How we work

No black box. You see the work as it happens.

Software projects go wrong in the gaps: between what was said and what was heard, between the quote and the invoice, between launch day and the first ordinary Tuesday. Our process is built to close those gaps rather than to look impressive on a slide.

The five steps

What actually happens, week by week.

01

Conversation

Week 0

Thirty minutes, no charge, no deck. You describe the problem in your own words and we ask the awkward questions. By the end of it we both know whether this is worth taking further.

You get: Outline of the problem, rough budget range, honest yes or no

02

Discovery

Weeks 1–2

A short paid engagement where we sit with the people who will use the thing. We map the current process, find the edge cases that break naive designs, and write it down.

You get: Written specification, wireframes, milestone plan, fixed price for phase one

03

Build

Weeks 3+

Two-week cycles with something you can click at the end of each one. You see progress continuously, which means course corrections cost days rather than months.

You get: Working software on a staging URL, updated every fortnight

04

Launch

Launch week

Data migrated and reconciled, team trained, rollback rehearsed, go-live in a planned window. We stay close for the first month while real use finds the last few edges.

You get: Live system, trained team, documentation, thirty days of included support

05

Operate

Ongoing

Monitoring, patching, backups and a monthly written report. Or a clean handover to your own team with everything they need. Both are a good outcome for us.

You get: Retained support, or full handover with documentation

Ground rules

Things we do on every project, without being asked.

  • A demo every fortnight. Working software on a staging URL you can click, not a progress percentage.
  • One named contact. The person who scoped it stays with it. You never re-explain your business.
  • Change requests in writing, priced before they start. Scope moves on most projects. It should never move silently.
  • Your repository, from commit one. Hosting, domains and cloud accounts are in your name with us added as a user.
  • Tests where they earn their keep. Around pricing, permissions, payments and anything that would be expensive to get wrong.
  • Accessibility as standard. WCAG 2.2 AA, tested with a keyboard and a screen reader, not just an automated scan.
  • A written handover. Architecture notes, runbook, environment setup and a recorded walkthrough.

Ways to work together

Three arrangements. No tiers, no bundles.

01

Project

A defined build with a written specification, milestones and a fixed price for each phase. Best when you know roughly what you need and want certainty on cost.

  • Fixed price per phase
  • Fortnightly demos
  • 30 days post-launch support included
  • Full handover documentation

02

Retained

A monthly arrangement covering maintenance, monitoring, support and a block of development hours. Best when software is central to how you trade.

  • Defined response times
  • Monthly written report
  • Development hours included
  • Thirty days' notice, month to month

03

Advisory

Short, focused engagements: a technical audit, a build-or-buy decision, a second opinion on a quote, or supplier due diligence. Best before you commit real money.

  • Fixed-fee audits
  • Written findings and options
  • Vendor and quote review
  • No obligation to build with us

Before you commit

What discovery buys you.

Discovery is the only part of a project we insist on. It is short, it is priced separately, and everything it produces is yours whether or not you build with us.

  • A written specification covering roles, rules, data, integrations and what is explicitly out of scope
  • Wireframes of the two or three screens people will live in
  • A milestone plan with dates and a fixed price for phase one
  • A risk list, including the parts we are least certain about and why
  • A build-or-buy recommendation, even when it points away from us

Book the first conversation

Start here

Tell us what you are trying to build.

A short conversation is usually enough to tell whether we are the right team for the job. No sales script, no obligation.

Book a conversation contact@idealsolutions.uk

We reply within one working day. No sales sequence, no pressure.