Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if your development services are for me?

You're a busy person. You'd rather not have to deal with the hassle that often comes with time based pricing for software development. This often includes spending your time to figure out where time is being spent (due to it being a direct cost to you).

How long will development take?

Some projects are small, defined after a few calls and completed in two weeks, others can take nine months or longer. If a project is expected to run longer than a month, we will break it into milestones. As a general rule we will aim for a shorter project first and then consider longer projects later. A key advantage of value-based pricing is that any delay, no matter how small shouldn't eat into your budget.

Why should my business choose custom software?

Businesses can run just fine on off the shelf software (be it installed on premises or hosted by another company). However, if you find that these solutions don't quite meet your needs and it's costing you sufficient resources because of this (especially if it's tedious) it's definitely worth considering having some custom software developed for you. This should save your company time in the long run.

How do you price your services?

For any new development you require, we use value-based pricing. Value-based pricing is based on the product benefits perceived by the customer instead of on the exact cost of developing the product or feature. We charge a percentage on this value.

For any ongoing support or consulting you require, it's typically flat fee based. The exact terms depend on the project. A lot of companies are happy to go with hourly rates if they only require short consultations and small support tasks to be completed.

What is the minimum project size that you will accept?

We generally prefer smaller projects for new engagements. However, if the project really interests us or you've come through referral we can make an exception.

What is your delivery and payment policy?

For new development a fixed quote is agreed. Defined milestones are agreed based on that before the project starts. When you think we've reached an agreed milestone we'll invoice you. This invoice is payable in 30 days. Once all milestones are reached you can consider a support contract if you wish. This is typically an hourly or daily rate depending on your needs.

Who owns the software that you write for us?

Once the project is completed and paid for the software is owned by your company. You have the rights to use or modify the software as you see fit. There are exceptions if some of the software we used to build your solution is under a different licence, that code is under its respective licence.

What technologies are you experts at?

We specialise primarily in web based technology. We are quite language and framework agnostic. We mostly use Python, Java and TypeScript. We're very familiar with popular frameworks used in enterprise software and have used them to build solutions for business critical software (such as payments or monitoring).

How to avail of your consulting services?

The first call is on us, no charge. You are under no obligation to proceed if you feel you don't need our services. If you wish to proceed the next call is on you. Your time is valuable to us and we actually prefer to give you the information or advice you need in as short a time as possible. This is why our consulting and support is usually billed by the hour, invoiced once a month. We typically don't do daily rates unless there is a clear business need.

When is your support available?

We operate 9.30am to 6.00pm Dublin/London Time. If you have specific needs around different timezones or hour range, arrangements can be made in the support contract itself. To learn more about the support we provide, check out our support page.

What software development methodologies do you use?

We embrace the Agile methodologies. We tend to use Kanban internally. However we're very familair with other methodologies such as SCRUM. If your company is large and is using some other variation (hyrbid or enterprise agile), we're also familair with those too. If the project timeline is longer than a month we can try to keep in sync with your agile ceremonies to make tracking things easier.

What about software quality?

Our development follows industry best practices (unit/integration tests, style checks). We pride ourselves on quality. Our developers are also expected to provide testing evidence before releasing the software. We're very happy to work with your internal Quality Assurance and Business Analyists to make sure the software is up to standard. If you're a small business with no such resources, we can also work with third parties if that's more suitable.

How much will development cost?

Rather than trying to guess ahead of time how long it will take, you can make an offer based on percentage of how much you think a particular product or feature is worth to you and why. If this looks attractive to us, we can provide a breakdown of the work into milestones. You pay only when you feel we've reached a milestone. This should keep your costs controlled without having to worry about going over budget.

Legally or tax wise, what does this type of work fall under?

The US equivalent is 1099 Contractor (temporay/independent contractor in other countries). We don't provide employees (W2/permanent). We operate a limited liability company, use written agreements and will invoice you for services provided under those agreements. When in doubt consult a legal or tax professional.

Will you work from our office?

We're a fully remote team, we work digitally. We don't go on-site to work.

Will you sign a non-disclosure agreement?

Yes, if you feel it's necessary. We understand you might want to safeguard your value-based proposition before proceeding with custom development.

What's the best way to reach out to you?

If you have specific questions, you can use our contact page. Using your company e-mail on the form is helpful. We'll get back to you as soon as we can (usually within a few business days).

Last Updated: 16th October 2021