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Approach

How working with us actually goes.

Four steps, in the same order every time: look at what you have, hand over one small thing that works, add to it, then hand the whole thing over properly.

The steps

Look, footing, build, handover.

  1. Before anything is built

    Look

    We go through what you have and how you actually work, then write down what needs doing, roughly what it will cost, and what could go wrong.

    • A picture of what you run on
    • A rough cost
    • The risks, named
    • Go or no-go
  2. The first thing you get

    Footing

    The first thing we hand over is small, real, and in use by somebody on your team.

    • Something real, in use
    • Updates that can be undone
    • One job done end to end
    • Documented as we go
  3. From there on

    Build

    We add to it in steps. After each one you can see and use what changed, and you get a short note saying what it cost.

    • Something new at each step
    • A note you can actually read
    • A running total
    • Priorities you can change
  4. When it becomes yours

    Handover

    We write everything down, record a walkthrough, put every account in your name, and stay reachable while it settles in.

    • Written instructions
    • A recorded walkthrough
    • Every account in your name
    • Help after handover

Once something is running

Changes go out safely, and can be undone.

Every change is checked before it goes out and tested against the version that already works. If it still turns out to be wrong, it can be reversed.

  • Checked before it reaches your team
  • One step back to the last working version
  • A record of what changed, and when

While it runs

What you get without having to ask.

The most common complaint about people like us is silence.

  • A note you can read

    What changed, what it cost, and anything that has started to worry us.

  • Something you can try

    Each step ends with a working piece you can use yourself.

  • A reply from a person

    Email the person doing the work and they answer. There’s no ticket system in between.

  • No surprises on the bill

    Nothing about the work or the price changes unless you’ve agreed to it.

Standards

What you can hold us to.

  • You own all of it

    The software, the accounts, the domain names — in your name from the first day.

  • Well-known tools

    We build with widely used tools, so whoever you hire next already knows them.

  • Something working, early

    You use it long before it’s finished, instead of waiting to see what you paid for.

  • Updates in writing

    Short notes you could forward to your bank or your board as they are.

  • The smallest fix that works

    If a simple fix solves it, you get the simple fix and a smaller invoice.

  • Easy to replace

    Everything is documented as we go, so someone else could pick it up.

Limits

What we’ll talk you out of.

A consultancy that never says no is selling hours, not judgment.

  • A rewrite when a repair will do

    Most systems need a few fixes, not a fresh start.

  • A technology because it’s new

    Unusual tools make your next developer harder to find and slower to get going.

  • Help you no longer need

    Once it’s working and written down, you should stop paying us. We’ll be the ones to say so.

  • A fixed price before anyone has looked

    Either we lose money or you get less than you paid for. Looking comes first.

  • AI where a rule would do

    A script that costs nothing beats a model that’s usually right.

  • Work we can’t staff properly

    If a project needs a team, we’ll say so early and help you find one.

Find out what it would take.

The first step is a fixed fee and ends with a written plan you can act on. You’re free to take it to someone else.

An engineer to ask before you sign, hire or build.

Plinthix LLC — technology advice for small companies, and the building that follows from it.

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