"Big data" is the fashionable term to use at the moment, but we want to deliver "good data" first and foremost.
As with all other aspects of systems design, data analysis works best when it starts with a robust design philosophy and a clear vision of what the end product needs to be.
-
Data collection
The best recipes start with the best ingredients. A great deal of complexity and effort can be taken out of the process through careful thought at the start of the process about how the data is going to be captured in the first place. Not only does this tend to improve the systems, it can often throw up valuable insights about the underlying business purpose itself. Inexperienced developers often plough straight into a new data analysis task, using packaged data manipulation applications, and then only realise months later that they can't solve the underlying problem because the initial data collection step was not thought through properly. Stehlik & Co employs experienced, dedicated and creative professionals who have carried enough projects through to successful conclusion to resist the temptation to start coding before the design is finished.
-
Processing and analysis
Once you've captured your data, the software system needs to work as efficiently as possible to do something with it. We design systems from end to end, to make sure that there are no performance bottlenecks created when different applications need to pass information to one another. The difference in terms of efficiency and reliability between a well-organised data structure and a poorly organised one can be several orders of magnitude. This is true of data at all scales, from a relatively small database held on a single PC to a large scale data warehouse. We use tried and tested software tools, working within an overall architecture based on sound software engineering principles, to ensure that whatever analysis you need to carry out on your data, the system will be able to deliver it quickly and reliably.
Our main area of expertise is in data processing and analytics, and our developers are able to work at the cutting edge of data science. We work in a consultancy role with business partners, to understand the data problems you need to solve. This allows us to choose the best methodology and the right way to analyse your data. With the right systems architecture, it is always possible to come back and introduce new features, but in our experience, it is best to get the system working right first time, and answer the most important questions. For this reason, we make as many decisions as possible about data analysis at the design stage.
-
Reporting
Finally, the results of the analysis and processing stages need to be summarised in a relevant form for human decision makers. Obviously, the final reporting stage also needs to be part of the design process – in many ways, most of the key decisions taken about the rest of the system can be seen as flowing backwards by logical implication from the reports needed. Data visualisation and display are also a key part of the design process, and our consultants and programmers are all able to work creatively and rigorously to create user interfaces which make sense, and which help you to make better decisions.
-
A complete systems solution
Serious industrial and business applications can always benefit, in our experience, from a bespoke application following all of these stages from one end of the process to another. Unlike some of our competitors, we do not plug ready-made components together and call it a system; we start from an understanding of the problem and then use the best tools available to solve it. This delivers gains in efficiency and reliability which keep on delivering over the life of the system. It also makes it possible to scale the system up to cope with greater volumes of data, and to add functionality and integrate with other business functions. It is a design philosophy which comes to us from the disciplines of engineering and computer science. If you care about your data, and about getting the right answers to your questions, we believe that our approach delivers superior results.
Contact us to find out how we can make your systems work better
We believe that our approach to bespoke systems development is capable of reliably delivering superior systems. If you do not have a custom built application to streamline your management processes, it is our belief that your business is likely to not be operating as efficiently as it could be. Contact us at sales@stehlik.co.uk for an initial discussion, and you can find out more about the ways in which bespoke software development can lead to tangible improvements in planning and production, and the ways in which Stehlik has the skill and commitment to deliver the best software systems.