ANN: Successor to IdeaFisher: eXpertSystem ships...

[Chipp Walters]

This is an interesting project. The client had been working for 8 months 
with a developer in RB trying to get this product out, but due to 
problems, they just couldn't make it happen. So they turned to Rev and 
(fortunate for us) contacted us off of the Rev website 'consultants' list.

Unlike the name implies, this IS NOT an expert system, but rather a 
brainstorming tool which uses 'Expert Modules' to help users work 
through problems and generate solutions. It's the successor to the 
successful product "IdeaFisher" which has thousands of users.

We started the project in late December and had about 90% of it done in 
late January. Since then, we've added a slew of features and spent time 
debugging. I'll be putting up a Case Study shortly with details about 
Rev's ability to solve some of critical problems.

Most interesting in the development was the integration of MagicCarpet's 
'Auto-updating' delivery system, which enabled the client to see 
realtime results each time they launched eXs-- as it updated to reflect 
the current changes. Another interesting point is it was developed 99% 
on PC's and they only had Macs:-). We've tried this 'realtime' approach 
before with much less success, as it takes a very special client to 
understand they are not always looking at 'finished' software. Some 
clients tend to go into 'instant micro-manage' mode, a problem we didn't 
have with ExitPath. Thankfully, they, like us, were goal-oriented and 
focussed on the larger picture of shipping a finished product.

I would say this loose 'extreme programming' model has been very 
successful for us and our client. Of course, the proof is in the sales:-)

The Press Release is at: (there's also a free trial download)

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/3/prweb219298.htm

--Chipp