Methodology

How we develop, step by step,
from first call to cutover.

A predictable, five-phase rhythm that we run on every engagement — from a 30-day pilot to an 18-month enterprise build. No vendor surprises, no demos we cannot ship, no handoffs that drop your team in the deep end.

01
Discovery call · Week 0 · 60–90 min call

We start by listening, not pitching.

Before we propose anything, we spend a working session with the people who'll actually use what we build. We map your operational reality — the systems already in place, the workflows that hurt, the constraints that aren't on the deck — and leave with a clear read on what would move the needle and what would just be noise.

  • Working session with the operators, not just the executive sponsor
  • Inventory of the systems, data, and integrations already in place
  • Plain-English read on which problems AI actually solves — and which it does not
Deliverable A short brief, written for your team, capturing what we heard.
02
Working demo · Week 1 · live walkthrough

A demo of the path we would actually take — built on your context.

We come back with a working demo built around your specific problem — not a generic showcase. You see the surface, the data flows, and the interaction patterns we are recommending. Your team gets to push back, request changes, and reshape the scope before a single contract is drafted.

  • Demo wired to your actual workflow, not a stock template
  • Walk-through of architecture, model choices, and the parts vendors usually hide
  • Open Q&A — bring your engineers, your finance lead, your auditor
Deliverable A live demo session plus a recording your team can replay internally.
03
Proposal · Week 1–2 · written proposal

A scoped proposal with the numbers that matter.

Based on the demo and the feedback you gave us, we draft a proposal that names the deliverables, the timeline, the team, the price, and the success criteria. No surprise scope-creep clauses, no vendor-lock language. If something is uncertain, we say so — and we tell you how we'll resolve it.

  • Fixed-fee or T&M pricing with a clear scope of work
  • Named team, named timelines, named acceptance criteria
  • Risks, dependencies, and assumptions surfaced up front
Deliverable A signed proposal you can hand to legal, finance, and procurement together.
04
Proof of concept · Week 2–6 · live environment

A working PoC with real data, real questions, real authority access.

We stand up a proof-of-concept on your data, in your environment, with the access we need to actually answer the question — not a sandbox built on synthetic fixtures. Your team can ask questions, request changes, and stress-test it in real time. The PoC stays available for the duration of the engagement so you can keep poking at it.

  • Built on real data, with the integrations and identity model your security team approved
  • Available for live questions throughout — async and on calls
  • Authoritative access to the systems we need so the PoC reflects production behaviour
  • Replayable runs and reasoning traces, so every decision is auditable
Deliverable A running PoC environment plus an evaluation report against the success criteria.
05
Customize and deliver · Week 6–12+ · cutover + support tail

Tailored to your operation, transferred so your team can run it.

Once the PoC clears its acceptance criteria, we harden it: integration with the rest of your stack, role-based access, observability, runbooks, and the documentation your SRE team will rely on at 2am. Your engineers pair with us through cutover, and we stay on a 90-day support tail so the handover is real, not theatrical.

  • Production hardening: scale, security, observability, runbooks
  • Customised to your roles, your workflows, your branding, your compliance posture
  • Knowledge transfer for your engineers — pair sessions, ADRs, recorded walk-throughs
  • 90-day support tail after go-live, then ongoing support on agreed terms
Deliverable A production system tuned for your operation, with the runbooks and documentation your team needs to operate it.
Operating principles

The rules we run every engagement against.

No demos that do not become products

If we cannot ship the demo, we will tell you in the discovery call. We do not run sales theatre.

No surprise lock-in

Standard licensed delivery, written SLAs, exportable data, and a clear off-ramp. We document what we built and how to run it so your team is never trapped.

Senior engineers, not handed off

The engineer in the discovery call is the engineer building the PoC — and the engineer transferring the system at the end.

We measure what we promised

Acceptance criteria are signed at proposal time. We do not move the goalposts mid-engagement, and you do not pay for what was not delivered.

Ready to start with a discovery call?

Bring the operators, the constraints, and the real problem. We will bring the engineer who would build it.

Schedule a discovery call