The methodology
How we work. Take it, use it, copy it.
Process is not a moat. Showing you how we work is faster than telling you we're good.
How it works
The Build → Run loop.
One loop, six steps, same for every build.
- 01
Brief
Use the Control Centre. Two to four minutes. You get a recommendation and a draft Statement Of Work (SOW). Briefs that fall inside our exclusion list are politely declined and we explain why.
- 02
Scope
We review the draft, refine it, and send a final SOW with a fixed price for in-scope work. Larger or ambiguous briefs start with a paid scoping workshop credited against the final fee.
- 03
Build
Weekly checkpoints. Your access stays your access — we work in your tools where possible. No surprises, no big-bang reveals.
- 04
Acceptance
Tested against the acceptance criteria written into the SOW. No “is it done?” — there's a checklist.
- 05
Handover
Repo, credentials, prompts, run-book, known limitations. Yours to keep. The Engine runs in your tools, on your accounts, with your data.
- 06
Run mode (optional)
If you want us to keep an eye on it, you choose a Support plan (Basic Care, Standard Care, Priority Care). If not, you own it and we're available for Change Requests.
Artefacts
Downloadable artefacts.
CC-licensed for reuse with attribution. Each PDF carries the line: “Adapted from the Engine Labs contract pack. Not legal advice.”
Client Intake Questionnaire
Handover Pack §1
The questions every brief eventually has to answer. Use it to pre-empt the Control Centre's clarifying turns.
Scope Confirmation Checklist
Handover Pack §2
What goes into a SOW so a fixed-price quote actually holds.
Access & Credential Checklist
Handover Pack §3
How we collect, use and rotate the credentials you give us — and how you take them back.
Acceptance Form template
Handover Pack §5
What the client signs when the build matches the SOW.
Handover Checklist
Handover Pack §6
Everything you receive when a build ends.
Sample SOW
Sample
A fully filled-out SOW with a fictional client. The format is the same one our Control Centre drafts.
Sample Change Request
Sample
How a scope change is priced and signed without re-doing the whole SOW.
Sample Production Sign-off
Addendum §11
What we ask before anything you build with us is allowed to send to a customer.
PDF downloads are not attached yet — descriptions match the contract pack. See the Lab case study for what shipped in the first build.
Boundaries
What this doesn't replace.
A real conversation with a lawyer or accountant. These are working artefacts, not legal counsel.