Processes¶

Client Engagement¶

Discovery & Onboarding¶

1. Initial Contact - Email or call to discuss project needs - Free 30-minute discovery call - High-level requirements gathering

2. Technical Assessment - Review existing systems (if applicable) - Discuss technical requirements and constraints - Identify potential challenges and risks - Propose technical approach

3. Proposal - Detailed scope of work - Timeline with key milestones - Cost estimate (fixed price or rate structure) - Technology recommendations - Team composition

4. Contract & Kick-off - Sign agreement and NDA (if needed) - Set up communication channels (Slack, email) - Access to repositories, tools, documentation - Initial planning session

Project Execution¶

Sprint Structure - Typical sprint length: 1-2 weeks - Flexible based on project needs and client preferences

Communication Cadence - Progress updates: Weekly (or as agreed) - Demos: End of each sprint or milestone - Standups: Optional, based on team preference - Ad-hoc communication: Slack/email for quick questions

Delivery Process - Feature branches for all work - Pull requests with descriptions and context - Code reviews before merging - Continuous deployment to staging - Production deployments after client approval

Documentation - Technical decisions documented as we go - API documentation (OpenAPI/Swagger) - Architecture diagrams for complex systems - Setup and deployment guides - Handover documentation for project completion

Quality Assurance¶

Testing Standards - Unit tests for business logic - Integration tests for critical paths - E2E tests for key user flows - Manual testing before production deployment

Code Quality - TypeScript strict mode enabled - Linting (ESLint, Credo for Elixir) - Code formatting (Prettier, mix format) - Static analysis tools - Code reviews on all changes

Security - Dependency vulnerability scanning - Secrets management (never commit credentials) - Authentication and authorization best practices - HTTPS/TLS by default - Regular security updates

Service Levels & Escalation¶

Response times: Within 1 business day for normal requests, same-business-day for blockers. Critical incidents: acknowledge in ≤1 hour during business hours.
Incident comms: Single incident channel/thread, timestamped updates until resolution; post-incident summary with action items.
Escalation: If blocked >1 business day, escalate to both founders and the client lead; we surface tradeoffs early with options.
Availability: Normal hours EET; extended/after-hours support only if contracted.

Project Completion¶

Deliverables - Production-ready code in your repository - Comprehensive documentation - Infrastructure as Code (if applicable) - CI/CD pipeline configured - Monitoring and alerting set up

Handover - Code walkthrough sessions - Documentation review - Deployment process demonstration - Knowledge transfer to your team - Post-launch support (if included) - Handover checklist: access/credential rotation, alerts/ownership transferred, runbooks verified, infra diagrams stored, admin accounts handed off.

Post-Project - Maintenance retainer (optional) - Ad-hoc support available - Open to future projects

Engagement Models (Recap)¶

Time & Materials - Flexible scope, billed hourly/daily; good for evolving projects and rapid iteration.
Fixed Price - Defined scope and price; good for clear requirements and tight budgets.
Retainer - Reserved capacity monthly; good for ongoing support, predictable velocity, and quick response.

Development Practices¶

Definition of Ready¶

Clear user story or goal with acceptance criteria
Dependencies identified and unblocked
Test data/fixtures available
Impacted systems and risks noted

Definition of Done¶

Functionality implemented with tests
Documentation updated (README/ADR/API)
Monitoring/alerts updated if needed
Deployed to agreed environment and demonstrated
No high-severity bugs open for the scope

Version Control¶

Git with feature branch workflow
Meaningful commit messages
Pull requests for all changes
Protected main/production branches

CI/CD¶

Automated testing on every push
GitHub Actions or GitLab CI
Automated deployments to staging
Manual approval for production
Rollback procedures documented

Code Quality Standards¶

TypeScript strict mode
Comprehensive linting rules
Code formatting enforced
No warnings in production builds
Regular dependency updates

Testing Approach¶

Test-driven development when appropriate
Unit tests for business logic
Integration tests for API endpoints
E2E tests for critical user journeys
Minimum 70% code coverage for critical modules

Communication¶

With Clients¶

Regular, transparent updates
Proactive communication about blockers
Clear explanations of technical decisions
Realistic timelines and estimates
No surprises

Internal¶

Async-first for non-urgent matters
Quick sync calls when needed
Document all decisions
Share context proactively

Tools¶

Development¶

Git, GitHub/GitLab
VS Code, Neovim
Docker, Docker Compose
Postman, curl for API testing

Project Management¶

Linear, GitHub Projects
Asana, Jira (client preference)
Notion for documentation

Communication¶

Slack (primary)
Zoom, Google Meet
Email for formal communications

For more tools and resources, see resources.

Principles¶

Quality over speed We don't cut corners. Proper testing, code reviews, and documentation are non-negotiable.

Automate repetitive tasks If we do something more than twice, we automate it. This includes testing, deployments, and data processing.

Security by default Security isn't an afterthought. We build secure systems from the start.

Transparent communication Regular updates, honest timelines, and proactive problem-solving. No hiding issues until they become crises.

Pragmatic technology choices Choose boring, proven technology over shiny new frameworks. Use the right tool for the job.

Documentation as we go Document while building, not as an afterthought. Future developers (including us) will thank us.