Q: How long does a typical project take?
A: Since every project is different, this is a tough question to answer. However, experience has shown us that certain types of projects tend to take a consistent amount of time. Listed below are some estimates of how long a project would take:

• Simple static web design = 3 - 5 Weeks
• Standard Ecommerce Implementation = 45 - 90 Days
• Standard Church Website Implementation = 90 - 120 Days
• Simple Web Application (less than 10 dynamic pages) = 45 - 60 Days
• Mid Range Web Application (15 - 30 dynamic pages) = 60 - 90 Days

Q: Who owns the code once the project is finished?
A: Our standard consulting agreement states that any work products that result from a consulting engagement will be the sole property of the client. This means that anything we build for you (be it graphics, source code, documentation, etc) will belong to you at the end of the project.

Q: How does your 'Fixed, Phased' Delivery System work?
A: 'Fixed, Phased' stands for "Fixed prices on a phased development project". In other words, we break your project down into one or more phases and give you a fixed bid for these pieces of work. Any modification from the initial estimate is cleared with you via a change control. This means that there are never any surprises when the invoices are delivered. You always know exactly what a project will cost.

Another benefit to this process is that it mitigates risk for both Synet and you. At the end of each phase, you are sent a complete deliverable. This may be a document, a web site, or a piece of source code. Once you have approved that phase you are able to approve / reject the next phase. You are always in control.

Q: Another firm built our current site (or application), can you still work on it?
A: In most cases the answer is yes, no problem. Most consulting firms provide you with their source code and resource files (images, documents, etc) when a project is completed. Using these items, we can quickly determine where the project stands and give you an accurate estimate as to how much work is involved in taking over a project.

Q: How will I keep up to date on my project?
A: Synet employs a variety of techniques for keeping you up to date on your project. This is a necessity since our clients come from all over the world. These tools include:

• Project Reporting - Once a week your client manager will send a status update which will detail the work done in the previous week and the plans for the upcoming week. Any recent change controls are mentioned as well.
• Development Servers - Once your project starts to be assembled, you will be given access to our development servers. This allows you to watch your site as it is developed.
• Feature / Defect Tracking - Our online feature and defect tracking tool will let you keep up to date on which issues we have found with your software and which features are under development.
• Time Tracking - If you are on an hourly contract, you will have access to our online time reporting system. This will let you see the hours and tasks that our staff have worked on.

Q: What does the Ministry Support Framework do?
A: The Ministry Support Framework (or MSF) allows us to rapidly build full features church websites. Some of the modules it includes are: Online Donations, Ecommerce, Membership Management, Event Registration and Discussion Groups.