How we work
How we build your project, step by step
Every project follows the same five stages: discovery, design, two-week sprints, launch and a care plan. You agree the scope and the price before we start, then see working software at a demo every two weeks, with progress, files, messages and invoices in your client portal.
The five stages at a glance
Stage 1
Discovery
We agree what we are building, for whom and why, and write it down.
Stage 2
Design
Every screen is wireframed and designed before any of it is built.
Stage 3
Build in two-week sprints
We build in two-week sprints, and each one ends with a demo of working software.
Stage 4
Launch
We go live on accounts in your name, hand over the documentation and start the 30-day warranty.
Stage 5
Care plan
Offered at launch and running from the end of the 30-day warranty, the care plan keeps the system hosted, secure and improving, month by month.
Stage 1 of 5
Discovery
We agree what we are building, for whom and why, and write it down.
What happens
- A discovery workshop, in person around Melbourne or on a video call. Projects over $10,000 start with a paid workshop ($500 to $1,500), credited to the project if it goes ahead. For a website under $10,000, a call is enough.
- We map your users, the workflow the system exists for, the data it holds, the tools it must connect to and the risks.
- We write the scope: what is in, what is out, the timeline and the fixed price.
In your client portal
- Your brief and the workshop notes.
- The written scope and the quote.
- The services agreement and the deposit invoice.
You approve
The written scope and the fixed price. Work starts when the scope is signed and the deposit is paid.
Stage 2 of 5
Design
Every screen is wireframed and designed before any of it is built.
What happens
- Wireframes of every screen and the flow between them.
- The visual design in your brand, with interface components reused across the system.
- The data model and the integrations are decided, so the build starts with no open questions.
In your client portal
- Wireframes and designs as each one is ready.
- A message thread for feedback, with every comment in one place.
- The design-approval milestone, marked when you sign off.
You approve
The designs. Design approval is the first milestone, and its invoice is raised when you sign off.
Stage 3 of 5
Build in two-week sprints
We build in two-week sprints, and each one ends with a demo of working software.
What happens
- Each sprint starts with a plan: the features we will finish in the next two weeks.
- We build and test them, with automated tests and a review of every change.
- The sprint ends with a demo: a working build you can click through on a staging site, or install on your own phone.
- Your feedback goes into the next sprint's plan.
In your client portal
- The sprint plan and what was finished.
- A link to the latest build.
- The first-working-build milestone and its invoice.
You approve
Each sprint demo, and the first working build, which is the second milestone.
Stage 4 of 5
Launch
We go live on accounts in your name, hand over the documentation and start the 30-day warranty.
What happens
- Final testing, accessibility checks and security checks.
- Hosting, the domain and, for mobile apps, the app store accounts set up in your name.
- Data migration if you have existing data, then go-live.
- Documentation and a hand-over session, so your team can run it.
In your client portal
- The launch update, with the checks we worked through.
- The documentation and hand-over notes, as project files. Logins are handed over directly, never through the portal.
- The launch milestone and the final project invoice.
You approve
Go-live. The final milestone invoice is raised at launch, and the 30-day warranty starts.
Stage 5 of 5
Care plan
Offered at launch and running from the end of the 30-day warranty, the care plan keeps the system hosted, secure and improving, month by month.
What happens
- Hosting, SSL, backups and uptime monitoring.
- Security updates and bug fixes.
- Two, five or ten change hours a month for small improvements.
- A monthly report, sent by email: uptime, backups, security updates, the change hours used and any notes or recommendations.
In your client portal
- Your project's message thread, where you send requests.
- A formal quote for anything beyond the included hours, to accept in the portal.
- Invoices for the plan and for any quoted work.
You approve
The plan tier when you launch, with the plan starting when the warranty ends, and any work beyond the hours, which is quoted in writing first.
Why two-week sprints?
Two weeks is long enough to finish something real and short enough that nothing drifts. Every sprint ends with a demo of working software, so you see progress as a product rather than as a status report, and problems surface while they are still cheap to fix.
The demo is also where you steer. What you say at the end of one sprint shapes the plan for the next, which is how a fixed-price project stays aligned with what you actually need.
- Plan
- Build
- Test
- Demo
- then the next sprint
What does the 30-day warranty cover?
Defects in what we built: anything in the signed scope that does not work as described, fixed at no charge for 30 days after launch. It applies whether or not you take a care plan, and it sits alongside the consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law and does not limit them: where those guarantees cover a defect, your rights continue after the 30 days.
It does not cover new features or a change of direction. Those are priced in writing before we build them, and the services agreement sets out the detail.
What happens when the project ends?
Everything is yours: the code, the designs, the documentation and the accounts the system runs on. If you take the care plan, we look after it from the day the warranty ends, and each month we email you a report of what was done and the hours used.
If you do not, you get a full hand-over, and you can come back for change requests at $130 an hour with a two-hour minimum.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a project take from first call to launch?
Business websites take 3 to 6 weeks, web apps and client portals 6 to 12, MVPs 8 to 12 and mobile apps 10 to 16. Discovery sets the dates in the written scope, and you see progress at a demo every two weeks.
How much of my time does it take?
A discovery workshop at the start, feedback on the designs, a demo every two weeks and a hand-over session at the end. Between those, the portal and its message thread keep you across progress without meetings. Decisions made on time keep the timeline on time.
What is a sprint?
A fixed two-week block of work with a plan at the start and a demo of working software at the end. Building in sprints means progress is visible every fortnight, and your feedback shapes the next two weeks rather than arriving at the end of the project.
Can I change the scope part-way through?
Yes. Tell us what you need and we price it in writing before building it. A small change can fit inside a sprint; a larger one adds to the fixed price and the timeline, and you decide whether to go ahead.
What is the client portal?
A private site where your project lives: progress and milestones, files, a message thread with us, and invoices with their status. It is where you check that the work is moving, at any time, without asking.
Do you work with clients outside Melbourne?
Yes. We are based in Box Hill North in Melbourne's east and work with businesses across Australia. Discovery runs in person around Melbourne or on a video call, and the portal shows progress, files, messages and invoices wherever you are.
Tell us about your project
Describe it in your own words and get a reply with an estimate range within one business day.