How I work · Method
A small, measurable project your team can maintain
This is what a project with me looks like from start to finish: what happens in each phase, what you receive at the end of it, what I need from you and how much of your time it will take. No surprises in scope, timeline or invoice.
The five phases
A typical pilot (one report, one process or a first dashboard) goes through these phases in about four weeks. Each one ends with something concrete in your hands.
Diagnostic call
30 min of your timeA 30-minute video call to understand the process that eats your time and decide, honestly, whether automating it makes sense and where to start.
What I do
- I listen to the process step by step and ask the questions from the prep kit
- I identify what can be automated as is and what needs tidying first
- I propose the smallest pilot with a measurable result
What you receive
- A written summary of what we discussed
- A proposal with scope, timeline and a fixed price
- A clear no if your case is not a fit for me
What I need from you
- The task in one sentence and an example of today’s output
- Who does it and how long it takes
- The decision-maker to be the one deciding
Kick-off
1 h of your timeOnce the proposal is accepted, we put in writing what “done” means, I get access to the data and I set things up to build without interruptions.
What I do
- I write the scope document with the acceptance criteria
- I review the real sources and confirm the plan holds
- I set up the repository and the working environment
What you receive
- A one-page scope document, signed off by both of us
- A plan with the dates of the reviews and the delivery
- A confidentiality agreement, if your data requires it
What I need from you
- Read-only access to the sources (ERP, Excel, database)
- One contact person who answers questions within 48 h
- A real example of the output you expect
Building the pilot
2 × 30 min of your timeI build the pilot on your real data, with two short reviews to correct course early instead of discovering surprises at the end.
What I do
- Development with validations: no figure goes out unchecked
- Two 30-minute reviews with the result on screen
- Adjustments based on what you see, within the agreed scope
What you receive
- A working pilot on real data, not a mock-up
- Versioned code in a repository you have access to
- A log of the validations it applies and what it warns about
What I need from you
- Attend the two reviews and say what does not add up
- Answers to business questions within 48 h
- A couple of real cases to test, including the odd ones
Delivery and training
1.5 h of your timeThe pilot becomes yours: I document it, train the people who will use and maintain it, and hand over everything needed so you do not depend on me.
What I do
- Recorded training session with your team
- Documentation: how it works, how to stop and restart it, what to do if a source changes
- Handover of access and formal delivery against the acceptance criteria
What you receive
- Operation and maintenance documentation
- Recording of the training for whoever joins later
- A one-page operations checklist
What I need from you
- The people who will use it to attend the training
- Confirmation of delivery against the agreed criteria
- Approval of the final invoice as per the proposal
30 days of support
Only if you need itFor a month I answer questions and adjust whatever comes up in real use, at no cost. After that, you decide: optional maintenance or nothing, because it runs on its own.
What I do
- I resolve questions and adjustments within the delivered scope
- I review the first real cycles (the first close, the first weekly report)
- I close with a short report and recommendations
What you receive
- Adjustments included for 30 days
- A closing report with what was delivered and what is worth doing next
- An expansion proposal only if the pilot has worked
What I need from you
- Flag anything that does not add up, without waiting for the end of the month
- Decide whether to expand, maintain or stop
Typical timeline of a pilot
Indicative for a four-week pilot. A first automated report is usually faster (1–3 weeks); a Power BI dashboard or a process spanning several systems takes a little longer (2–4).
Swipe right to see all nine weeks.
Exact dates go in the proposal and are fixed with you at kick-off. If a phase slips on my side, the timeline is corrected at no cost; if it slips because of pending access or answers, I will tell you at the time, not at the end.
What you have at the end
Not a presentation: things that work and that you can show, maintain or audit without me.
In a repository you have access to from the first week. Ownership is yours once payment is complete.
How it works, how to stop and restart it, what to do if a source changes, who it alerts and when.
The session with your team, recorded, for whoever joins later or wants a refresher.
What the system checks before issuing a figure and what it does when something does not add up. Useful in an audit.
What was delivered against the agreed criteria, what was left out and what would be worth doing next.
Questions and adjustments included during the first month of real use. After that, optional maintenance or none.
Project rules
What you can take for granted in any project with me. It is in the proposal, but I would rather you knew before asking for one.
The proposal sets a price and payment milestones tied to the phases. No hidden hours and no invoices you were not expecting.
New ideas that come up midway are noted and quoted separately. They never appear on the invoice without having been agreed.
Everything built for you becomes your property once payment is complete. No licences of mine and no dependence on tools I control.
I work on your access, with read-only permissions wherever possible, and I sign a confidentiality agreement if you need one.
We agree a channel (email, Teams or WhatsApp) and I use it for everything. Meetings only the planned ones; the rest in writing and traceable.
Either party can halt the project when a phase ends. You pay for what has been delivered up to then and you keep it.
Common questions about the method
What if the pilot does not work?
Do you work remotely or on site?
What happens after the 30 days of support?
Can my technical team take part?
How is it invoiced?
If this sounds right
Let’s start with phase zero: 30 minutes, free
Tell me about the process that eats your time and I will tell you whether it is worth it, how I would do it and what it would cost.