Questions, answered.
The things people ask before working with us — pricing, scope, how we plug into existing teams, what happens when an engagement ends.
- What exactly is a product engineer?
- Someone who thinks about the whole problem — business context, user experience, and technical architecture — and can build it. Not a developer who occasionally draws a diagram. Not a consultant who reviews a PR. The same person owns the decision and the code.
- Can the scope change once we've started?
- Yes, within reason. We commit to a direction at the start of an engagement, but we flag and discuss important discoveries openly as they come up. Scope changes are a conversation, not a surprise.
- What if we need more days than expected?
- We tell you early, not at the end. If we see the work running longer than the bucket, we raise it and agree any additional days with you before using them. No silent overruns, no end-of-month surprises.
- Do you work with our existing team?
- Yes. We frequently work alongside internal developers, product managers, and designers. We can lead, embed, or pair — whichever fits. We are explicit about who owns what.
- What if something breaks after the engagement ends?
- We build properly the first time — tests, documentation, maintainable code — so handover is real, not theatre. If you want ongoing availability for incidents, fixes, or small changes, we offer a separate maintenance pack.
- Can we start with something very small?
- There is a minimum engagement size — small enough to start quickly, but large enough that we can build something genuinely useful rather than a half-finished demo. Below that, it tends to fit better as a separate discovery exercise. We will tell you up front which side of the line your project falls on.
- How do you structure engagements?
- Three shapes. Open Build is a project engagement with a defined scope and outcome — you agree a direction, we work through a bucket of days, we ship. Open Studio is ongoing — a bucket of days drawn down as needs surface, for features, integrations, maintenance, and technical advice. Open Lead is embedded technical leadership, as a Tech Lead or Fractional CTO. If none of the three fit cleanly, we shape the engagement to the work. Full details on the engagements page.
Lean builders. We deliver.