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Service

Two to three weeks that turn an idea into a costed plan

The most expensive software decisions are made before anyone writes code. Discovery exists to make those decisions with evidence: what the process really is, what it costs today, and what the first release must contain.

Outcomes

  • A specification precise enough to price
  • An architecture that will not need reversing in year two
  • A phased plan with a defensible budget
  • A clear recommendation, including 'do not build this'

Service

Where it is used

Pre-investment scoping

A number you can take to a board without a range of 3x.

Vendor-neutral second opinion

A review of a quote or architecture you have already been given.

Process mapping

Understanding the current way of working before changing it.

What we deliver

  • Stakeholder interviews and process mapping
  • Requirements and acceptance criteria
  • Solution architecture and integration map
  • Risk register and compliance review
  • Phased delivery plan and budget

Who this is for

  • Leadership deciding whether to build, buy or fix before committing a budget.
  • Companies that inherited a system and need an honest assessment of it.
  • Teams preparing a tender or board case who need defensible numbers.

When this is the wrong choice

  • Buyers who already know exactly what to build and only need delivery capacity.
  • Situations where a report is wanted to justify a decision already taken.

Problems this solves

The estimate has no basis

We produce a scope and a band derived from the actual workflow and integration surface, in a form a finance team can challenge.

Unknown technical debt

A code and architecture review identifies what must be replaced, what can be wrapped, and what is fine as it is.

Competing internal opinions

A written options analysis with costs, risks and reversibility gives the decision a shared factual base.

Architecture and integration

  • Assessment of current data model and integration boundaries.
  • Hosting, environment and deployment review including recovery posture.
  • Security and GDPR review of access, retention and logging.
  • Target architecture described as phases, not a big-bang rewrite.

How delivery runs

  1. 01

    Interviews

    The people who do the work daily, not only the sponsors.

  2. 02

    System and data review

    Repositories, integrations, hosting, data quality and operational incidents.

  3. 03

    Options analysis

    Two to four realistic routes with costs, timelines, risks and what each one locks you into.

  4. 04

    Recommendation

    One recommended route with a phased plan and the first increment scoped enough to start.

Realistic timeline

Week 1

Interviews and system access.

Week 2

Analysis and draft options.

Week 3

Final recommendation, phased plan and cost bands.

Build or buy

Buy something existing when

  • A standard product covers the process and integration is straightforward

Build custom when

  • The process differs from the market in ways that matter commercially
  • Licence plus workaround cost already exceeds a build

The consulting output states the recommendation plainly, including when it is 'do nothing this year'.

What moves the price

Number of systems in scope

Each system reviewed adds interviews, access and analysis.

Depth of code review

A directional review is a few days; a line-level audit of a large codebase is weeks.

Deliverable format

A working session and memo costs less than a full tender-ready specification.

Where projects go wrong

Analysis that never becomes action

Every engagement ends with a first increment scoped tightly enough to start immediately, with or without us.

Supplier bias

Consulting is priced and contracted separately from build, so the recommendation is not a sales route.

Indicative budget

from
€6,000
typical
€9,000 – €25,000

Deducted from the build price if you continue with us.

FAQ

Questions buyers ask

Do we own the discovery output?+

Yes, entirely. You can take it to any supplier.

What if discovery says do not build?+

Then it saved you the build. It has happened, and we will say it plainly.

You already have the idea. Let's define what comes next.

Available in 12 languages

software development consulting