how we work together
First we talk, then there's a small project at a fixed price, and only then do we decide together whether to build more. Here's how it runs, what it costs and how you can stop if you want to.
First conversation
an hour that costs you nothing
You tell us what's stuck, and we ask questions. We can do it by video, on the phone or in person at your office, anywhere in Austria, Germany or Switzerland. An hour is usually enough.
At the end, we'll tell you whether we're the right people for it, or whether ready-made software fits better.
If we are, we'll send you a written offer afterwards with the fixed price for your starter project.
Starter project
date first, commit later
The starter project usually takes two to four weeks and has a fixed price. First, we sit down in a workshop with you and the people who know the process, and sharpen the idea. Then we sketch the architecture and build a first working version of your software.
Then we decide together whether to keep going. If not, you keep the architecture sketch and the code.
The build
you see what you're paying for
From day one, you get a link where the latest version of your software runs. Drop in whenever you like.
We build in stages, and each one lands there as soon as it's done. It usually takes three to twelve months until your software goes live.
We bill by time and materials, against a budget we agree together beforehand. Each invoice shows what the last stage cost, and your link shows what it built.
If it looks like the budget won't stretch, we'll tell you early. We only build beyond it if you agree.
You can stop after any stage, and whatever's running by then is yours.
Keeping it running
and after launch?
After launch, we run your application and develop it further, and whoever led your project stays responsible for it. That costs a fixed monthly fee, agreed in advance.
If your company has an IT team, they can take it over themselves instead. They've worked alongside us during the build and know the software well enough to do it.
what the day-to-day looks like
On our side, one person leads your project, from the first conversation until after launch. On yours, we need one person who knows the process and is allowed to make decisions.
Now and then, we also need a little time from the people who'll use the software. They try out the latest version and tell us what's missing.
We mostly work online. When it helps the project, we come to you anywhere in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. You can meet us at our office in Klosterneuburg near Vienna by appointment.
We run projects in German or English, whichever your team prefers.
the awkward questions
illumiqon is small and new. isn't that a risk?
A little, yes. So we build in a way that doesn't tie you to us. You own the code, along with the repository, the documentation and the deployment set-up, and your Cloudflare account is your own.
And the technology is deliberately unexciting: plenty of teams know Java, Spring, React and Angular. So someone else could take your software on too. If your company has an IT team, they'll know the system well enough after the project to carry on themselves.
why not a fixed price for the whole project?
A fixed price for the whole thing needs a finished specification, and hardly anyone can write one at the start. Every change then becomes a change request, and there are always changes.
So the starter project has a fixed price, and after that we bill by time and materials against an agreed budget. You can see what you're getting at your link before the next invoice arrives.