How it works
How a project usually runs, from the first conversation to launch.
Every project is a little different. This is the usual shape of one, including the parts most shops leave vague.
The process
The usual five steps
Each one ends with something in your hands. A small project may skip some of them.
- 1
A first conversation
You describe the idea or the problem and I ask questions. Sometimes the answer is that software isn’t what you need, or that an existing product already does this for forty dollars a month. You’ll hear that early.
You get: a straight answer about whether to go further
- 2
A plan and a price
For most projects I write up the scope, the milestones, a start date, a finish date and the price, along with what is not included. For something small, a short email can be enough.
You get: the plan and the price, before any work
- 3
An agreement, and usually a deposit
A larger project is covered by a master services agreement and a statement of work, both signed electronically, and starts with a deposit. The schedule starts when the deposit clears, which is why the date is one I can hold.
You get: a copy of what was agreed
- 4
Milestones you approve, one at a time
At each milestone you get working software to use. You say what’s wrong, I fix it, and you approve it in writing before the next part starts. If you want something we never discussed, it becomes a change order with its own scope and price, for you to approve or decline.
You get: working software at each milestone
- 5
Launch, then a 30-day warranty
It goes live on your domain. Anything that doesn’t work the way the statement of work says is fixed free for thirty days. After that you can keep Ebenstone on a support agreement or not. There is no penalty either way.
You get: live software, and 30 days of free fixes
What it costs
How a project is priced
Most projects are quoted as one fee, agreed before work starts. It changes only if you ask for something that wasn’t in the plan.
Ebenstone doesn’t publish a starting price. A sign-up page and a system your whole office works in are very different purchases, and one printed number would be wrong for most readers. You get a real number once I understand what you need, and asking costs nothing.
Usually one fee per project
Agreed before work starts. It covers everything in the plan.
Paid across milestones
A deposit to start, then payments tied to work you have seen and approved. Invoices are due in 15 days, or on your terms where policy sets them.
Changes go in writing
New scope means a change order you approve first. Nothing is added to a bill you haven’t agreed to.
If you have a purchasing process
The paperwork is ready before you ask.
A W-9, a master services agreement, a statement of work for each project, a real answer to your security questionnaire, and a written addendum before any student or health record moves.
What your purchasing office receivesQuestions
Common questions
Who owns the software when it’s done?
For software built for you alone, you do, once it’s paid in full. That is written into the agreement. Your data is yours from the first day. A product licensed by the seat works differently: Ebenstone owns the software, and you own everything your people put into it.
What if it breaks after launch?
For thirty days, anything that doesn’t match the statement of work is fixed free. After that, a support agreement covers it.
What happens if we part ways?
Your data is returned or deleted on written request. For software built for you alone, the code is yours and documented, so another developer can pick it up.
How long does a project take?
Most take weeks, and the date is in the statement of work. The schedule assumes you can provide content, access and approvals within about a week of being asked. When that slips, the date moves by the same number of days, and I’ll tell you when it does.
Can you take over something someone else built?
Sometimes. I’ll look at it and tell you whether it’s worth keeping or whether starting over would cost less.
It costs nothing to ask.
Tell me what you have in mind, and you’ll hear plainly whether I can help.
or write to [email protected]