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Process

Seven stages, and you always know where you are

The same process runs every engagement, scaled to its size. Each stage has a defined output, a review point and a plain statement of what we need from you, so nothing drifts and nothing surprises you.

Start with stage one What if things change?

At a glance

Seven stages, seven defined outputs

Small projects move through some stages in days. Larger ones repeat the build and test stages in two-week cycles until the scope is delivered.

  1. 01

    Discovery

    Understand the problem, the people and the constraints before proposing anything.

  2. 02

    Scope & Proposal

    Turn what we learned into a written scope, a dated schedule and a fixed quote.

  3. 03

    Design

    Shape the user experience and the technical architecture before production code is written.

  4. 04

    Build

    Develop in short, visible sprints, or carry out the advisory work for consulting.

  5. 05

    Test & Review

    Prove it works, with your team, before it goes live.

  6. 06

    Launch & Handover

    Go live carefully, and hand over everything you need to run it without us.

  7. 07

    Support & Improvement

    Fix what comes up, keep things secure and plan what comes next.

Stage 01

Discovery

We start by learning how things work today: who is involved, where the information comes from, what's broken and what success would look like. For a small, clearly defined project this can be one or two conversations; for anything larger or less certain, it's a short paid discovery phase with workshops, interviews and a review of your existing systems and data. Either way, nothing is proposed until we understand the problem well enough to stand behind the plan.

Typically 1 to 2 weeks

What you provide

  • A description of the problem or goal, in your own words
  • Time with the people who do the work and make the decisions
  • Examples of current tools, spreadsheets, documents and data
  • Known constraints such as deadlines, budget range and compliance needs

What we provide

  • Structured interviews and workshops by video call
  • A review of your existing systems, data and integrations
  • Process maps showing how work flows today
  • A candid view of the options, including whether to build at all

Output

A written summary of findings and requirements that both sides agree describes the problem accurately.

Stage 02

Scope & Proposal

We write down exactly what will be delivered, what's excluded, how each piece will be judged complete and when each milestone falls. The proposal includes a fixed price for that scope, a payment schedule and the assumptions behind the estimate, so nothing is left to interpretation later. You can ask questions, request adjustments or take time to decide, and nothing starts until you sign.

Typically 3 to 5 business days

What you provide

  • A review of the draft scope and priorities
  • Answers to open questions and assumptions
  • Confirmation of budget, timeline and decision-makers
  • Signed approval of the proposal and the initial deposit

What we provide

  • A written scope with deliverables and exclusions
  • Acceptance criteria for each major deliverable
  • A dated schedule with milestones
  • A fixed quote with a payment schedule
  • A clear list of assumptions and risks

Output

A signed proposal with a fixed price, a dated schedule and clear acceptance criteria.

Stage 03

Design

For development projects, we design the user flows, screens and data model, usually as a clickable prototype you can try with the people who'll use it, alongside a technical architecture covering hosting, integrations and security. For consulting engagements, this is where we frame the options and agree on how they'll be evaluated. Changing a design is cheap and changing finished software isn't, so this stage gets proper attention.

Typically 1 to 3 weeks

What you provide

  • Feedback on prototypes from the people who'll use the system
  • Brand guidelines or design preferences, if you have them
  • Decisions on open questions about rules and workflows
  • Sign-off on the design before the build begins

What we provide

  • User flows and a clickable prototype
  • A data model and technical architecture
  • A hosting and integration plan for your own cloud account
  • Security and access design matched to your requirements
  • For consulting: the options to compare and the criteria for judging them

Output

Approved designs and a documented architecture for the build to follow, or for consulting, an agreed framework for evaluating the options.

Stage 04

Build

Development happens in two-week sprints, each ending with a demo of working software on a staging environment you can try for yourself. A shared board shows what's planned, in progress and done, so you always know where things stand. For consulting engagements, this is the analysis itself: interviews, technical review, comparing options and drafting recommendations, with regular check-ins along the way.

From a few weeks to several months, depending on scope

What you provide

  • Attendance at sprint demos, usually every two weeks
  • Timely feedback and answers to questions
  • Access to the systems, test accounts and data needed for integrations
  • Content such as text, images and reference data

What we provide

  • Working software delivered in two-week sprints
  • A staging environment updated as features are completed
  • A shared project board and short written updates
  • Automated tests written alongside the code
  • For consulting: research, analysis and draft recommendations

Output

A feature-complete system on staging, or for consulting a draft report, ready for formal review.

Stage 05

Test & Review

Alongside our own automated and manual testing, your team works through the acceptance criteria agreed in the proposal, using realistic data and real scenarios. Anything that falls short of those criteria is fixed before launch at no extra cost, while new ideas are logged for a later phase or handled as change requests. For consulting, this is when you review the draft recommendations and challenge anything that doesn't hold up.

Typically 1 to 2 weeks

What you provide

  • Testers from the team who will use the system day to day
  • Time to work through the acceptance checklist
  • Clear reports of anything that doesn't work as expected
  • Final acceptance sign-off

What we provide

  • Automated test runs and internal quality checks
  • An acceptance checklist based on the agreed criteria
  • Fixes for any defects found during testing
  • Performance, security and accessibility checks suited to the project

Output

Written acceptance confirming that the system, or the consulting report, meets the criteria agreed in the proposal.

Stage 06

Launch & Handover

We plan the launch together: data migration, production setup in your cloud account, a go-live date that suits your operation and a rollback plan in case it's needed. Your team gets training and a recorded walkthrough, and you receive the source code, documentation and full administrative access to every account. For consulting, handover means a final report and a presentation of recommendations your team can act on.

Typically a few days to 2 weeks

What you provide

  • A go-live date that avoids your busiest periods
  • Final checks and approval of migrated data
  • People available for training sessions
  • Owners for the cloud, domain and service accounts

What we provide

  • Data migration with a reconciliation report
  • Production deployment with monitoring and backups in place
  • Training sessions and a recorded walkthrough
  • Source code, documentation and full access handed over to you
  • For consulting: the final report and a presentation of recommendations

Output

Live software running in accounts you own, with documentation and a trained team, or a final consulting report delivered and walked through.

Stage 07

Support & Improvement

Every development project includes a defect-fixing period after launch, typically 30 days, for anything that doesn't work as specified. After that, you choose what suits you: an ongoing support plan, work on request, or running the system yourselves with the documentation we hand over. Once people are using the software every day, the next priorities tend to become clear, and we can help you plan the next phase around them.

30-day defect period, then optional ongoing support

What you provide

  • Reports of any issues, with steps to reproduce them where possible
  • Feedback from users once the system is in daily use
  • A decision on ongoing support: a plan, work on request or self-managed
  • Priorities for the next phase, if there is one

What we provide

  • Fixes for defects reported during the post-launch period
  • Monitoring, security updates and dependency upgrades on a support plan
  • Small improvements and new features when you need them
  • A roadmap for the next phase, if you want one
  • For consulting: optional follow-up support as you put the plan into action

Output

A stable, maintained system and a clear plan for what comes next, on terms you choose.

Changes to scope

What happens when something changes

Requirements change. A regulation shifts, a key customer asks for something new, or the first demo shows that a feature needs to work differently. That's normal, and the process is designed to absorb it without anyone losing track of what was agreed.

Every change, large or small, starts with a request from you, or a flag from us if we spot something. We reply in writing with the effect on cost, timeline and risk, plus any alternatives, and the work goes ahead only once you've approved it. Your fixed price moves only when you say yes.

  1. 01

    Change requests in writing

    Send changes by email or add them to the shared project board. Each one is logged, so there's always a clear record of what was asked for and when.

  2. 02

    A written impact assessment

    Before anything changes, you get a short written assessment of the effect on cost, schedule and risk, including anything else the change would touch.

  3. 03

    Nothing proceeds without approval

    We don't start work on a change until you've approved it in writing. If you decline, the original scope stands and the project continues as planned.

  4. 04

    No surprise invoices

    You're only ever invoiced for the agreed price, approved changes and the milestones in your proposal. Costs are never added after the fact.

  5. 05

    Trade-offs, not just additions

    A change doesn't have to increase the budget. A new requirement can often replace something of similar size, or move to a later phase.

  6. 06

    Small refinements stay simple

    Minor adjustments within the agreed scope, such as wording or layout tweaks, are handled in the normal review cycle without extra paperwork or cost.

Ready to start at stage one?

Discovery begins with a free conversation about what you're trying to achieve. You'll know within a call or two whether we're the right fit.

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