The four steps
- Step 1
Talk
Tell us what you're building, or what isn't working. We reply within 24 hours, with a few questions or a time for a call. Calls are online or by phone, in your working hours.
You get: a reply within 24 hours, and a call at a time that suits you.
Reply within 24 hours
Call your working hours
- Step 2
Scope and quote
You get a written proposal: what's included, what isn't, the timeline with milestones, what we need from you, and the price. Nothing starts until you've agreed to it in writing.
Discovery & ScopeLarger or less defined projects start with Discovery & Scope.
A short, paid engagement with two or three working sessions. It ends with a written scope, a plan with milestones, an estimate and the risks. You own the document, and you can take it to anyone, including someone other than us. If you then ask us to quote the build, the estimate is based on facts by then.
You get: a written proposal, or, for larger work, a scope, plan and estimate you own.
Proposal
Agreed in writingIncludedWhat's in, page by page
Not includedWhat isn't, so nothing is assumed
Timeline- Milestone 1
- Milestone 2
- Milestone 3
Milestones, each reviewed by you
- What we need from you
- One person who can decide
- Price
- Fixed, in writing
- Step 3
Build
You work directly with the people doing the work. Day-to-day updates on WhatsApp or Slack, whichever you use, and a written summary by email every week. A staging site or test version from the first week, so you see progress rather than hear about it. Each milestone is reviewed and accepted by you before we move on. Anything outside the written scope is written up with its effect on time and cost, and built only after you approve it.
You get: a staging link from the first week, and a written summary every week.
Milestone 1Reviewed by youAccepted - Step 4
Launch and support
Checks before launch: speed, phones, accessibility, forms, analytics, redirects, legal pages, backups. Launch at an agreed time, with us present. A handover guide and a walkthrough, with credentials and accounts transferred to you. A fix window after launch. Then, if you want us to stay on, a written support arrangement that says what's covered and how fast we respond.
You get: the launch checklist signed off, and everything handed over.
Launch checklist
- Speed
- Phones
- Accessibility
- Forms
- Analytics
- Redirects
- Legal pages
- Backups
Support agreementactive
A week with us
Day to day, we talk where you already do. Once a week, everything goes in writing.
- To
- You
- Subject
- Weekly summary: bakery website, week 3
Done this weekHome and Services pages on staging. The contact form now reaches your inbox.
Next weekAbout and Work pages. Analytics set up.
Waiting on youPhotos for the About page, by Wednesday.
RisksNone this week.
Staging linkstaging.bakery.example
This week's thread
- Mon
Staging updated: new Services page.
- Tue
Should catering get its own page?
- Wed
Agreed. Added to the change list, no effect on the timeline.
- Thu
Form tested on three phones.
Across time zones
- Calls in your working hours, by appointment.
- Everything in writing: scope, updates, changes, handover.
- An agreement for every project, and a non-disclosure agreement on request before we see anything sensitive.
- Payment terms agreed in the proposal and tied to milestones.
What you get, what we need
The thing you asked for, working, and everything needed to run it without us.
Handed to you
- Scopethe written scope and every approved changeYours
- Designdesign filesYours
- Codethe repository, in your accountYours
- Accountshosting, domain and tools, in your nameYours
- Credentialscredentials in a shared vault; our access removed at the end if you wantYours
- Guidea written guide to running itYours
- Fix windowafter launchYours
From you
- A decision-makerone person who can make decisions
- Content and accesscontent and access when the plan says they're needed
- Feedbackat each milestone, within the agreed time
Questions
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, on request, before any sensitive information changes hands.
Who owns the code and the design?
You do, on payment, as written in the agreement.
What if the scope changes?
It's written up with its effect on time and cost, and built only after you approve it.
What if we don't like something?
That's what milestone reviews are for. You see the work early and often, and changes are cheapest there.
Fixed price or hourly?
A fixed scope and price for defined projects. Hours or a fixed list for ongoing support. The proposal says which.
Do you use AI tools when you build?
Yes, to help draft and check code. A person reviews everything before it ships, and your data stays out of AI tools unless you agree.
Tell us what you're building.
We reply within 24 hours.