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We here at Fairport are looking forward to 2020 with the release of agCommander due to happen and new clients continuing to come on board despite the seasonal conditions across Australia.
We have been working feverishly on agCommander trying to hit the deadline we set ourselves. Unfortunately we are not going to be ready for release at the end of this year like we had planned. Having been involved in software development for 30 years we thought we were on target but the last 20% of loose ends takes just about as long as the previous 80% to finish. We did not want to rush it out the door before we were completely satisfied it is ready.
The initial release of agCommander will include all the standard features and functionality that are in PAM currently. We have nearly completed that along with incorporating some new features to improve the flow of data and embedding the mapping more closely with the recording system. There will also be other new features in the first release that will speed up data entry compared with PAM.
As agCommander is a cloud application you will be able to run it on PC's, iPads and Tablets that have internet connection. We will also have a Mobile Application that will work offline as required and for devices that are smaller in screen size like phones.
The testing has been going on in house throughout the development period and sometimes made us re-think the way we initially did something, in turn that meant taking a few steps back before going forward again with a better result.
We finally reached the stage last month were we were prepared for one of our larger clients to start testing agCommander we will have some other testers come online after new year.
As many of you have been loyal supporters of PAM and Fairport for 30 years we want to acknowledge Fairport Club Members who have stuck by us when clients move from PAM to agCommander. How we do that is still to be worked out.
As agCommander is a completely new application the migration process will not just be a case of installing an update. We will need to process each client’s data from PAM to agCommander, which will rely on everyone having the latest PAM Version installed before migrating.
In agCommander we have split the Operations/Machinery list in two. The actual Machines (if you have them listed) will become Assets that can be allocated to an operation. If you only have Operations in your PAM list (e.g. Spraying, Planting, Fertiliser Spreading) they will come through into agCommander as they are.
There will also be the option of just migrating the configuration lists from PAM if clients want to start with a clean slate. Additionally you will be able to select how many years of data that you want migrated from PAM.
We are yet to finalise the pricing for agCommander. Our aim is to try and keep it in line with our PAM SaaS annual fees but will have separate modules for Livestock, Individual Animal Records, Macadamias Harvest and others to come.
We will not be continuing the Precision Data Processor at this stage in agCommander and will probably link directly with the Manufactures or 3rd Party applications for that.
There is still plenty of ongoing testing to do before we move onto the next stage but we are very happy and excited with the progress being made so far.
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