Frequently Asked Questions

Sweent prioritizes transparent and consistent communication. We utilize a combination of regular status updates, sprint reviews (via Zoom/Google Meet), stakeholder meetings, daily interactions via Microsoft Teams, and collaborative project management tools like Jira and Asana.

We primarily use Jira for task management, sprint planning, issue tracking, and progress monitoring. For higher-level planning and milestone tracking, we use Asana. We also integrate GitLab for version control and code development, providing a comprehensive overview of project status.

We meet deadlines through meticulous planning, proactive risk management, and Agile development methodologies. We break down projects into manageable sprints, allowing for flexibility and iterative progress. Changes are managed through a structured process involving documentation, impact assessment, client prioritization, and transparent communication.

We assess complexity across four key dimensions: technical (technology stack, integrations, security), functional (features, user roles, workflows), data (volume, variety, velocity, veracity, migration), and organizational (stakeholders, change management). We use a scoring system to quantify complexity, which helps us allocate resources effectively, plan appropriately, manage risks, and provide accurate pricing.

We foster a positive and engaging work environment through initiatives like employee surveys, one-on-one meetings, professional development opportunities, clear career paths, competitive compensation and benefits, recognition programs, flexible work arrangements, and a collaborative, innovative, and respectful company culture.

Sweent employs a flexible approach, leveraging our core team and our network of contractors. We distribute workload based on project requirements and individual skill sets. Our Project Managers and team leads ensure balanced workloads, which are tracked through our project management tools. We also maintain open communication to ensure everyone has the support they need.

Sweent's core leadership team comprises four technology executives with over 45 years of combined experience in software development and project management. This team includes two Senior Software Engineering Managers, a Senior Development Lead, and a Director of Design. They oversee project delivery, quality assurance, and manage a network of 15+ specialized technology professionals, including developers, designers, and QA specialists, with an average of 7+ years of experience. Sweent's model emphasizes executive-level oversight and dynamic resource allocation, enabling the company to scale development teams effectively. The core team has a proven track record of managing projects with teams ranging from 5 to 10+ individuals, adeptly delegating tasks and fostering collaboration to ensure project success. In practice, each project is usually managed by one of the two Senior Software Engineering Managers, who will then form a project team composed of internal Sweent talent, and talent from our vast network.

We empower our team through clear communication, trust, autonomy, providing necessary resources and training, promoting continuous learning, and acting as facilitators to remove obstacles. We encourage team members to take ownership and make decisions within their areas of expertise.

Agile is central to Sweent's philosophy. We have extensive experience using both Scrum and Kanban across a wide range of projects, allowing us to deliver iteratively, adapt to changes, and maintain a clear workflow.

We actively encourage feedback loops through User Acceptance Testing (UAT), regular demos and prototypes, feedback forms and surveys, direct communication channels, and analytics to track user behavior.

Yes, Sweent has a proven track record of developing scalable, secure, enterprise-level applications designed to handle substantial amounts of data and user traffic. We've successfully delivered solutions for various industries, always prioritizing performance and reliability. Some examples of this are, high-traffic marketing campaign websites and a comprehensive social media analytics portal for Deloitte.

Absolutely. We have experience incorporating robust document management capabilities into applications. This includes features like uploading, categorizing, tagging, searching (by metadata, keywords, and content), previewing, downloading, version control, change tracking, and access control.

Yes, secure API development is one of our core competencies. We utilize industry best practices for authentication (OAuth 2.0, API keys, JWT), authorization (RBAC), input validation, encryption (HTTPS, data at rest), rate limiting, and comprehensive logging and monitoring.

Yes, we have extensive experience integrating with a wide range of systems and APIs. We recommend a thorough understanding of existing API documentation, the use of standard protocols (REST, JSON), robust error handling, comprehensive testing, and clear communication with any third-party providers.

Yes. While we leverage open-source solutions when appropriate, we also have experience building custom components tailored to specific project needs. We address challenges like development time, maintainability, compatibility, and security through careful planning, code reviews, rigorous testing, and detailed documentation.

While we have not directly integrated Power BI in past projects, we understand its value and have created custom dashboard solutions. We are fully capable and prepared to integrate Power BI or similar tools into your application, ensuring a seamless user experience and robust security controls.

Yes. While we have primarily worked with other mapping libraries like Google Maps and Leaflet, we are familiar with the principles of geospatial data integration. We are confident in our ability to quickly adapt to new technologies and effectively integrate mapping software into your application. Our experience with similar technologies allows us to develop custom components, integrate with online services, and implement necessary security controls.

Yes, we have experience implementing comprehensive system administration and user account management features. This includes dedicated administration panels with role-based access control, user authentication/authorization, tools for managing user accounts, password management, and user activity logging.

Yes, we have experience leveraging search engines like Elasticsearch to provide powerful search capabilities within applications. While there are complexities involved in indexing and querying, the benefit of enabling users to quickly find information using natural language queries greatly enhances usability.

We are committed to performance optimization. We employ techniques like code optimization, caching, image optimization, database optimization, and load balancing. We measure performance using metrics such as Page Load Time, Time to First Byte (TTFB), Server Response Time, Database Query Time, Error Rate, Throughput, First Contentful Paint (FCP), Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), and Time to Interactive (TTI). We use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, and WebPageTest to analyze and improve performance.

Yes, we have a strong understanding of cloud environments. We utilize separate environments (Dev, Test, Stage, Training, Prod), Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform and AWS CloudFormation, containerization with Docker, and container orchestration with Kubernetes and ECS.

We use Git for version control and a branching strategy (e.g., Gitflow). Environments are synced with specific branches. We strive to keep environments synchronized to minimize integration issues, and the degree of divergence depends on the specific development cycle.

Our deployment frequency varies depending on the project and methodology used (Agile: typically 2-4 weeks or less). Lead time for changes depends on their complexity. We aim for rapid and reliable delivery through our CI/CD pipelines.

We embrace CI/CD for rapid, reliable delivery. Our process includes Continuous Integration (regular code merges, automated builds/tests), Continuous Delivery (automated deployment), Automated Testing, Infrastructure as Code, and Monitoring/Feedback. We use tools like GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, and AWS CodePipeline.

We carefully consider architectural patterns (microservices, monolithic, SOA, serverless) based on project requirements. We use a process of requirements gathering, technology assessment, architectural design, prototyping, and evaluation/refinement, weighing benefits/drawbacks based on factors like scalability, maintainability, performance, security, complexity, and cost.

While we may not have experience with every specific AI tool, we have extensive experience integrating a wide range of third-party software and APIs, including payment gateways, social media APIs, CRM systems, and mapping APIs. Our integration process focuses on understanding documentation, developing a clear plan, implementing robust error handling and logging, conducting thorough testing, and establishing communication with the provider.

Yes, responsive design is a core competency. We utilize fluid grids, flexible images, media queries, and a mobile-first approach to ensure optimal user experience across all devices.

Yes. Sweent is familiar with OpenShift and has extensive experience with Docker and other container orchestration platforms (Kubernetes, Amazon ECS).

Sweent has a broad range of technology expertise. Here's a quick overview:

• Front-End: Angular, React, JavaScript, TypeScript
• Back-End: Node.js, Python, C# (.NET integrations)
• Databases: SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
• Cloud: AWS (S3, EC2, Lambda, RDS, etc.), Azure, Google Cloud Platform
• CI/CD: GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, AWS CodePipeline
• DevOps: Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform
• Testing: Jest, Cypress, Selenium, Mocha, Chai, JMeter, LoadRunner
• Design: Figma, Adobe XD, Balsamiq
• Other: Git, npm, yarn, webpack, Maven

We are also adaptable and quick to learn new technologies as needed.

We implement structured audit logs to track all data modifications and security-related events. We use a standardized format, protect logs from unauthorized access, regularly review logs, and utilize automated tools for log analysis.

We follow industry best practices, employing multi-factor authentication (MFA), role-based access control (RBAC), data encryption (in transit and at rest), input validation, regular security audits, and the principle of least privilege.

Yes, we have experience implementing SSO solutions using SAML and OAuth 2.0. We are also familiar with other authentication technologies and are quick to adapt to new requirements.

We are committed to adhering to relevant federal and industry compliance requirements. While we may not have worked with every specific compliance framework, we have experience with standards such as HIPAA and PCI DSS, and are always prepared to adapt to specific project needs.

We use industry-standard encryption algorithms like AES and have employed methods such as Transparent Data Encryption (TDE), field-level encryption, file system encryption, and cloud-based encryption services.

We incorporate security into every stage of development, from requirements gathering to deployment and maintenance. Our Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) includes security requirements definition, threat modeling, secure design principles, code reviews, static and dynamic analysis, penetration testing, security training, vulnerability management, and incident response planning.

Yes, we utilize a combination of automated and manual testing. While we strive for comprehensive automated test coverage, certain types of testing (exploratory, usability) are best performed manually. We use tools like Jest, Cypress, Selenium, Mocha, and Chai for automated testing.

Sweent prioritizes Section 508 Compliance, integrating both incremental and end-of-development testing into its development process. Automated accessibility checks are incorporated into the CI/CD pipeline, triggered after unit and integration testing phases. Tools used for automated testing include Accessibility Insights for Web, WAVE, Pa11y, and Lighthouse. Additionally, Sweent conducts manual testing employing assistive technologies such as JAWS and NVDA to ensure comprehensive compliance and a user-friendly experience for all users.

Yes, we use CI/CD tools extensively for various types of testing, including unit, integration, and performance testing. We integrate these tests into our pipeline to ensure code quality and identify issues early.

We use tools like Jest, Cypress, and Selenium for regression testing, which is integrated into our CI/CD pipeline. Ideally, regression tests are run on each commit, but the frequency may be adjusted based on the size and complexity of the test suite.

We use tools like JMeter and LoadRunner for performance testing. While not typically run on every commit, performance tests are integrated into the CI/CD pipeline and executed at milestones, before major releases, or manually as needed.

We use tools like OWASP ZAP, SonarQube, Snyk, and Burp Suite for security testing. Static analysis can be integrated into the CI/CD pipeline, while dynamic analysis and penetration testing are typically performed manually or scheduled periodically.

We use a mobile-first approach and test using a combination of automated tools like BrowserStack and Sauce Labs, along with manual testing on a variety of physical devices (different iPhone and Android models).

Our QA process involves requirements analysis, test planning, test case design, test environment setup, test execution (both automated and manual), defect management (using Jira), regression testing, performance testing, security testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT). We employ various testing strategies, including risk-based testing, exploratory testing, and continuous testing.

Yes, Sweent has the ability to provide comprehensive post-development support, including bug fixing, performance monitoring, security updates, technical support, feature enhancements, and maintenance releases. Sweent also has the ability to offer different support levels tailored to our clients' needs, from basic email support to 24/7 phone support.