Process: A predictable process for an unpredictable technology
Four phases, and you know what happens in each one before you commit to any of them. What we deliver, what we need from you, and what it costs to stop are all agreed up front.
01. Discovery (30 minutes)
A half-hour call. You walk us through the business, where the hours go, and what you have already tried. We ask a lot of questions and we do not bring a deck. If we are not the right firm for the job, we say so on the call and point you at who is.
What you get: a straight answer on whether this is worth doing at all, what we would look at first and why that one, and a rough sense of what it would cost.
What we need from you: half an hour, and someone who knows where the time actually goes.
02. Audit (2 weeks)
We come into the operation and watch how the work actually gets done, not how the org chart says it gets done. We sit with your team and follow the busiest workflows end to end. Anything that does not pay for itself is cut from the list before you ever see it.
What you get: an operations map of where the hours really go; every automation worth building, ranked by what it returns against what it takes; the build order, including what to leave with people; and a written plan that is yours to keep, whoever ends up building it.
What we need from you: a few hours of your team's time across the two weeks, and a look at the tools you already run. We work around your calendar.
03. Build (4 to 10 weeks)
There is no proposal cycle between the audit and the build. Scope is agreed in the session where we walk through the plan, and then we start. You see the systems running on your own data every week, not in slides.
What you get: working systems on your real data, demoed every week; fixed scope, agreed before anyone writes code; documentation plain enough that your team can run it without us in the room; and the source code, the credentials, and the documentation, from day one.
What we need from you: it depends on the build. Always someone who can make a decision without booking a meeting to make it. Usually an hour a week at the demo. Sometimes real time with the people doing the work, because that is where the detail lives.
04. Operate (Ongoing)
Businesses change, tools update, and systems need looking after. We stay on to maintain what we built, keep tuning it, and pick up the next bottleneck as it shows up.
What you get: maintenance and tuning across everything we built, something new shipped every month rather than upkeep alone, and a direct line to the engineer who built it rather than a ticket queue.
What we need from you: tell us when the business changes. Most of what needs rebuilding changed on your side, not ours.
Six things you can count on
- Weekly demos. You see the system running on your own data every week. If we are behind, you see that in the same demo.
- Fixed scope. We agree the scope before we start and hold to it. New ideas go on the list for the next round, which is how the build actually finishes.
- Plain-language handoff. Every system is documented so your team can run it, fix it, or hand it to someone else.
- Honest answers. If you do not need us, or someone else would serve you better, we will say so on the first call.
- You own the code. Source code, credentials, and documentation are yours from day one. There is nothing to buy back later.
- Boring on purpose. We pick tools your next hire will already know. The stack should outlive the engagement.
Questions, answered straight
What happens on the discovery call? Thirty minutes. You explain the business, the bottlenecks, and what you have already tried. No deck and no pitch. If we are not the right firm for the job, we say so on the call.
What does the audit deliver? An operations map, every automation worth building ranked by payback, the numbers behind each one worked from your own figures, and the order to build them in. It is yours to keep whether you build with us or not.
Is there a proposal step between the audit and the build? No. Scope is agreed in the session where we walk through the plan, and then the build starts. You are not paying for another round of documents.
How does the build phase work? Fixed scope agreed before anyone writes code, and a demo every week running on your real data rather than a staging environment. Everything ships documented plainly enough that your team can run it without us.
What does Operate include? Maintenance and tuning across everything we built, something new shipped every month rather than upkeep alone, and a direct line to the engineer who built the system. Not a ticket queue.
What do you need from us? It varies by engagement. Always someone who can make a decision without booking a meeting to make it. Usually an hour a week at the demo. Sometimes real time with the people doing the work.
What does it cost? A fixed fee, quoted on the discovery call once we know the size of the operation. If we do not believe it will pay for itself, we say so on the call instead of selling it to you.