Process

How a Techroniqs engagement runs

Six stages, each with a stated output and a stated dependency on you. No stage is a black box.

What is the Techroniqs software development process?

A Techroniqs engagement runs in six stages: a discovery call to establish fit, a paid scoping and architecture phase producing a written plan, a first working slice deployed end to end, an iterative build on a weekly cadence, a launch with monitoring and a runbook in place, and optional ongoing operation on a monthly retainer. Every branch deploys to its own preview environment throughout, so progress is reviewed as running software rather than as a status report.

Key takeaways

  • Architecture is decided and written down before application code is written — that is where project risk actually lives.
  • A first complete user flow runs in a preview environment within two to four weeks of scoping finishing.
  • You get a weekly demo of working software, not a progress document.
  • Documentation and runbooks are produced at launch, which is what makes handover real rather than nominal.
  • The most common cause of a slipped date is decision latency on the client side, not scope change.

The six stages

  1. 01

    Discovery call

    30–45 minutes

    A call with an engineer, not a salesperson. We establish what you are building, what already exists, and what the real constraint is — usually budget, a deadline, or a dependency.

    What you get
    A direct answer on whether we are a good fit, including when the answer is no.
    What we need from you
    Whatever exists already: a brief, designs, a repository, or just the problem stated plainly.
  2. 02

    Scoping and architecture

    1–3 weeks

    We write down the data model, the API contract, and the integration list before writing application code. This is where most of the risk in a project is removed, because the expensive mistakes are architectural.

    What you get
    A written scope, an architecture outline, a delivery plan with dates, and a fixed price or a rate and estimate.
    What we need from you
    Access to the systems the product must integrate with, and a decision-maker available for questions.
  3. 03

    First working slice

    2–4 weeks

    One complete user flow, running end to end in a preview environment you can use. Not a prototype and not a design — working software against real data.

    What you get
    A deployed environment with one real flow, updated on every branch.
    What we need from you
    Feedback on the flow while it is still cheap to change.
  4. 04

    Build

    6–20 weeks

    Iterative delivery on a weekly cadence. Every branch deploys to its own preview URL, so review happens against running software rather than a description of it.

    What you get
    A weekly demo, a written update, and continuously deployed preview environments.
    What we need from you
    A weekly review slot and prompt decisions on open questions.
  5. 05

    Launch

    1–2 weeks

    Production deployment with monitoring, error tracking, and a tested rollback path in place before traffic arrives, plus the runbook that explains how to operate it.

    What you get
    The application in production, monitoring configured, and a written runbook.
    What we need from you
    Production credentials, domains, and a go-live decision.
  6. 06

    Operate and iterate

    Ongoing, monthly

    Monitoring, dependency updates, incident response during working hours, and new feature work against a roadmap. Optional — several clients take handover instead, which is why documentation is part of launch rather than an extra.

    What you get
    A monthly retainer covering maintenance and agreed feature capacity.
    What we need from you
    A prioritised backlog.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the whole process take?

From first call to production is typically three to six months for a full build. Discovery and scoping take one to three weeks, a first working flow appears two to four weeks after that, and the remaining build runs six to twenty weeks depending on scope. Smaller fixed-scope work compresses this considerably.

Why is scoping a paid phase rather than free pre-sales?

Because it produces something you own and can act on: a written scope, an architecture outline, and a delivery plan with dates. That work takes one to three weeks of senior engineering time. Free scoping is either superficial or subsidised by the build price, and both are worse for you.

What if we already have designs or a partial codebase?

That shortens discovery rather than complicating it. Several engagements began mid-flight — GreenPal was an established Rails and React platform serving 500,000+ homeowners when we joined, and CropGuard began as founding frontend work alongside an existing team.

How much of our time does this require?

A weekly review slot of about an hour, plus prompt answers to blocking questions. Decision latency on the client side is the single most common cause of a slipped date — more than scope changes.

What happens if we want to stop?

You hold the repository from the first commit and documentation is written at launch rather than after it. Time-and-material work can stop at any point with no penalty; fixed-price work is settled against completed milestones.

Do you work in sprints?

We work to a weekly cadence with a demo and a written update, which is the useful part of sprint ceremony without the overhead. Every branch deploys to its own preview URL, so the demo is running software rather than a status report.

Related

Start at stage one

A 30-minute discovery call with an engineer. If we are not the right fit, you will hear that on the call rather than after a proposal.

Book a discovery call See the work first