Seven steps, in this order, for a reason

From first conversation to ongoing support

Each step lists what happens, what you receive at the end of it, and the duration band we typically see. The bands are honest ranges, not promises — scope moves them.

1. 1

   Discovery

   1–2 weeks

   We sit with the people who do the work and document how it happens today, including the workarounds nobody wrote down. We establish what success would look like in numbers — hours saved, errors removed, enquiries gained — so the project can be judged later against something real.

   You receive: A written scope, a costed milestone schedule, and a clear statement of what is out of scope

2. 2

   Planning

   1–2 weeks

   Requirements are written to IEEE-standard SRS practice: what the system must do, what it must not do, and how we will know it works. This is the step most projects skip, and it is why most projects argue about scope later.

   You receive: A software requirements specification you sign off before any code is written

3. 3

   UI design

   2–3 weeks

   Screens are designed against real content and real workflows, not against placeholder text. We build the design system first so every later screen is consistent and quick to produce, then review the full flow with the people who will use it daily.

   You receive: A design system and a clickable prototype of the core journeys

4. 4

   Development

   4–12 weeks

   Work lands in reviewable milestones you can see and use, rather than one long silence followed by a reveal. Code is typed, reviewed, and committed against the specification, so progress is measurable rather than reported.

   You receive: Working software at the end of each milestone, deployed where you can try it

5. 5

   Testing

   1–3 weeks

   Every requirement in the specification has a matching check. We test the paths that matter — the busy counter, the failed connection, the wrong input — and run the system with your own data before it carries real work.

   You receive: Test results mapped to the specification, and a fixed defect list

6. 6

   Deployment

   1–2 weeks

   We deploy to infrastructure you own, migrate and reconcile your existing data, and train the people who will use the system. Go-live is planned around your quiet period, not ours.

   You receive: A live system, migrated data reconciled against a physical check, and trained staff

7. 7

   Support

   Ongoing

   Launch is the middle of the project. You get a handover pack — documented codebase, deployment runbook, and admin guide — plus an agreed support window while the system settles into real use.

   You receive: Handover pack, an agreed support window, and a named contact