How we work
Five stages, fixed scope at each one, and a clear exit point after every stage. You are never locked into the next phase.
Introductory call — 30 minutes, free
You describe the problem; we ask uncomfortable questions. By the end of the call you will know whether we think we can help and roughly what it would cost. About a third of these calls end with us recommending you do nothing yet.
Diagnosis — two weeks, fixed fee
We observe the real work, interview the people doing it, review the systems and put numbers on the bottlenecks. You receive a written report with a ranked plan. It is yours to keep and to implement with anyone.
Proposal — one page per phase
Scope, deliverables, price, dates and the named person doing the work. No retainers required, no auto-renewals, no charges for internal meetings.
Delivery — three to six week phases
Weekly written updates every Friday and a short live review each fortnight. Something usable exists at the end of every phase, so pausing never leaves you with a half-built thing.
Handover and follow-up
Documentation, training and admin access transfer to you. We check in at thirty and ninety days to confirm the change held. Ongoing support is available month-to-month, and declining it costs you nothing.
Ground rules
What we commit to in writing
- Fixed price per phase. If we misjudge the effort, that is our risk, not your invoice.
- You own every deliverable, including source code and documentation.
- Confidentiality by default; a mutual NDA is signed before the diagnosis on request.
- We do not accept commissions or referral fees from software vendors. Our advice is not for sale.
- Named consultant on every engagement. No handover to a junior after signature.
- Cancel between phases with no penalty and no notice period.
Communication
How much of your team's time this takes
The most common worry we hear is that a consulting project becomes a second job for the staff. Our diagnosis phase needs roughly six to eight hours of your team's time in total, spread across the two weeks, mostly in short conversations at their own desks.
During delivery we ask for one 45-minute review every two weeks plus asynchronous answers by email. Everything else is on us.
Ready for the first call?
Thirty minutes, no preparation needed, no slide deck from us.