About two to three weeks from first call to first sprint, depending on scope clarity. No paid onboarding fee, no commitment to start.
- Discovery call (about 60 minutes). The agency walks us through the brief, the deadline, the client constraint, and what already exists. We ask the questions a senior engineer would ask before quoting anything.
- Brief review with the engineering lead (about a week). We read the design, the scope, the existing code if any, and surface technical risks before the sprint starts. Output: a written risk and assumption list with the trade-offs we see.
- Scope and quote return (about a week). A written proposal with project phases, review checkpoints, QA responsibilities, the delivery boundary, and the price. The agency reviews and approves in writing before the first sprint.
- Sprint zero begins. Repository access, environment setup, kickoff with the named project lead. Working progress reaches the agency on the first review checkpoint.
What we do not do: start coding before scope is approved, or charge for the brief review even if you choose not to engage. The discovery and scoping work is ours to invest if we believe the project is the right fit.