From first email to live build.
Six stages, from a written brief to a finished build. Plain language, a quote held in writing, no surprise invoices. Here’s what each stage actually contains, what you give us, and what you get back.
Brief
A real conversation about what's broken and what you want to be true in twelve months. We don't pitch, we listen, then ask the questions that decide scope.
- You bring
- A sentence about your operation, the problem you're trying to solve, and (if you have one) a rough budget.
- We deliver
- A reply, usually within one business day, by email or a call. One follow-up call if needed. A written brief that names the scope and timeline in one page.
Shape
Scope, screens, and the data model, drafted small and shown to you before any of it gets built. For a system, this is where we agree what a record, a load, or a placement actually needs to hold.
- You bring
- Strong opinions about how your operation actually runs: the pens, the loads, the roles, and the exceptions that break a generic template.
- We deliver
- A written scope with the screens and data model sketched out, reviewed together before a line of it gets built.
Build
The system, the records, the app, or the site, written by the people who wrote the brief. Hand-coded, offline-aware where the job needs it, and built around how your operation actually runs. A focused site is weeks; a platform with data migration, several roles, and hardware integrations can run for months, so the schedule is the one in your quote, not a fixed calendar.
- You bring
- Copy, records, or existing data you want carried over; access to the hardware or files it needs to connect to; reviews at each major milestone.
- We deliver
- A staging URL or a test build early on. Progress check-ins at week-ends. Source code you own on completion when you buy the project.
Ship
On-time launch, on your own accounts if you bought the project once, or ours until buyout if you're subscribing. DNS swap planned if there's a site, data migrated and checked if there's a system, before we go live.
- You bring
- Final approval on the build; access to any existing accounts we're cutting over from.
- We deliver
- A launch checklist and, on a project you buy once, a written handoff doc with every credential and where it lives.
Polish
Post-launch QA. A pass on the real devices your crew uses, a dead-zone check if there's an offline app, fixes to anything we missed.
- You bring
- Honest feedback in the first two weeks; flag anything that looks wrong even if it's small.
- We deliver
- Two weeks of active polish at no extra cost. Bug fixes in days, not quarters.
Maintain
Ongoing care: hosting, maintenance, and being reachable when something breaks. Quoted from your brief.
- You bring
- Optional on a project you buy once, where what we built keeps running with or without it. On a subscription, care is part of the plan.
- We deliver
- Security patches, monitoring, and a reply usually within one business day when you write in.
About working together.
How is a project's timeline set?
From your brief, not from a tier. A focused website or a single-record system is usually the fastest; a build with hardware integrations, data migration, or several roles takes longer. The timeline is written down before anything is payable, and we hold it.
Do you do calls, or is it all over email?
Whatever works for you: a call, a text, an email, or a video call, all equally fine. We do one kickoff conversation to align on scope, then occasional check-ins when a project genuinely benefits from one. That keeps meetings from eating into the build, calls take time the work doesn't.
What if I want changes mid-project?
Small changes are part of the work. Scope changes (new pages, new features, redirected goals) get a quick written re-scope and we agree on the new number before anyone codes. No surprise invoices.
What happens if I miss the brief deadline?
We pause your slot and agree a new start date in writing.
Do you sign NDAs?
Yes, standard mutual NDAs are fine. If your in-house template includes ownership-of-work clauses that conflict with how we actually sell, meaning you own the project outright if you buy it once and we own it until the buyout if you subscribe, we will flag it before signing rather than after.
Ready when you are.
Send a sentence about your business. A reply, usually within one business day, from Mule Digital, signed by a human. Last reviewed September 23, 2026.