How we work
Three engagement models
We work in three ways: an advisory retainer, a fixed-scope engagement or a managed service. Each one is described below, with who it suits and what it needs from your side.
Monthly, 30 days' notice
Advisory retainer
Suits an organisation with a capable in-house team that wants senior architecture judgement on its designs and decisions.
- Architecture review and design authority input
- Access for your engineers to ask questions
- Design decision records, so the reasoning outlives the conversation
- A route to escalate urgent problems
What you’ll need: Your team carries out the changes we recommend, so it needs time set aside to act on the advice.
2–8 weeks
Fixed-scope engagement
Suits a defined problem with a clear end point. The engagement finishes when the deliverable is handed over.
- Stated duration and deliverable
- Fixed price agreed before we start
- Everything produced is yours to keep
- Continuing afterwards is your choice
What you’ll need: Someone on your side to own the plan or the build once it's handed over, so the estate stays where the engagement left it.
12 months, reviewed quarterly
Managed service
Suits an organisation that wants us to hold and run the platform on its behalf.
- The same architect throughout, who knows your estate
- An agreed control set, reported against on a fixed cadence
- A working channel and response expectations agreed in the contract
- Quarterly review with your stakeholders
What you’ll need: A control set agreed at the start, because the service reports against it. If you haven't defined one yet, a fixed-scope assessment is the usual first step.
More detail
How an engagement runs
Choosing a model
If you're unsure which model fits, the first call usually settles it. Sometimes one of the fixed-scope engagements is the better place to start, and we'll say so when it is.