One conversation. Then a plan.
Every engagement begins the same way: a 30-minute conversation, a closer look at the problem with the people who live with it, and a proposal with a fixed fee on it. Here is what happens, what it costs to start, and what to bring.
Five steps, every time.
The same five steps for every line of work. No slides on the first call, no 50-page contract, and you know who is on the work before it starts.
- 01Discovery Call30–60 min
You tell us the problem in your words. We tell you straight whether — and where — we can help. No slides.
- 02Deep Dive60–90 min
The people closest to the problem, in one room (or one call). We get to the real constraint and the number that matters.
- 03Proposal & Paperworkdays, not weeks
Scope, price, and timeline in writing. A standard MSA and a short SOW — no 50-page lock-up.
- 04Prep & Kickoffweek 1
Access, environments, and a kickoff with everyone who touches the work. You know who’s on it and what ships first.
- 05Engageongoing
The work itself — visible every week, in your environment, with your people in the loop.
Come ready to talk. Nothing to prepare.
Thirty to sixty minutes, on video or the phone, no slides on either side. You tell us what is going on and we ask questions. If you can show us the spreadsheet, the system, or the report that is causing the trouble, even better. It helps to have thought about a few things, but none of it needs to be written down.
What is going on
What is not working, or what you want to be true that is not true today. Tell it the way you would tell a colleague.
Who lives with it
The people who deal with the problem every day. They are the ones we will want in the Deep Dive.
What you would want to change
Hours, dollars, days, errors, customers. If you do not have a number yet, that is fine. Finding it is part of the first two steps.
Roughly what you could invest
Not to the dollar. The range you could defend to your board or your partner. It lets us tell you quickly what is realistic.
Whoever makes the decision
If that is not you, bring them. It saves everyone a second meeting.
Ask us for references, too. We will connect you with clients in a comparable situation before you sign anything. If you want the reasoning behind all of this, read what pre-project consulting is, along with how to prepare for your software project and the questions we ask on the first call.
A fast read on fit.
Frogslayer is right if
- You're tired of teams that over-promise and under-deliver: cookie-cutter solutions, cost and schedule overruns, contracts that hold you hostage
- You want a partner who can both advise and build, and who'll respectfully challenge you when it matters
- You've tried another vendor, a freelancer, or even hiring an internal team before and can't get the results you expect
- Technology is mission-critical to your business even though you're not a “tech company”
- You'd rather do it right the first time than pay for it twice
Frogslayer is not a fit if
- You want a body shop: extra hands under someone else's direction (we don't do staff augmentation)
- You want offshore or nearshore pricing (not what we do: our team is highly qualified and Texas-based, and we don't compete on hourly rate)
- You want a pure advisory firm with no execution capability, or a build shop that never advises
- You want a team that builds whatever it's told without validating it first (we're consultants, not order-takers)
- You're not the decision-maker (that's fine, just bring them)
Pick the one that sounds like you.
One question. You get the first step and what it costs.
Where most software work starts.
A lot of our work begins with one of these two steps. Each is a fixed fee agreed before we begin, and each ends with a plan and a cost you can take anywhere.
System Evaluation
An independent look at the architecture, code, infrastructure, and security of a system you depend on, with written findings, a prioritized plan, and a fixed proposal for the next step. It is where modernization, project rescue, data and reporting work, and takeovers begin.
See System Evaluation →VDP Sprint
Validation, Design & Planning: a two-day workshop, design sessions, click-through mockups of the key screens, requirements, a technology recommendation, and a roadmap with the investment for the first release. Required before every new build, and yours to keep whether or not you build with us.
See the VDP Sprint →AI Office, Managed Hosting & Support, Fractional CTO/CAIO, and Training & Facilitation are scoped after the Deep Dive instead. Everything we publish a price for is on the pricing page.
Ready for the first conversation?
Thirty minutes. No slide deck. We tell you straight whether and where we can help.