Our Process

For us to deliver the highest quality results, we'll need relevant information. Our process always starts with information gathering.

Software consulting requires that we understand the big picture. We ask that our clients allow a single member of Cabin to sit in on company Zoom meetings. This is one of the things that makes Cabin different, and it is an integral part of our process. 100% of clients that have allowed us to sit in on team meetings continue to do so today.

Software development requires that we understand the small details. We'll want to spectate and ideally perform internal processes. Written documentation (workflows, guidelines, handbooks) can allow us to get up to speed without client involvement.

We don't require that our clients provide anything to us in writing. Remember: half of our job is to get procedure on paper. We expect much of the information we gather to be shared verbally. We also expect that we'll need to do some digging ourselves.

During information gathering, we don't waste your time with uninformed ideas or suggestions. Internally, we'll work until we understand why our clients do things the way that they do. Then, and only then, can we begin shaping our ideas.

Throughout the information gathering process, we'll be taking note of our ideas. In time, we'll have ideas that we can begin shaping into solutions we can share.

When we shape these ideas, we aim to present a solution that finds a middle ground between abstract and concrete. We want to vet our ideas for legitimacy without spending too much time on the details.

These shaped ideas are not proposals. They are ideas worth your time. Shaped ideas are unfinished, but they are thought through. They are bounded: they indicate what not to do.

We'll share these shaped ideas with you as they come. With your feedback, we can determine which ideas are worth developing into a proposal.

Once we've shaped an idea and you've determined that it's worth pursuing, we'll develop it into a proposal.

Proposals double as project plans and binding agreements. They include a detailed description of the solution we intend to implement, a timeline for implementation (<6 weeks), and a cost breakdown.

In alignment with our Core Values, our proposals use a time & material pricing model, optionally with a not-to-exceed cap. Invoices are sent twice monthly on the 1st and 16th at 8am PST.

Once you sign the proposal, we can begin work on the implementation.

During implementation, we execute the plan laid out in the proposal.

If you have existing code, we'll use it as a reference when designing our solution. We will lean towards using the same language, frameworks, and tools as your existing codebase to ensure that our solution is maintainable and consistent with your current development practices.

If you don't have existing code, we'll create you a GitHub organization and invite you to be the owner. We'll then create you a monorepo, set you up with our coding standards, and, if necessary, set you up with a cloud provider. We ensure your code is automatically deployed whenever a change is made.

While we intend to be a long-term partner for our clients, it is part of our Core Values to develop solutions that our clients can build upon - with or without us. We document our work thoroughly, choose technologies that are easy to hire for, and offer training as needed.