Should we build this?
Process mapped, options compared, an honest recommendation — frequently that an existing product covers it.
Custom Software · Delhi NCR & remote
The cheapest hour in the whole project.
Decisions made before anyone writes code determine most of what a software project costs. They are also the decisions most often made quickly, by people who will not have to live with them.
Short answer
Software consulting is advice about a software decision rather than the building of it: mapping the process, comparing building against buying, assessing vendors, reviewing a quote you have been given, or deciding whether an existing system should be maintained or replaced.
Advice, not a sales call
No obligation to build
Second opinions on quotes
Written recommendation
Free initial call
Get a free quote
Four details. A real reply the same day, from me.
Holding a quote you cannot judge?
Get a Free Quote
WhatsApp
01 The premise
The questions worth paying to answer.
Most expensive software mistakes are decision mistakes rather than technical ones. Building something that already existed. Buying a platform that cannot express a rule the business depends on. Accepting a quote that was priced against a requirement nobody had actually defined. Replacing a system that only needed three fixes.
Every one of those is discoverable in advance, in hours rather than weeks, by somebody who has no interest in the answer. That last part matters. A development company assessing whether you need development is not a neutral party, however honest they intend to be, and a vendor comparing their platform against alternatives is not either.
Consulting is where I am most useful to people who may never hire me to build anything, and I would rather offer it separately than bundle it into a sales conversation. The output is a written recommendation you can act on with anybody — your own team, another developer, or a vendor you were already considering.
02 Engagements
What people actually bring me.
Five recurring questions, none of which require a build to answer.
Is this quote reasonable?
A second opinion on a proposal you have been given. Whether the scope is complete, the price sane, and what is missing.
Should we replace this system?
A review of what you already run, and whether maintaining it beats rebuilding. The answer is often maintain.
Which vendor should we choose?
Assessing proposals against your actual requirements rather than against each other’s feature lists.
Is this codebase worth keeping?
Technical due diligence on software you inherited, acquired, or are considering acquiring.
What should we do first?
Where limited budget produces the most improvement. Frequently an integration rather than a build.
03 Deliverables
What you receive.
A defined piece of work with an end, not an open relationship.
Deliverables
- A process map. How the work actually flows today, including the workarounds. Frequently useful to the business on its own.
- A written recommendation. What to do, why, and what it should approximately cost. In plain language rather than in technical terms.
- The options rejected. What else was considered and why it was not chosen. This is what makes a recommendation checkable rather than assertive.
- A risk list. What could go wrong with the recommended path, stated honestly rather than discovered later.
- Something you can act on with anybody. Written so another developer or vendor could execute it. You are not buying a document that only works if you hire me.
Free initial call
Bring the decision, not the project.
A quote you cannot judge, a system you are unsure about, a process that might need software. The first call is free and frequently resolves it without any engagement at all.
- Advice quoted separately from any build
- The answer can be "do not build"
- Written so anyone could execute it
- Same-day reply, all 7 days
Free call
Get a free quote
Four details, and a real reply today.
04 Conflict of interest
How the conflict is handled.
I both advise on and build software, which is a genuine conflict of interest. Here is how it is managed.
- Consulting is quoted separately
- A fixed fee for the advice, whether or not any build follows. It is not a free sales conversation dressed as analysis.
- The recommendation can be "do not build"
- And frequently is. That is the outcome that most justifies paying for the advice.
- You can take it elsewhere
- The written recommendation is yours and is written to be executed by anyone. No dependency is built in.
- I will say when I am not neutral
- If a recommendation happens to favour work I would do, I will point that out explicitly rather than leave you to notice.
- No commission arrangements
- I do not take referral fees from vendors or platforms. If I recommend a product, it is because it fits.
— Custom Software
Related services.
These sit next to software consulting and are usually bought with it. Same person doing the work in each case.
— Questions
software consulting — your questions.
Straight answers, including the ones that cost me work. If yours is not here, ask it — I reply the same day.
Mapping how a process actually works, comparing options honestly, and producing a written recommendation with the rejected alternatives and the risks stated. It is a defined piece of work with an end, not an open-ended retainer.
Yes, and it is one of the most common requests. I look at whether the scope is complete, whether the price is reasonable for the work described, and what is missing that will appear later as a change request. I do not comment on the company, only on the proposal.
Not if that is the wrong answer, and consulting is quoted separately for exactly that reason — so the advice does not depend on a build following. Where a recommendation would happen to favour work I could do, I say so explicitly.
Frequently not. Old systems that still run the business often need targeted fixes, a version upgrade or one integration rather than replacement. I will review it and show you the reasoning either way rather than defaulting to a rebuild.
Usually days rather than weeks — a process mapping session, some analysis, and a written recommendation. Technical due diligence on a substantial codebase takes longer because reading someone else’s code properly cannot be rushed.
No. There are no referral arrangements, so a recommendation for a particular product is because it fits your requirements. It is worth asking any consultant this question, because the practice is common and rarely disclosed.
Free consultation · No obligation
Get the decision right before the invoice.
Bring the quote, the system, or just the process you are unsure about. The first call costs nothing and often settles it.
- Advice priced separately from any build
- The recommendation can be "do not build"
- Rejected options and risks stated
- No commission from any vendor
Start here
Send your enquiry
Name, number, email, what you need.