§ 0.1
Brief
Discovery call, scoping doc, fixed price for build phase, signed engagement letter.
1 week
§ 0.2
Architecture
Data model, endpoint inventory, hosting plan, security review, written architecture doc.
1 week
§ 0.3
Vertical slice
Thin end-to-end path on a real domain. You see the system running by end of week two.
2 weeks
§ 0.4
Build out
Weekly demo Fridays. Written changelog every Monday. No surprise scope drift.
4–8 wks
§ 0.5
Hardening
Load tests, security scan, backup drill, runbook, on-call handover.
1 week
§ 0.6
Cutover
Production deploy with rollback plan. Pair on first 24 hours of operation.
1–2 days
§ 0.7
Retainer
Same engineer continues on retainer for changes, scaling, on-call.
rolling