Process
What the next twelve weeks actually look like.
Most of what goes wrong in a software engagement is decided before any code is written — in how the problem was framed, what got promised, and who owns it afterwards. This is how we try to avoid that.
The process
Seven stages, each ending in something you can hold.
Durations are typical rather than promised — they scale with what has to be true on day one.
Discover
1–2 weeks
We start with your business objectives, not a feature list — what the work is for, where it currently breaks, and which constraints are real rather than assumed.
You get
A written scope with the assumptions stated, so the first disagreement happens on paper.
Strategy
1 week
Architecture, roadmap and priorities. What gets built first is decided by which unknowns are most expensive to be wrong about, not by which features are easiest to demo.
You get
A phased plan with a precisely scoped first milestone and an honest range for the rest.
Design
1–3 weeks
Wireframes then interactive prototypes, tested against the real task flow before any code exists.
You get
A clickable prototype you can put in front of a real user.
Develop
2–8 weeks per phase
Built in slices that each stand on their own, so value arrives before the end and a pause is never a disaster.
You get
Working software in a staging environment you can use, updated continuously.
Test
Continuous
Functional, performance and security testing throughout rather than as a phase at the end.
You get
A tested release, with the known issues written down rather than discovered later.
Launch
1 week
Deployment, monitoring, rollback and the handover materials your team needs to own the product.
You get
Live, monitored, documented, and operable by your team.
Grow
Ongoing
Support and iteration against what real users actually do. Most engagements continue here.
You get
A roadmap driven by evidence rather than by the original pitch deck.
How we communicate
No surprises.
Named point of contact for the duration of the engagement
Regular working session — weekly or fortnightly, your preference
Progress you can see — staging environment updated continuously, not at handoff
Honest estimates revised out loud — not quietly restated when the sprint ends
Your code, always — repository access from day one, not at project close
Engagement models
Three ways to work together.
Fixed price
Scope is genuinely known — you get budget certainty.
Dedicated team
Priorities will move — a set capacity per month, embedded in your workflow.
Time & materials
The work is exploratory — you pay for what is used, with a spend ceiling and a regular review.
FAQ
Common questions.
How long does a typical project take?+
Most client projects run 8–16 weeks from discovery to launch. MVPs can be in staging in 4–6 weeks. Complexity, integrations and scope changes move the number — the discovery phase is where we set a realistic range.
Do you work with early-stage startups?+
Yes. A significant portion of our work is founder-stage — scoping, building and launching MVPs. We're used to working with incomplete requirements and helping clarify them.
Can we start with a small piece of work?+
Yes. A discovery and strategy brief (1–2 weeks) is a sensible starting point if you're not yet ready to commit to a full build. It produces a scope document and architecture plan you own regardless of what comes next.
Who owns the code?+
You do — subject to third-party licence restrictions on any libraries used. Repository access is provided from the first commit.
Do you offer ongoing support after launch?+
Yes. Most engagements move into a Grow phase — a monthly retainer covering monitoring, incident response, and iterative feature work based on real user behaviour.
What technologies do you use?+
We choose a stack against your requirements rather than maintaining a fixed house standard. In practice: Python (FastAPI, Django), React/Next.js, Flutter for mobile, PostgreSQL, and cloud infrastructure on AWS or GCP. We'll tell you plainly if a requirement pushes us toward something we'd rather not use.
Start a conversation
Start a conversation
Tell us what you are trying to solve. A strategist will reply within one working day.