DTAP: Development, Testing, Acceptance and Production

The time has finally come! It is clear what kind of application we are going to be making, how it should work and what it will look like (read more about the design phase of custom software here). Now we can start with the part where we are specialized in: development. The development of web-based software takes place in a special development environment, where we can fully experiment. Whether it concerns the development of a completely new application or the addition of extra features: we'll be starting with writing code. To be honest, this is often our favorite step: solving the puzzle of how we can make software do exactly what we demand it to do. And all that as efficient, quick, reliabe and future-proof as possible!

Code is only great code if it does exactly what it is supposed to do (and no more or less). In this phase, every piece of code we have written is directly tested on a test server. The testing happens automatically, so potential bugs are noticed immediately and are - of course - directly fixed. These tests do not only take the accuracy of the code into account, but also search for any vulnerabilities in terms of security. Because everything we develop is directly and continuously tested, we can guarantee it will work when it reaches the acceptance- and, later on, the production-environment. So no fingers crossed and hoping for the best when the product goes live, but the certainty of a properly functioning application. Because this testing happens automatically, we save our time for more important things: building applications that are user-friendly and pioneering.

Once the software comes unscathed through the test phase, it’s time for you to evaluate what we’ve made. As a customer, you will mainly see the acceptance environment. In this secured environment you can test the online application without any consequences for the live version. We can be pretty delighted about the software we’ve developed, but in the end it is you who has to be satisfied. Want something added or adjusted? No problem, DTAP enables us to make adjustments very easily.

Are you pleased with what you see? Then the last step towards the production environment is a small and quick one. Because every step in the DTAP-street is aligned, this last step goes very smoothly. DTAP contributes to streamlined software development. That’s great, but it goes even further. This methodology makes further development an easy task without any insurmountable difficulties. Do you want to make adjustments after the completion of your product? That’s done in a jiffy as well. We surely don’t have to tell you it is much more pleasant to build on a solid foundation, than on code that is a mess. If you have plans for the future, a solid foundation to build on is exactly what you will have at the end.

The DTAP-street sometimes sounds like a rigid, rectilinear step-by-step plan. However, software development is much more often continuous these days instead of such clear steps. The essence of the DTAP-street remains the same, but we like to use the latest techniques to make software development as smooth as possible. For example, we use continuous development during all steps; by automating as much as possible we deliver faster, better software. We also use Review Apps with which we increase the implementation speed of new features.