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Software development guides for people planning projects

Software development guides for the questions people ask us before a project starts: what it'll cost, how to move to the cloud, how to work with a remote team. We've written them from building software for clients in 40+ countries since 2017.

Start with software costs Ask us a question
Featured guide

Where most people start

Budgeting a project with a laptop spreadsheet and a calculator, from our guide to software project planning
7 minute readPlanning

How much does custom software cost?

Find out what actually pushes the price up or down, whether fixed price or time and materials suits you, and how to write a brief that gets you an accurate software project estimate.

  • What really moves the price
  • Fixed price or time and materials
  • Rough budget bands and a brief template
  • Warning signs to look for in a quote
Read the cost guide

A reading path for a new project

  1. Start hereSet a budgetLearn what drives cost and write a brief.7 minutes
  2. Plan the moveGet to AWS or Azure without breaking things.7 minutes
  3. Run the teamSimple habits that keep a remote team moving.6 minutes
  4. Ask usBring us your own project.Reply in one business day
Keep reading

More software development guides

A laptop showing analytics charts, the kind of business data AI in business software works with
9 minute read

Adding AI to your business software

Where AI earns its place in your software, where it doesn't, and how a small pilot proves it first.

Read the guide
A laptop showing application code beside a cup of coffee, ready for a security review
9 minute read

Application security checklist before launch

What to check while you design, build and launch, from sign in and access to encryption and testing.

Read the checklist
A clock in front of an office tower
6 minute read

Working with a remote development team

How shared hours, written updates and clean handovers keep a team in different time zones moving.

Read the guide
A vintage desktop computer, a reminder of how long legacy systems stay in service
9 minute read

Legacy system modernisation without the risk

How to decide whether to keep, refactor, replace or rebuild old software, and how to change it while work carries on.

Read the guide
A hand holding a smartphone with a home screen full of apps
8 minute read

Native or cross platform app development?

Swift and Kotlin or React Native and Flutter? How to work out which one your app really needs.

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Sketched task cards laid out on a desk like a checklist
7 minute read

Cloud migration checklist for a safe move

Decide whether to rehost, replatform, refactor or retire each system, then move it with a rollback plan you've tested.

Read the checklist
A developer building the first version of a product at a desk with two monitors
9 minute read

How to build an MVP that tests your idea

Pick the one question your first version has to answer, cut everything else carefully and measure what you learn.

Read the guide
A client team meeting a software development company around a conference table
9 minute read

How to choose a software development company

What to settle before you shortlist anyone, what to ask on the first call and what should worry you in a proposal.

Read the guide
Browse by topic

Topics we write about

Planning and budgeting

Why custom software costs what it does, and how to get an estimate you can rely on.

Read the guide

Cloud

How to move your systems to AWS or Azure in planned stages, so launch day holds no surprises.

Read the checklist

Remote teams

How to work well with developers in other time zones, using a few shared hours and clear handovers.

Read the guide

Data and AI

Turning data scattered across systems into dashboards, forecasts and AI assistants people actually use.

Read the guide

Security

Why security starts with the first line of code, and what to test and review before you release.

Read the checklist

Delivery

How we work in short sprints and show you a working demo every two weeks.

See our process
Have a specific question?

Talk it through with our team

Send us a few lines about your project and you'll get a straight answer from someone who has done the work. You can also browse our software development services and case studies.

No cost and no obligation

We'll reply within one business day, and we're happy to sign a confidentiality agreement first if you'd like one.

Get in touch

Tell us what you're building

Share your idea, and we'll agree a fixed estimate with you before any work begins.

Start your project See our work