Frequently
asked
questions
Do you offer emergency support?
All of our projects have multiple developers assigned to them so that there is redundancy in the event of critical support issues. While our standard working hours are between 9-5 Pacific time, we utilize an internal messaging system that provides access to developers assigned to your project at any given time. We strive to resolve any issues promptly.
Historically our uptime is >99.9% for any given project.
How many developers are assigned to my project?
On any given project, we expect a minimum of two developers, one lead, and one support. More developers will be added to your project as necessary.
What developers will be assigned to my project?
It has been our experience that some developers are better suited for certain projects based on skillset or interest. We will continue to assign appropriate developers to your project as your needs progress. This often means developers on your project may change as the project’s needs change or other considerations dictate.
How do I know where time is spent?
Our developers log detailed descriptions for all work in your project down to the quarter hour. We provide a report to you upon request or on a set schedule (bi-weekly / monthly / as you wish). This time report includes a breakdown of which developer was working on the project, what they were working on, and for how long. If you have separate blocks of work to track, we can also categorize and run the report to provide usage per category.
How do I get on the schedule?
After our initial problem-solving meeting, we will provide a budgetary estimate for what we believe is required to accomplish your goals. All time is pre-paid in increments of 10 hours. We request you purchase a block of hours to accomplish your time expectations for the next 30 days. Once this is purchased you will be added to the schedule based on our next availability.
What hours are billable hours vs unbillable?
All hours are billable other than sales and administrative tasks. Billable hours include time spent on support and bug fixes, meetings, tickets, and other project management performed by developers, in addition to active development of functionality.
What does a typical development cycle look like?
The project usually starts with a discovery/ramp-up period which consumes less hours than when we reach full swing.
After hours are banked your project will be added to our schedule at our nearest availability.
Depending on your budget and timeline requirements we will work from hours banked at a mutually agreed upon pace. Often we divide the middle of our estimated hours by the length of time between scheduling start and your goal launch date. This gives adequate ramp-up, core development and testing plus provides ample time for adjustments which always come up once the ideas take form.
Banked hours is time that has been paid for and is ready for a developer to work against. We wait for banked hours to add projects to our scheduling.
Do banked hours ever expire?
No. Banked hours never expire. We also do not refund paid hours should the project shut down or cease to be live. We try hard to invoice only those hours which will be used within a 30-90 day period. When support slows, our minimum invoice is ten hours, so this is our typical high balance if a project ceases.
