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?
- Four shapes. Open Entry is a fixed-price audit or workshop for deciding what comes next — invoiced at the start, no hour counter, the numbers confirmed in the offer document. 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 four fit cleanly, we shape the engagement to the work. Full details on the engagements page.
About missions.
- We already have an IT team. Where do you fit?
- Next to them, on the same problem, with a mandate to deliver it. Your people stay in charge of the whole; we bring the hands and the pace.
- Is this a consultancy in disguise?
- Consultants leave a deck. We leave working software and people who can keep it going. The difference shows in week two.
- What if the problem is bigger than you think?
- You hear it from us as soon as we know, and we agree the next step together before we take it.
- What does AI have to do with it?
- It's how we build, which is why a small team delivers fast. When your product needs it, it's what we build in, properly. Either way, someone accountable is at the wheel.
- How long do you stay?
- Until your people can carry it, which we plan for from day one. Some clients keep one of us on longer, and that's fine as long as we're still useful. After two years on a mission you can hire any of our people outright, no penalty. How the handover works →
For companies without a tech team.
- We have nobody technical. Is that a problem?
- No, it's the normal case. You bring the business, we bring the building, and you'll always understand what's being built and why.
- We already have an IT supplier.
- Fine. We connect from the outside and don't modify what they maintain, so nobody steps on anybody's work.
- Is AI going to make this cheap, or fragile?
- Faster, not fragile. AI writes a lot of the code; someone accountable decides what to build, checks it, and answers the phone when it matters.
- What happens when something breaks?
- You call us. That's what the bucket of days is for, and why we monitor what we connect.
- Can we start small?
- Ten days is the smallest block that builds something real. Below that, the Production Check and the Integration mission are fixed-price ways in.
Lean builders. We deliver.