How We Work:
Transparency Before Trust
No vague promises. No endless meetings. Just clear phases, concrete commitments, and explicit limits. This is how we collaborate.
Phases of Collaboration
From first conversation to running operations. Every step is structured, every handoff point is defined.
Architecture Call
30-45 minutes to assess fit. We discuss your situation, requirements, and constraints. Not a sales pitch – mutual assessment. You'll know if we're the right partner. We'll know if we can deliver value.
Analysis & Architecture
1-2 weeks. We analyze your existing systems, processes, and technical environment. Deliverable: Written architecture document with scope definition, technical approach, integration points, and explicit exclusions.
Setup & Integration
2-4 weeks depending on complexity. We build, deploy to your infrastructure, and document everything. You have read-only access to our project board. Weekly progress updates. No surprises.
Operations & Monitoring
Ongoing responsibility. We monitor, maintain, and handle incidents. Monthly operational reports. Quarterly architecture reviews. Continuous documentation updates. Your systems stay stable while you focus on your business.
Communication Standards
What to Expect: Response Times & Channels
Communication: Predictable and Efficient
No endless email threads. No meetings without agenda. Every communication has a purpose and a documented outcome.Response Time: 4 Business Hours
Initial response to any message within 4 business hours. Not a solution – but acknowledgment and timeline.
Incident Escalation: Immediate
If something is down, we respond immediately. Escalation path is documented in your runbook. Phone, email, and monitoring alerts.
Weekly Status Updates
Every Monday during setup phase. Every month during operations. Brief, factual, no fluff. What happened, what's next, any risks.
Quarterly Architecture Reviews
Scheduled review of your infrastructure and processes. Are there bottlenecks? New requirements? Better approaches? We propose, you decide.
Our Commitments
What You Can Expect
Concrete standards we hold ourselves to. Measurable, documented, enforceable.
Documentation: Always Current
Every change is documented within 24 hours. Architecture decisions, configuration changes, incident resolutions. Stored in your repository, version-controlled, accessible.
Monitoring: 24/7 Coverage
Automated monitoring for all critical services. Uptime, performance, error rates. We get alerted before you notice issues. Dashboard access for you.
Updates: Scheduled & Tested
Security updates within 72 hours of release. Feature updates scheduled with you. Every update is tested in staging first. Rollback plan documented.
Backups: Daily & Tested
Automated daily backups. Stored in your infrastructure. Tested monthly. Recovery procedures documented and validated.
Escalation Path: Documented
Three escalation levels. Response times defined for each. Contact information always current. Backup contacts for every role.
Reporting: Monthly Transparency
Monthly operational report: uptime statistics, incidents, changes, recommendations. No jargon. Just facts.
Explicit Limits
What We Explicitly Don't Do
Red Lines: What We Won't Do
These are not service limitations. They're protection mechanisms – for you and us. Clear boundaries prevent future problems.No Direct Database Access in Production
We never touch production databases directly. All changes go through tested migrations. If something requires emergency DB access, we'll ask for explicit approval first.
No Changes Without Rollback Plan
Every change must be reversible. If we can't document a rollback procedure, we don't proceed. Your risk is our risk.
No Undocumented "Quick Fixes"
Even urgent changes get documented. No tribal knowledge. No shortcuts that come back to haunt you.
No Feature Development Without Architecture Discussion
New features trigger architecture review. We'll challenge requirements if they introduce unnecessary complexity or risk.
Our Guarantees
These aren't marketing promises. They're contractual commitments backed by procedures and insurance.
Uptime: 99.5% Measured Monthly
Planned maintenance excluded, announced 48 hours in advance. Unplanned downtime triggers root cause analysis within 48 hours. Repeated issues trigger architecture review.
Rollback: Within 1 Hour
If a deployment causes issues, we roll back within 1 hour. No discussions, no debugging in production. Fix forward only after root cause is understood.
Insurance: Professional Liability
We carry professional liability insurance. Errors happen. When they do, we own them – financially and operationally.
Exit Strategy: No Lock-In
Everything runs in your infrastructure. All documentation in your repository. Code ownership clearly defined. You can leave anytime – or bring operations in-house.
Data Sovereignty: Your Infrastructure
Deployments in your AWS, Azure, or Hetzner accounts. We have operational access, you have ownership. GDPR compliance by design.
Knowledge Transfer: Documented
If you decide to take over operations, we provide 2 weeks of handoff time. Includes documentation review, Q&A sessions, and operational walkthrough.
FAQ
Common Questions About Working Together
What clients usually ask before we start.
How do you handle incidents outside business hours?
Critical systems get 24/7 monitoring with automated alerts. We respond based on severity: P1 (production down) within 15 minutes, P2 (degraded) within 2 hours, P3 (non-urgent) next business day. On-call rotation documented in your runbook.
What if we disagree on a technical approach?
We document both approaches with trade-offs. You make the final decision – it's your infrastructure. If we believe an approach introduces unacceptable risk, we'll say so clearly. But you're the decision maker.
Can we scale up or down our service level?
Yes. After the initial 3-month commitment, you can adjust monthly. Scale up immediately, scale down with 30 days notice. Changes are documented in a service amendment.
What happens if you make a mistake that causes downtime?
We own it. Immediate rollback, root cause analysis within 48 hours, documented lessons learned. If the mistake causes financial damage, our insurance covers it. No finger-pointing.
How do you stay current with security vulnerabilities?
Automated scanning for known vulnerabilities. Security mailing lists for critical components. CVE monitoring. Critical patches within 72 hours. Your monthly report includes security updates applied.
What if our requirements change mid-project?
During setup: Scope change triggers architecture review and timeline adjustment. During operations: New requirements become new setup projects. We don't do ad-hoc changes – they create technical debt.
Does This Approach Fit Your Needs?
In a short call, we'll assess whether our methodology aligns with your requirements.
No commitment, no sales pressure – just an honest evaluation.