Simplileap

// Methodology

How we work

Our approach to building software. Not a methodology deck — a description of how we actually run projects, communicate with clients, and hold ourselves accountable to delivery.

// Delivery process

Our delivery process

01

Discovery & Specification

Week 1–2

We spend the first sprint understanding the problem before touching code. This includes stakeholder interviews, technical architecture review (for existing systems), user research review, and a written specification document that defines scope, technical approach, and acceptance criteria.

Written project specificationTechnical architecture diagramSprint 1 backlog with estimatesAgreed definition of done
02

Design & Architecture

Week 2–4

Design and engineering proceed in parallel. Designers produce low-fidelity wireframes before high-fidelity mockups — getting structural feedback early before investing in visual polish. Engineers finalise the technical architecture, database schema, and API design in parallel.

Approved wireframes and information architectureHigh-fidelity design for key screensTechnical specification and ERDDevelopment environment configured
03

Iterative Development

Ongoing sprints

Two-week sprint cycles with a consistent rhythm: planning on Monday, daily standups, midpoint check-in, review and demo on Friday. Each sprint delivers working software that is reviewed by the client before the next sprint begins — no month-long silences.

Working software every two weeksSprint review with client stakeholdersUpdated backlog based on feedbackContinuous deployment to staging environment
04

Quality Assurance

Embedded throughout

QA is not a phase — it is embedded in our process. Automated tests cover unit, integration, and critical end-to-end paths. Every PR is code-reviewed before merge. Performance and accessibility checks are part of our definition of done.

Test coverage for critical pathsAccessibility audit (WCAG 2.1 AA)Performance baseline with LighthouseSecurity review for public-facing features
05

Launch & Handover

Week -2 to launch

Pre-launch is a structured process: final stakeholder review, production environment setup, staging-to-production deployment validation, monitoring configured, and go/no-go against the acceptance criteria. Handover includes codebase documentation, runbooks, and a training session.

Production deploymentMonitoring and alerting configuredRunbook and operational documentationTeam training and codebase walkthrough
06

Managed Maintenance

Ongoing, optional

After launch, clients can move to a managed maintenance engagement — SLA-backed support, monthly bug fix cycles, dependency updates, and proactive monitoring. Most long-term clients continue with quarterly enhancement sprints alongside the managed service.

SLA-backed incident responseMonthly dependency security scanningEnhancement backlog managementQuarterly strategic reviews

// Working principles

What we believe about client work

Honest estimates

We give estimates based on actual complexity, not what we think clients want to hear. Estimates include explicit uncertainty ranges and assumptions.

Async by default

Most communication happens asynchronously through Slack and Linear — preserving deep work time for engineers and designers. Meetings are for decisions, not status updates.

No scope creep without acknowledgement

When scope changes, we raise it explicitly — not silently absorb it and deliver less. Scope changes are discussed, sized, and either accepted or deferred with the client.

Own the outcome, not just the output

We care whether our work achieves its objective — not just whether we delivered the spec. If something is not working, we raise it. We partner with clients for results.

Write things down

Decisions, architecture choices, and meeting outcomes are documented. A team with good documentation is a team that can onboard, maintain, and improve their systems without tribal knowledge.

Continuous feedback

Weekly written status updates, fortnightly sprint reviews, and a structured project retrospective at the 90-day mark. Feedback surfaces problems when they are still small.

Ready to start a project with us?