Two ways in.
One way of working.

I've run this approach inside organisations where getting it wrong cost millions: British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Elekta. What makes it work is the order you do things in, and that works just as well for a business of ten people.

Five steps. Each one ends with something you can read, question and sign off before we move on, so we're always building the same thing and you always know where you stand.

Phase 1. Diagnose

Find what's really holding you back, not just the loudest problem.

Most businesses know something is slow. Fewer know which thing. The first job is to separate the symptom from the cause, so that whatever we fix is the thing that actually matters.

I look at how work really moves: who touches what, how many times the same information gets typed, where things sit waiting. I talk to the people doing the work, not just the person paying for the fix, and I give you a straight read on what I find.

Sometimes the answer is a simple change rather than a build. If so, you'll hear it in week one.

What you do

Give me two or three hours of your time and access to the people who do the work. That's close to the whole ask.

What you get

A clear, written read on what's costing you time, ranked, with a recommendation on what to fix first.

Phase 2. Design

Agree exactly what we're building before anyone builds it.

This is where the plan becomes a document: what the thing does, what it deliberately doesn't do, what data it holds, who can see it, and what "finished" looks like. It's the step that keeps projects on time and on budget.

It's also where the price gets fixed. You approve the scope and the price together. If you want to add something later, it gets its own price, agreed up front, so there are never any surprise bills.

What you do

Read the scope and tell me what you'd change. This is the easiest point to change your mind.

What you get

A signed scope with a fixed price and a clear list of what's included.

Phase 3. Build

Build it properly, and show you as it comes together.

Every build is checked against a written standard covering security, privacy, accessibility, performance and testing before anything is handed over.

You see progress as it happens rather than waiting until the end, so your feedback shapes it along the way.

What you do

Look at it when I send it and tell me what feels wrong. You don't need to know how it works to know whether it fits how you work.

What you get

A working, tested system, with the test results written down.

Phase 4. Launch

Go live when you're ready, with a safety net.

Before anything goes live, I check the data is where it should be, the backups actually restore, it works for everyone who'll use it, and there's a simple way to roll back if needed.

Then I train your team and give you clear written documentation, so the know-how sits with you.

What you do

Pick the date, and get your team together for the handover.

What you get

It's live, your team can run it, and you hold the documentation and the access.

Phase 5. Mature and iterate

Measure the result.

Ninety days after launch we measure the thing we set out to improve, using the same number from phase 1, so you can see exactly what you got for your money.

That tells you where to invest next. From there it's your call whether anything ongoing makes sense.

What you do

Half an hour, ninety days later.

What you get

A measured before-and-after on the thing you paid to fix.

Built on a written standard

The approach isn't made up as I go. It sits on a written delivery standard covering how work is scoped, secured, tested, launched and supported, with clear sign-off points between each step.

It's the same discipline I used on major programmes, written down so every client gets it. Ask to see it on our first call.

Where price comes from

The price is fixed at the end of phase 2, once we both know exactly what's being built. What affects it: how many systems need to talk to each other, how much of your data needs tidying before it can move, how many people need training, and whether anything is regulated.