We review the database, data model, integration processes, and infrastructure with systems engineers. We interview system administrators and the incident response team, not just the technology buyer.
What you get: A written technical assessment, a risk log (prioritized), and a scope of work with a budget estimate. All of this is for you, whether it's a project or not.
The target architecture, migration sequence, and integration boundaries are defined. A cost model is developed at three scale levels, and a delivery plan is created with key milestones and completed tasks for each level.
What you get: A document that your steering committee will review and that your finance team will use as a planning basis.
Identity, ownership, data model, deployment process, environment, and traceability are defined.
What you get: A ready-to-use system, currently without any features, but free of surprises in its core architecture, because everything has been built and tested. Nothing the customer needs is shipped until the infrastructure is complete, as this is the fastest way to upgrade it later.
Each update is ready for deployment and has the necessary hardening. Acceptance criteria are discussed and presented at the end of each cycle. Weekly written feature updates and software demos are provided to ensure everyone is up-to-date.
What you get: A program in a controlled environment, every two weeks.
Stress testing at expected peak performance, crash and chaos testing, security review, third-party penetration testing management, and remediation.
What you get: Evidence for your security review, no promises.
A sound delivery that includes operating manuals, architecture documentation, team training, or the option to retain responsibility within defined response objectives.
What you get: A system with a responsible person.
| Model | Best for | How it works | Change and commitment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed-scope delivery | A known end state and a reasonably understood integration footprint | Discover first, then a fixed price for a fixed scope, and billing for key phases | All changes are subject to a written request process and are priced on a case-by-case basis based on best practices. Incremental scope scaling is a well-defined process. |
| Dedicated Engineering Team | Long term, evolving requirements, shifting priorities | The team (one lead developer, two to four engineers working on your to-do list, and some allocation of software engineering and QA resources) gets your monthly bill plus your to-do list. | Minimum three months, then 30 days' notice. Typically $15,000 to $30,000 per month per pod. |
| Managed Engineering Support Services | Critical production systems requiring nothing but maintenance and support. Everything that can possibly go wrong in a production system will go wrong eventually. | Maintenance and support, including upgrade advisory, security patches, dependency updates, and monthly allocations for improvement initiatives. | — |
What you won't get: a senior architect on the pitch who disappears at kickoff. The architect on your discovery call stays on the engagement.
| Role | On every engagement | What they own |
|---|---|---|
| Engagement lead | Yes | Commercials, escalation, your single point of contact |
| Solutions architect | Yes | Architecture decisions, technical risk, the written plan |
| Lead engineer | Yes | Implementation quality, code review, technical mentoring |
| Engineers | 2–6 typical | Delivery |
| Product designer | When there's an interface | Flows, interface, design system |
| QA engineer | Fractional or full | Test strategy, automation, release readiness |
| DevOps / SRE | Fractional or full | Pipeline, infrastructure, observability, on-call |
We believe in transparency, collaboration, and communication. Your team needs to see what we do, know when things change, understand where things need help, and plan around those factors.
Every deploy must have:
Two weeks, a written assessment, and an honest read on what it would take.