Our software development process, stage by stage
Seven stages, from the first call to the months after launch. Each one ends with something you can see and check, so you always know where the project stands and what comes next.
In software development life cycle (SDLC) terms: discovery is requirements, design and architecture are design, build sprints are development, QA is testing, launch is deployment, and support is maintenance.
The stages overlap in practice: architecture runs alongside design, and quality checks run through every sprint. What doesn't change is the order of the decisions.
For the stages on a real product, read how we built and run BrokLeads.
Discovery
Phase: Thinking, 1–2 weeks
We learn the business, the people who'll use the software and the constraints, and write it down.
What happens
- Calls with you and, ideally, the people who'll use the software every day
- A look at what exists today: spreadsheets, tools, data, an old app or site
- Agreeing what success looks like, in terms you can check later
What you get
- A written brief
- Scope with milestones
- Risks and assumptions, listed
- An estimate, and a fixed price or a monthly plan
Your part
A few hours of calls, and access to anything that already exists.
UX and UI design
Phase: Thinking, 1–4 weeks
Flows, wireframes and a clickable prototype you can try before anything is built.
What happens
- User flows for the key tasks, then wireframes
- A clickable prototype you can tap through on your own phone
- Visual design with every state: empty, loading, error
What you get
- User flows
- A clickable prototype
- Visual design and design tokens
Your part
Feedback on the prototype, and ideally a few real users who can try it.
Related service: UI/UX design
Architecture
Phase: Thinking, a few days, alongside design
How it will be built, written down: data, integrations, hosting and security.
What happens
- The data model: what's stored, who owns it, who can see it
- Integrations and the accounts they need (payments, Meta, WhatsApp)
- Hosting, environments, backups and how we'll monitor it
What you get
- An architecture note
- The data model
- A list of accounts that will be in your name
Your part
Create or approve hosting, domain and store accounts in your organisation's name.
Related service: Cloud and DevOps
Build sprints
Phase: Making, usually two-week sprints
Working software at the end of every sprint, on a preview link, with a demo.
What happens
- We build the highest-priority items first
- Every change goes through a pull request with automated checks
- Each sprint ends with a demo on a live preview link
What you get
- A demo every sprint
- Release notes
- A preview link
- Access to the repository and task board
Your part
Half an hour for each demo, and deciding what matters most for the next sprint.
Related services: Web development, Mobile app development, Custom software
Quality assurance
Phase: Making, throughout, plus a pass before launch
Every change is checked by machines and by people.
What happens
- Types, lint, automated tests and a production build on every change
- Testing on real phones and browsers, including slow connections
- Accessibility and speed checks against the targets we agreed
What you get
- A test report
- An open-bug list with priorities
- Accessibility and speed results
Your part
Acceptance testing on staging: does it do what your team needs?
Launch
Phase: Running, a planned launch window
A launch run from a checklist, not a leap of faith.
What happens
- DNS, redirects, analytics, backups and monitoring checked off one by one
- App store submissions, if there's an app
- A rollback plan, in case something surprises us
What you get
- The live product
- Handover documents
- Credentials in your own accounts
Your part
Sign off the launch checklist.
Related service: Cloud and DevOps
Support and growth
Phase: Running, ongoing
Fix what users find, measure what changed, and plan the next release.
What happens
- A 30-day bug-fix warranty after delivery, as our terms set out
- Monthly support or ongoing development, if you want it
- Changes measured before and after, so the roadmap follows evidence
What you get
- A support log
- A roadmap
- Before-and-after measurements
Your part
Tell us what users say. That's where the next release comes from.
Related service: Technical SEO and measurement
What stays the same at every stage
Whatever the project, these don't change.
- A written scope before any fixed price
- Code in your repository from the first commit
- A demo you can click at the end of every sprint
- Decisions written down, with the reason for each
- Hosting, domains and store accounts in your name
- One point of contact for the whole project
The feedback loop inside each sprint
Every sprint follows the same rhythm. You see working software, you tell us what to change, and the next sprint starts from that.
- Plan the sprint
- Build on a preview link
- Demo and feedback
Sprints are usually two weeks. The demo takes about half an hour, and the notes from it become the next sprint's plan.
Questions about the process
For contracts, billing and security, see how we work. For what each service involves, see our services.
Can we skip discovery?
For a small, well-defined job, discovery can be a single call and a one-page scope. For anything larger we don't skip it, because a fixed price without a written scope is a guess, and guesses turn into arguments later.
What if our requirements change halfway through?
They usually do. With a fixed scope, a change goes through a short change request with its cost and time agreed before we start. With a dedicated team, you simply reprioritise the next sprint.
How do we give feedback?
On the preview link, in the shared channel, or at the sprint demo. We turn feedback into tasks on the board, so you can see what happened to each comment.
What happens after launch?
Our terms include a 30-day bug-fix warranty for code defects after delivery. After that, monthly support or ongoing development if you want it. Either way, changes are measured before and after, so the next release follows evidence.
Tell us what you're building
A few lines is enough. We'll ask the right questions on the call.
We reply within one working day
By email or WhatsApp, whichever you prefer.
A short call
To understand the goal, the people who'll use it and any deadline.
A written scope and estimate
Before any work starts, so you know what you're agreeing to.
Prefer to talk first?