Approach
How I work
Technical projects rarely run in a straight line. I try to remove uncertainty as early as possible, while changing course is still cheap.
Introduction
Free · ± 30 minutesWe talk for half an hour. I want to know what you want to build, who it is for and where it is stuck right now. You do not need to prepare a technical story. Usually the practical situation is the clearest thing.
After that call you will know whether I can do something for you. If the answer is no, I will say so straight away.
Scoping and proposal
Usually within a weekI write down what I think is needed: which questions have to be answered first, which intermediate steps make sense, what I deliver and roughly what it costs.
Not an airtight plan. In a development project you want to be able to adjust course as you learn. But you should be able to see where your money goes before you spend it.
Design in short rounds
ContinuousI work in short rounds and show you where things are heading along the way. You should not have to wait until the end to find out we should have done something differently.
If I am unsure about a direction, I build something small to test it before basing the whole design on it. Half a day of testing is nearly always cheaper than redoing a part designed the wrong way.
Prototype and test
Depends on the jobBoard, mechanical parts and software come together in a working prototype. That is when you find out what nobody anticipated. That is what a prototype is for.
I test and measure, and tell you what works and what does not. Including the parts I am not happy with myself.
Delivery and handover
At the end of the projectYou get all the files and the documentation, with an explanation. If you bring in someone else later, they should be able to continue without difficulty.
I stay reachable for questions. I regularly get called back later for a change or a follow-up step.
Good to know
What I need from you
- A description of the problem or the goal. Plain language is fine
- Any existing drawings, schematics or code
- Who the end user is and what they have to be able to do
- Constraints: budget, timeline, environment, regulations
- Who inside your organisation makes decisions
Ownership and confidentiality
- Happy to start under an NDA; it protects me too
- You own the design I make for you
- I do not take on work for direct competitors of a running project
- I share nothing about your project without your permission
- The proposal sets out how this is arranged
Where I am not the right party
- Series production of thousands of units. That belongs at a factory
- Formal CE certification and approvals. I design to standard, but I am not a notified body
- Websites, apps and general software development
- Projects that need a full team and years of work
Start with a half-hour call
Describe briefly what you are dealing with. I will let you know within one working day when we can talk.