Engagement model
How a project actually goes.
We've done this enough to have a shape that works. Here's the unvarnished version, including the bits we charge for and the bits we don't do at all.
// scope filterwhat we take on · what we don't
What we take on
- Greenfield builds where the technical bar is high
- Rebuilds of crashing legacy systems with revenue at stake
- Embedding alongside an in-house team to ship a hard quarter
- Senior advisory for founders pre-team or CTOs pre-rebuild
- Production handoff to teams you're still hiring
What we don't
- WordPress / Shopify / template work
- Pure design contracts without an engineering scope
- Tiny one-off engagements we can't do justice
- Open-ended retainers without a scoped first phase
- Stacks we can't hold the on-call pager for
// typical timelineintro → handoff · 12–20 weeks for most builds
Week 0
Intro call (30 min)
No deck. We ask what you're building, what's already there, and what would have to be true for this to feel cheap at twice the price.
Week 1
Discovery week
Audits, stakeholder interviews, technical plan, prototype. You own the artifacts even if we never work together again.
Week 2–3
Spec & SOW
Written spec, architecture diagram, milestones, and a fixed-time/T&M proposal. Reviewed against the data model and the API.
Week 4+
Build, transparently
Two-week sprints, demo Fridays, shared Linear, an open Slack channel. You see the rough drafts, not just the polished demos.
Launch
Production handoff
Runbooks, dashboards, on-call rotation. We sit on the alerts for 90 days while you (or your team) take over.
Ongoing
Steady-state retainer
Optional. Reduced rate, capped hours, monthly review. Or a clean handoff and we step away — equally happy either way.
// engagement4 stages · no surprises
How we work.
01
Discovery week
Five days of audits, interviews, and a written technical plan. You keep the artifacts even if we never work together again.
02
Design + spec
Real prototypes, written specs, an explicit data model. Every screen reviewed against the API before any production code is written.
03
Build, transparently
Two-week sprints, demo Fridays, a shared Linear board, an open Slack channel. You see what we see — including the rough drafts.
04
Launch + steady-state
90-day stabilization included. Runbooks, dashboards, on-call rotation. Then retainer or clean handoff to your in-house team — your call.
// engagementsthree ways to work · scoped & off-rampable
No surprise invoices.
Three engagement models. Pick the one that matches your problem. Each has a clear scope, a written off-ramp, and a number agreed before we start.
01Advisory
Hourly or monthly retainer · ~8 hrs/week
Architecture reviews, hiring panels, fractional CTO for pre-seed founders, second-opinion on a vendor proposal.
- Same-week start
- Async-first · weekly syncs
- Cancel anytime, no auto-renew
Most common
02Build sprint
Typical: 6–14 weeks · fixed scope
Greenfield product, a hard rebuild, or a ship-or-die quarter. We scope, design, build, and hand off.
- Paid discovery week (creditable)
- Two-week sprints, demo Fridays
- Full IP + source + runbook handoff
- 90-day stabilization included
03Embedded
Fractional · 3 days/week
Slot in alongside your team for a quarter or a year. Senior engineer hours where you need them, when you need them.
- Min. 3-month commitment
- In your Linear, Slack, on-call
- Quarterly review & off-ramp
// faqthe questions every buyer asks
Questions, answered.
Every project ships with a written architecture doc, runbooks, and full IP/source handoff from day one. If Novagen disappeared tomorrow, your team (or any competent engineer) could keep shipping. We also keep a short bench of trusted senior collaborators — if a project needs more hands, we bring them in transparently and at cost.
Numbers are quoted per-project after the intro call, not on a public rate card — the right shape depends on scope, timeline, and how embedded you need us. Advisory is hourly or a monthly retainer, build sprints are fixed-scope, embedded is a monthly fractional rate. Every number is agreed in writing before any work starts. No surprises on the invoice.
Discovery weeks usually start within 7–10 days. Build engagements typically begin 2–3 weeks after a signed SOW. We take a small number of active builds at a time, so the calendar is honest — if we’re booked, we’ll tell you straight.
Mutual NDAs at the first conversation, no problem — send yours or use ours. You own 100% of the IP, source, and infrastructure. Always. No carve-outs, no “retained framework” nonsense.
Yes — most engagements are alongside an in-house team. We pair, we review PRs, we document. The goal is for your team to ship without us when we’re gone, not the other way around.
Rarely, and only with disclosure. We bring in vetted senior collaborators for specialized work (e.g. iOS native, ML infra) at cost, and only with your approval. No offshore body shops, no surprise hands on your codebase.
Mostly: anything we can’t hold to a production bar. We’ll happily inherit a Rails or Django codebase, but we won’t start a new project on something obscure we can’t support on-call.
A 90-day stabilization period is included. After that, retainer or clean handoff to your in-house team — your call. We’ll happily walk away if that’s the right outcome.