Custom software
Custom software development in Nairobi
Systems built for one organisation's process, because the off-the-shelf one does not fit it.
Most organisations do not need software that does everything. They need software that does one thing the way they already do it, without the four other ways a generic product assumes. That is the work: reading the process as it actually runs, including the exceptions people currently handle from memory, and building around that instead of around a template.
A build starts with discovery. We sit with the people doing the work, map the process, and write down where it queues, where it loses information, and where the record of what happened is a thread of emails. The data model comes out of that map, and so do the permissions, because who may see and change what is the first thing a shared spreadsheet gets wrong.
We build in increments you can open and use. You get a working system early, in an environment you can log into, and it grows against real use rather than against a specification written before anyone had used anything. At handover you get the source code, the documentation and the training.
What you get
- Discovery and process mapping
- Data model and architecture
- Build, test and deployment
- Handover documentation and training
Who this is for
- Operations and process owners
- Organisations outgrowing spreadsheets
- Teams with a process no product fits
How the engagement runs
Six steps, in this order.
Skipping one of these is how projects end up rebuilt. The order matters more than the ceremony.
- 01
Consultation
We sit with the people who do the work and find out what actually happens, including the workarounds nobody documented.
- 02
Planning and proposal
Scope, timeline and cost in writing, with the assumptions listed. If something is unknown, it is named as unknown.
- 03
Design and development
Data model first, then interface. You see working software early and often rather than a demo at the end.
- 04
Testing and refinement
Functional, load and user acceptance testing. Findings go on a list that gets closed, not a list that gets discussed.
- 05
Implementation and integration
Migration, integration with existing systems and a cutover plan that accounts for the day the old system is switched off.
- 06
Training and support
Your team is trained on the system they will use, and we stay on for maintenance, updates and the questions that arrive in month three.
Questions
Asked before we start.
Something not covered here? Email us and a person will answer.
How long does a custom software project take?
A focused single-process system is usually eight to sixteen weeks from discovery to go-live. Anything that has to read from a finance or HR system takes longer, and the integration sets the timeline rather than the screens. We give a range after discovery, not before it.
Do we own the code?
Yes. The source code, the data and the documentation are yours, and that is written into the agreement before work starts. We hand over the repository at the end of the engagement.
Should we buy a product instead of building one?
Often, and we will say so. If your process is the same as everyone else's, a product is cheaper and will be better maintained. Building is worth it when the process is the thing that makes you different, or when nothing on the market covers it. Our own six platforms exist because those processes turned out to be common enough to productise.
Scoping
Send us the process that keeps breaking.
A short description is enough to start. We will come back with whether it is a product, a build, or something you can fix without buying software.
Nairobi office
10th Floor, Applewood Adams, Ngong RoadNairobi
Kenya
- Phone
- +254 701 684 754
- Hours
- Mon–Fri, 08:30–17:30 EAT