Kids IP
Kids is a UK-based charity that offers services designed to bring disabled children into mainstream activities. Services supporting befriending schemes, inclusion projects, drama and music after school are all designed to encourage and enable children to be part of the wider world.
The YP-IN project is intended to support this activity. It is designed to help young people produce evidence, and support each other in campaigning for better access to public facilities. The site is intended to support a highly secure online community of young people and their helpers, and it is intended to help them share ideas and advice.
Specification:
From the basic Project Initiation Document, a detailed specification was drafted, using a Prince II project management methodology. The core components were agreed and a draft pricing agreement was made. Particular attention was paid to web-accessibility and to security – two essentials for this project. At this point, a more detailed functional specification was written. Designs were then agreed to fix the final functionality. At this point, a detailed contract could be entered into providing firm agreements on exactly what functionality, pricing and timescales were involved. This documentation then formed the basis of the development agreement.
Development:
Initial design treatments were drafted and agreed prior to the technical development of the core website. Using the Site Framework Content Management System, the site was then configured according to the specification, and to the timetable that was agreed in the contract. The skill-sets involved included SQL Server and ASP.NET along with the new generation of web programming languages and tools (XML sXML, XSMLT).
Ongoing Development:
The second stage of this project is intended to disseminate the work that has been generated by this virtual community to local authorities.
Fused Technologies provide a high level of ongoing technical assistance to The YP-IN project, and are contracted to provide dedicated hosting, training, technical support, software licencing, site warranty, and regular software upgrades.
The Site Framework CMS is developed according to Fused Technolgies' collaborative development methodology. It is shared by more than 30 medium-large governmental / NGO / Charity clients. Any components that are developed for one client are made freely available to all others. This ensures that the system continues to keep pace with new developments. Long-standing existing clients such as The Commonwealth are using the same system that Fused Technologies are offering in competitive bids.