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How we work

A calm, transparent process. No theatre, no surprises.

After 20 years of doing this, we’ve found that the best software projects feel almost boring from the outside. Steady progress, decisions backed by data, working software in your hands every fortnight.

A wide photo down a warehouse aisle of an operations lead walking with two developers who are listening and taking notes.
A developer with a clipboard on a workshop floor, observing a machinist at work.
Step 01

Discovery

1–2 weeks

We come in fresh and shine a torch on how the work actually flows. We measure where time goes, where errors land, which “we’ve always done it this way” habits are quietly costing you. Then we tell you what we found — sometimes including “don’t build the thing you asked for”.

What you get

  • On-site time with the people who’ll use the software
  • Data on where time is currently being spent (and lost)
  • Map of current systems, workarounds and pain points
  • A right-sized requirements document — including what we recommend not building
  • A realistic estimate, broken down by phase
An empty project room with a post-it wall, user-flow sketches, and a laptop prototype on a trestle table.
Step 02

Design

2–3 weeks

A working prototype in days, not months. You click through it before we build it — which means the awkward conversations happen now, when changes cost nothing.

What you get

  • Interactive prototype of the core flows
  • Data model agreed with your team
  • Visual design that fits your brand, not ours
  • A delivery plan you’ve actually read and signed off
Over-the-shoulder view of a staging environment on a monitor with passing automated tests on a second screen.
Step 03

Build

Typically 8–20 weeks

Iterative releases every two weeks. Real software in your hands the whole way — so if a decision needs revisiting, we can revisit it on Tuesday, not in six months.

What you get

  • A staging environment updated daily
  • Demo every fortnight — show, not tell
  • Automated tests for the things that matter
  • Honest weekly notes: progress, blockers, decisions
Go-live training in a staff canteen: developer presenting the new system on a wall-mounted screen to the operations team.
Step 04

Launch

2–4 weeks

Migration, training, hand-holding. We don’t disappear at go-live — we sit with the team for the first few days, when the questions are sharpest.

What you get

  • Data migration from your legacy system, dry-run first
  • Tailored training for each role that uses it
  • Go-live support — we’re there in the room (or on the call)
  • A 30-day stabilisation period, free of charge
A client office with a quarterly wall planner, roadmap on a laptop, and release notes on the desk — the calm artefacts of a long partnership.
Step 05

Ongoing

Years

Software is never really done. Most clients stay with us for years — which means we keep learning more about your business, and the software keeps getting more useful.

What you get

  • Predictable monthly capacity for new features
  • Proactive monitoring, backups, security patches
  • Quarterly reviews to revisit priorities together
  • A direct line to the senior dev who built it
Engagement principles

What we do differently and what we won’t do.

Senior people on the work

No bait-and-switch. The person who pitched you is the person writing the code. After 20 years, we’ve found that’s the only way it stays good.

We challenge what you’ve always done

Even when it’s awkward. Especially when it’s awkward. Then we earn the right to do it again on the next project.

Fixed scope, not fixed software

We agree what we’re building this phase. Then we ship it. Mid-build “oh, can we also…” turns into the next phase, with its own honest estimate.

Your data, your code

Source code in your repository, hosted in your accounts, deployable without us. We earn the next contract by being good, not by holding things hostage.

Working software, every fortnight

No big-bang reveals six months in. You see what we’re building as we’re building it, and steer the direction along the way.

Honest about what software can't fix

Sometimes the answer isn’t a new system — it’s a process change, or a tweak to the one you already have. We’ll tell you that, even when it costs us the project.

Ready when you are

Sound like the way you want to work?

Start with a 30-minute discovery call. We’ll talk through what you’re trying to do and what a sensible first phase might look like.