The Engineering Protocol
A disciplined approach to software delivery focused on transparency, technical certainty, and long-term ownership.
A company hired an agency to build a custom integration.
Six weeks in, they had burn through $80k with nothing deployed to production. The scope kept expanding. The timeline kept slipping. And nobody could explain what they were actually paying for.
The problem wasn't engineering skill. It was lack of process discipline.
What The Engineering Protocol Actually Does
We operate with a defined process that prioritises transparency, technical certainty, and client control at every stage.
No surprises. No scope creep. No paying for work you don't understand. Every engagement follows a structured protocol designed to protect your investment and deliver working software on schedule.
The Four Control Points
1. Technical Blueprint (SDD)
Before writing a single line of code, we document exactly what will be built and how.
The Software Design Document provides:
- Architectural diagrams - Visual representation of system components and data flow
- Technology decisions - Specific frameworks, services, and tools with justification
- Integration points - How the solution connects to your existing systems
- Security and compliance - Authentication, authorisation, data protection approaches
- Cost estimates - Projected cloud infrastructure and licensing expenses
- Timeline - Development phases with delivery milestones
You review and approve the SDD before development begins. If the approach doesn't align with your vision or constraints, we revise it - no development cost incurred.
The SDD becomes the single source of truth for the engagement. Both parties reference it when questions arise about scope or approach.
2. Fixed Outcome Commitment
We commit to delivering specific, measurable outcomes - not just hourly effort.
The Statement of Work defines:
- Deliverables - Exact functionality, features, and system capabilities
- Acceptance criteria - How you'll verify the solution meets requirements
- Timeline - Key milestones with delivery dates
- Budget - Fixed price for defined scope
You know exactly what you're paying for and when you'll receive it. We bear the risk of technical complexity or unexpected challenges - not you.
If requirements change mid-project, we document the scope change, estimate the impact, and get approval before proceeding. No surprise invoices for "additional work."
3. Rapid Feasibility Validation
High-risk components get validated in the first week, not the last.
Before building the full solution, we:
- Prototype integrations - Verify API access, data formats, and authentication work as expected
- Test performance assumptions - Validate that chosen technologies meet latency or throughput requirements
- Confirm security requirements - Ensure compliance constraints can be satisfied
- Verify third-party dependencies - Check that external services or tools will work as assumed
If something can't be done as planned, you learn immediately - when pivoting is cheap - not after months of development.
This de-risks the engagement. By week two, both parties have high confidence the project will succeed.
4. Direct Account Ownership
All code, infrastructure, and intellectual property belong to you from day one.
What this means:
- Your cloud tenant - Infrastructure deploys in your Azure/AWS/GCP account, not ours
- Your repositories - Code commits to your GitHub/GitLab/Azure DevOps from the start
- Your access - Full admin rights to all resources and systems
- Your data - Never leaves your security boundary
- Your control - Can continue development internally without dependency on us
There's no vendor lock-in. No proprietary platforms. No transition period required if you want to take development in-house.
When the engagement ends, you have complete autonomy over the solution.
How This Protects You
Budget certainty
Fixed-price outcomes mean you know total cost before work begins. No runaway hourly billing.
Timeline visibility
Clear milestones and delivery dates. Progress is measurable, not subjective.
Technical risk reduction
Feasibility validation in week one means we identify blockers early when they're cheap to resolve.
No vendor lock-in
Everything deploys in your infrastructure. You can walk away at any time with working software.
Informed decisions
The SDD gives you complete visibility into technical approach before you commit budget.
What This Looks Like In Practice
Week 1: Discovery & SDD
- Technical discovery sessions with your team
- Architecture design and technology selection
- SDD documentation and review
- Fixed-price proposal for defined scope
Week 2: Feasibility & Setup
- Validate high-risk integrations and performance requirements
- Set up infrastructure in your cloud tenant
- Configure CI/CD pipelines for automated deployment
- Establish code repository and development workflow
Week 3-N: Development Sprints
- Regular progress updates against milestones
- Working software deployed to your environments
- Iterative feedback and refinement
- Documentation alongside development
Final Week: Handoff & Training
- Production deployment with your approval
- Knowledge transfer and technical documentation
- Training for your team on operation and maintenance
- Post-launch support period
Who This Works For
The Engineering Protocol delivers the highest value when you:
- Need custom software but want to avoid agency cost overruns
- Have been burned by scope creep or unclear deliverables previously
- Want transparency into technical approach before committing budget
- Require ownership of code and infrastructure for compliance or control
- Value direct engineering communication over account management layers
This process works for engagements from $30k to $300k. Below $30k, the SDD overhead isn't justified. Above $300k, we break work into multiple fixed-outcome phases.
Getting Started
Every engagement begins with a discovery call to understand your requirements and constraints.
If there's mutual fit, we proceed to the SDD phase. You pay a fixed fee for the design document. If you don't like the approach, you walk away with a complete technical blueprint you can use elsewhere.
If you approve the SDD, we proceed to development with a fixed-price engagement. You know the cost, timeline, and deliverables before development begins.
Schedule a discovery call to discuss your project. We'll determine if the Engineering Protocol is the right fit for your requirements and provide a clear SDD proposal if we proceed.