustrated that you provided them with a fixed bid and then blew the budget two times over; or comfortable and knowing that the direction the product has taken was a direct influence of them being able to react to market needs. Use agile, communicate often, create happier clients.

"Clear product management thinking focuses design and development on delivering the most value and..."

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 12:29:14 -0500

“Clear product management thinking focuses design and development on delivering the most value and best UX to customers, rather than being prematurely disposed toward solutions for technical or political reasons.”

- Kristofen Layon