FAQs
The following are some common questions we hear.
Feel free to contact us directly if your question is not listed.
Do I need to provide my own software designs?
You may if you prefer, but you do not have to. This includes formal requirements. Whatever is missing, we will assist you in drafting. This includes visual designs and art assets.
How do you bill for services?
We prefer fixed bid contracts. This puts the client in the best possible position in a budgetary sense, and removes all pressure from the quality of the work, which is very important to us.
We will do time and materials projects on occassion, but only when we see a significant risk or an inability to estimate a fixed end result.
When we do fixed bid, we will publish a milestone plan with the project startup documents which will set specific milestones where certain goals must be achieved and delivered. We will then bill after each milestone, or bimonthly,
depending on the length of the project.
How do you report time?
We use a custom tracking system which forces us to track all work done down to accuracy of 15 minute intervals. Those logs are automatically generated and attached with all our invoices.
This applies to fixed bid contracts as well. We track and report time usage, even though the contract is fixed bid.
What is the single most important trait of the work to Hatch Innovations?
That the work is innovative, hence our name. We prefer not to get into too much remedial work, and to employ us for that kind of work is inefficient for us and the client.
How much lead time do we need to allow to get started?
It varies. Typically 1-2 months is enough lead time to allow us to plan and allocate resources to a project. But it never hurts to ask - it can be quicker to get started, depending on the project and timing.
What technology stack do you use for web development?
We typically prefer the MEAN stack for all current commercial work, unless the client prefers .NET or a hybrid, in which case we will develop the back-end in C# and .NET, but with a front-end in Angular or ReactJS.
We are currently only doing ES6 Javascript, but can flex on this if a client specifically wants pre-ES6 work.
What technology stack do you use for kiosk development?
For any kind of heavy component work - including kiosks, game assets, video-related, etc. - we use the most effective solution, balancing time versus quality. This will range beween C# and Windows Presentation Foundation on Windows based machines, to full C++ and DirectX. For Linux based solutions, we use
API's and OpenGL.
How long have you been in business?
We've just celebrated our 11th year in business.
How are you able to work so fast?
We employ modular design and object-oriented development methodologies, like any good vendor. But we also leverage a huge store of accumulated framework code and knowledge, which is
probably the single greatest contributing factor.
What is a typical duration for projects you do?
Certainly it depends on the nature and scope of the objective, but we prefer to work in 3-6 month intervals. We find that projects lasting more than 6 months tend to suffer from
greater distraction levels. But we have worked on projects as long as 1-2 years.
