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Transparency by default

No black boxes.
No surprises.
Just software that ships.

Every engagement starts with a shared understanding of what we're building, how we'll build it, and how you'll know it's working. Here's exactly how we operate.

Our process

Six phases, every time. We don't skip discovery to save a week. We don't skip documentation to ship faster. Shortcuts cost you later โ€” we've seen it enough times to be stubborn about this.

Walk through it with us
01
2 weeks — Discovery

Discovery & Architecture

We don't start writing code until we understand the system we're building. This phase covers a deep requirements dive, system design sessions, risk identification, and producing architecture decision records (ADRs) that become the blueprint for everything that follows.

Requirements deep-dive System design Risk identification Architecture decision records
02
Pre-sprint — Planning

Sprint Planning

Before every sprint cycle, we run a structured planning session. Backlog items are groomed, estimated, and prioritized against capacity. Dependencies are mapped so nothing blocks the team mid-sprint. You see the board, always.

Backlog grooming Capacity planning Dependency mapping
03
Ongoing — Delivery

Iterative Delivery

Two-week sprints. Every sprint closes with a live demo โ€” not a status update, but working software you can click through. Between demos, async daily updates keep you informed without requiring your calendar. Scope changes don't derail us; they're just the next sprint's input.

2-week sprints Live demos every cycle Async daily updates
04
Continuous — Quality

Quality & Security

Every PR gets reviewed before merge โ€” no exceptions, no "we'll clean it up later." Automated test coverage runs on every commit. Security scanning catches vulnerabilities before they reach staging. The staging environment mirrors production so surprises at launch are rare.

PR reviews Automated tests Security scanning Staging environment
05
Go-live — Launch

Launch & Handover

Production deployment is planned, staged, and executed โ€” not just pushed and hoped. Every project ships with documentation, runbooks, and a structured knowledge transfer session. You should be able to operate what we built without us in the room.

Production deployment Documentation Runbooks Knowledge transfer
06
Post-launch — Partnership

Ongoing Partnership

Most of our best clients started with a fixed-scope project and moved to a retainer once they saw how we work. Retainer engagements include dedicated team capacity, performance tuning, and architectural guidance as your product scales and evolves.

Retainer support Performance tuning Architectural guidance

Engagement models

Three ways to work with us, depending on what you're building and how much you already know about it.

Fixed Price

Fixed Price

For well-scoped projects with clear deliverables. We agree on scope, timeline, and price up front โ€” no surprise invoices, no scope creep debates. You know exactly what you're getting before a single line of code is written.

Best for MVPs and defined-scope builds where requirements are stable and the goal is clear from day one.
Time & Materials

Time & Materials

For exploratory work, R&D, and architecture consulting where scope evolves as you learn. Billed weekly with transparent reporting โ€” you see every hour and what it produced. Ideal when you're still figuring out what to build.

Best for Exploratory work, technical due diligence, R&D sprints, and architecture consulting.

What you can always expect

Regardless of engagement model or project size, these are non-negotiables โ€” every client, every time.

NDA before kickoff

We sign your NDA or provide ours before any discovery call. Your ideas, architecture, and business logic stay confidential.

Weekly demos

Every sprint closes with a live demo of working software โ€” not a slide deck. You always know where we are against the plan.

Open Jira board access

Your project board is shared from day one. Every task, every status, every blocker โ€” visible in real time without asking.

Direct engineer access

No PM layers, no account managers. You talk directly to the engineers building your product. Fast decisions, no telephone game.

Architecture documentation

Every project ships with architecture decision records, system diagrams, and onboarding documentation written for the next engineer.

Post-launch support SLA

We don't disappear at go-live. Every project includes a defined post-launch support window with response time guarantees.

FiveNodes AI Profile

Want to walk through our process for your specific project?

Ask our AI how we would approach your idea — discovery, architecture, delivery, and everything in between.

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Let's figure out the right
engagement for you.

A 30-minute call is usually enough to scope the work and recommend an engagement model. No commitment, no sales pitch.