Your technology architect + project manager
A good idea and a capable vendor aren't enough. Without an architect to check the design and a project manager to run the build, projects drift, overspend and fail. I'm both. I take no agency fees and do no build work.
Example: how I review a developer's quote
What the agency sentMy notes
No acceptance criteria. Ask before you sign.
Three illustrative quotes for one brief. Move your mouse over the stack.
Why you can trust the advice
Most advice comes from whoever profits when you sign. Mine doesn't.
Eight questions, two minutes. Answer for the quote or plan you have now.
Question 1 of 8
Do you have a written scope listing every feature in the first release?
Start with a fixed-fee project. Monthly support begins once I know your project.
Fixed-fee projects
You have proposals from agencies or developers and need to choose.
You get: a vendor comparison matrix and a written recommendation.
You have an idea but don't know what to build or how.
You get: a strategy and development plan, plus a brief that makes every quote you receive comparable.
Monthly support
You've hired an agency or freelancers and need someone to manage them for you.
I do the chasing. You keep the final say on scope changes, payments and sign-off.
You have your own developers but no experienced technical leader.
For teams that need technical direction, not just project management.
I assess technical and delivery risk; contract clauses go to your solicitor.
Tell me what you're building and send any quotes you have.
One page within 24 hours: scope, deliverable, price and date.
I do the work and walk you through the findings.
I manage your agency or lead your developers once the build starts.
You want to build an online business, but you're not sure about the technology and can't rely entirely on your vendor. You need expert advice and an eye on the work.
Technology adviser for non-technical founders
I have sat on the other side of the table: hiring developers, reading quotes and fixing projects that went wrong. I now do that for founders who don't have a technical person to ask.
I take nothing from agencies, so my recommendation is only about your project.
I advise and manage. I never build what I recommend.
Every finding comes with a cost, a risk and a next step you can act on.
You get an architect before the build and a project manager during it.
Designs the system, the scope and the plan, so you build the right thing once and don't pay to rebuild it.
Runs your vendor on your behalf: milestones, reviews and payments tied to delivered work.
Illustrative scenarios, not client work. Real case studies will replace these.
Quote review
A founder holds three agency quotes for the same app, from £28,000 to £110,000.
The quotes covered different scopes. None included testing or hosting.
One written scope, and all three agencies re-quote on the same basis.
Strategy plan
A first-time founder has a marketplace idea and a fixed budget.
Build one side of the marketplace first. Buy payments and messaging instead of building them.
A six-feature first release and a brief ready to send to vendors.
Delivery management
An agency is three weeks late on milestone two, and payments are tied to dates.
No acceptance criteria, so nobody could say what finished meant.
Milestones re-baselined, and payments tied to a working demo.
No. I advise only, so my recommendations aren't influenced by who gets the build contract.
No. I'm paid only by you.
Yes. With delivery management I'm your agency's day-to-day contact. You still approve scope changes, payments and sign-off.
I review scope, price, assumptions and delivery risk in the statement of work. Legal clauses should be reviewed by your solicitor.
With the technology strategy. It defines what to build, so the quotes you get are comparable.
Yes. I review any vendor's proposal, wherever they're based.
You do. Share them with vendors, investors or your team.
