Estimate: a scoped proposal, priced to hold
The diagnosis becomes a concrete plan: architecture, milestones, timeline, cost — and the business metric the system will be accountable to. One document underwrites all three engagement models, and if we under-scoped it, the overrun is ours.
What actually happens
One week from diagnosis to a proposal you can sign — or walk away from with everything in hand.
- 1
The diagnosis becomes an architecture
The engineers who ran the diagnosis sketch the system: what gets built, what gets bought, what integrates with what. Proven technology by default — novelty goes into your product, not your infrastructure.
- 2
The build is cut into milestones
Each milestone is a working piece of software you can accept — or not — before paying. The first one is always something real: a quoting engine, an intake flow, a working integration. Never "project setup."
- 3
We name the metric the system answers to
Quote time, onboarding days, error rate, hours saved — one business number the build will be held accountable to. It's measured as-is during this phase, so there's a baseline. No before-number, no claim.
- 4
Timeline and cost are put in writing
A fixed estimate against the scoped milestones. If we under-scoped, the overrun is ours — never discovered on an invoice. Scope changes are priced before work continues, not after.
- 5
You pick the commercial structure
The same estimate underwrites all three engagement models — dedicated team, per project, or partnership. The number doesn't change with the model; only how you pay does.
The deliverable: a signed-off scope, price and metric
Five things, in writing. This is the document the whole engagement is judged against — and the one that carries into the build unchanged.
What we need from you
The heavy lifting is ours — the diagnosis already gave us the material. Your part is review and decisions.
A few hours for review sessions
One or two walkthroughs of the draft proposal with the decision-makers — we'd rather adjust the scope now than mid-build.
Access to the numbers for the baseline
Whatever measures the process today — volumes, cycle times, error logs. We take the baseline here so the metric has a before.
A decision on the engagement model
Dedicated team, per project, or partnership. If you're unsure, we'll recommend one in the proposal — the estimate is the same either way.
One estimate, three ways to pay
The team, the process and the quality bar are identical in every model — the estimate is too. Only the commercial structure changes.
Walk away with the whole plan
If the number doesn't work, or the timing is wrong, the engagement ends here — and the architecture, milestone plan and baseline measurements are yours to keep. Build with an internal team, shelve it, or come back later. Nothing produced to this point is behind a paywall.
Common questions
Why is the estimate free?
Because it's how we underwrite our own guarantee. An estimate we charge for is a deliverable; an estimate we have to live with is a commitment. We only make money if the build happens and the estimate was right.
What if we take the estimate and go elsewhere?
You can — exit at any phase, keep everything produced to that point. The architecture, milestones and baseline are yours. Some companies use them with an internal team; a few have come back a year later.
How fixed is the fixed estimate?
If we under-scoped the agreed milestones, the overrun is ours — you never find it on an invoice. What does change the number: scope you add. Changes are priced and agreed before work continues, never after.
How is the success metric chosen?
Together, from the diagnosis. It has to be a number the business already cares about — quote time, onboarding days, hours of manual work — and it has to be measurable both before and after. We take the before-measurement during this phase.
How do equity deals use the same estimate?
Identically. We estimate the build exactly as we would for a paying client, and that number becomes the basis of the equity conversation — the full build value as equity, or a reduced price with the discount converting to equity.
What if the estimate comes out higher than expected?
Then you know before committing anything — that's the point of doing it free, after the diagnosis. Often the answer is a smaller first system: fewer milestones, the same metric, and the option to extend once it proves itself.
The four phases
Full process overview →Working sessions on operations, numbers and constraints — free, 1–2 weeks.
Architecture, milestones, price and metric — free, 1 week.
Working software from week two — weekly demos, milestone billing.
The estimate is free. The number holds.
Start with the diagnosis — the estimate follows a week later, underwriting all three engagement models.