Our process
A software development process built for predictable delivery
Every engagement moves through eight defined stages, each with a documented output and a client approval. Small projects pass through some stages in a day; larger programmes spend weeks in each.
8 stages, one loop
The eight stages at a glance
Stage 01
Discover
We document how the work runs today, who owns each decision, where time and money leak, and the measures that will tell us whether the project succeeded.
Stage 02
Architect
We define the system boundary: what to build, what to buy, how data moves between platforms, and what must still hold when volumes triple.
Stage 03
Design
Flows and screens are validated with the people who will use them. Correcting a prototype costs hours; correcting released code costs a sprint.
Stage 04
Build
Development runs in one- or two-week increments, each ending in working software on a staging environment you can review, not a status report.
Stage 05
Integrate
Payments, accounting, CRM, messaging and plant-floor devices are connected through documented interfaces, so data is entered once and trusted everywhere.
Stage 06
Automate
Approvals, reminders, reconciliations and reports move into the system, with logging and alerts. People stay in the loop wherever judgement is required.
Stage 07
Launch
Staged rollout, data migration, user training and a tested rollback plan. Go-live is planned to be uneventful.
Stage 08
Improve
We review real usage, resolve friction and agree the next release with you. Maintained software keeps its value; neglected software loses it.
Stage outputs
A reviewable artefact at every stage
Discover
A discovery note covering objectives, users, current systems, constraints, success measures and open questions.
Architect
An architecture brief: components, integrations, hosting, security approach and the rationale for each decision.
Design
Wireframes, then a clickable prototype of the critical flows, signed off before development begins.
Build
A staging environment updated every one or two weeks, with release notes and an updated backlog.
Integrate
Working, documented connections to your other systems, tested with representative production data.
Automate
Agreed automations running with logging and alerting, and a named owner recorded for each.
Launch
A go-live checklist, migrated and reconciled data, trained users and a tested rollback plan.
Improve
Usage reviews, a prioritised enhancement backlog and support delivered under the agreed plan.
Client responsibilities
What we need from your side
Delivery risk is shared. These four commitments from the client side have the greatest effect on schedule and quality.
A single accountable owner
One named person with authority to answer questions and approve work within one or two working days.
Access to end users
Time with the people who will use the system, early in the project. Nothing improves a design more reliably.
Content and data on schedule
Copy, media, price lists and legacy data delivered on the agreed dates. Late inputs are the most common cause of slippage.
Candid feedback at reviews
Raise concerns at the fortnightly review, while change is inexpensive. Issues held back until acceptance cost considerably more.
Ready to begin discovery?
Discovery starts with a structured conversation about objectives, constraints and timing.