service
Custom software development
A business whose operations do not fit a standard product: work that is tracked in spreadsheets, re-entered between systems, or handled by a process only one person understands.
What you get
- A written description of the process as it actually runs today, including the exceptions.
- A working system for the highest-value part of that process first.
- Data ownership: your data in a standard database, exportable, not locked to us.
- Documentation and a handover so the system is maintainable.
How this differs from web application development
Internal software serves your staff and can change quickly. A web application serves your customers, so it carries public uptime, account security and support expectations.
How we approach it
- We write down the operational process the software replaces before writing any code, because the process is usually where the cost is.
- We build the smallest version that completes one real task end to end, then extend it, rather than building all the screens first.
- Data ownership is settled early: where records live, how they are exported, and what happens if the relationship ends.
What is out of scope
- Replacing a standard product that already does the job adequately. We will recommend the product instead of building one.
- Building a system whose requirements cannot yet be described. It is cheaper to write the process down first, and we will say so.
How it is priced
Cost is driven by how many systems the software has to talk to and how well their data is documented; an undocumented legacy source is the most common reason an estimate moves.
See the pricing page for how that works in practice.
How to start
The first conversation is free and usually takes half an hour. Bring the problem as you experience it — what is not working and what you have already tried.
Tell us what you need
The more specific you are about the problem, the more useful the first reply will be. We read every enquiry ourselves.