If you’re in the early stages of a software project and researching a technology partner, I can guess your top two questions:
- “How soon can you build this?”
- “How much is this going to cost me?”
Fair questions! But with custom development, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Every project is unique, with its own complexities and challenges. That’s not a satisfying response, though, so let’s break down the process and shed some light on how we estimate and price your project.
Getting on the Same Page
Before we can estimate a project, we need to develop a shared understanding of what we’re building. This means digging into the scope and requirements—identifying users, creating user stories, and mapping out the key elements of the user experience.
For smaller projects, this process is typically informal, handled through conversations with our Agile team. For more complex projects, we recommend a structured discovery workshop to capture all the moving parts. Investing this time upfront ensures that we avoid misalignment, saving you time and money in the long run.
From Requirements to Estimates
Once we have a clear understanding of your project, our Agile team gets to work building out a detailed list of requirements. Then, leveraging our collective experience, we estimate how long each piece will take to develop.
This process isn’t about guessing—it’s a structured approach refined over nearly two decades of software development for our clients. We analyze multiple data points, compare similar past projects, and engage in team discussions to reach a consensus on the estimate.
The estimate starts with expected development hours but also includes:
- Time for feedback and iterations
- Quality assurance (QA) reviews
- Project management
The final number we provide is fully loaded, meaning it reflects a realistic view of the total effort involved. However, it’s important to note that an estimate is just that—an informed projection, not a fixed guarantee.
How We Bill for Time
We understand that different projects have different needs, so we offer flexible billing options. Typically, we will estimate a project in terms of either weeks or months of the team's time on the project, depending on what works best for your project. This flexibility ensures that you only pay for the time and effort required, whether it's a short-term engagement or a long-term collaboration.
Ultimately, custom software development is an investment, and pricing reflects the complexity and effort required. By establishing a shared understanding from the outset, we can create a plan that aligns with your needs, budget, and timeline.
We encourage you to read more about how we develop a shared understanding with our clients and how we conduct discovery workshops.
If you have any questions, please comment below or reach out for a free estimate!
