SumatoSoft

Every project starts with a discovery phase led by a business analyst and an architect. We interview stakeholders and end users, study the existing systems and data, and turn goals into user stories with acceptance criteria. Requirements are validated with prototypes and, for AI ideas, a proof of concept on the client's own data, so assumptions are tested before the build. Discovery ends with an architecture, a prioritized backlog and an estimate range, and the client signs off on the backlog before development starts.

We start from the business result, not the feature list. In discovery we agree on what success looks like and how it will be measured, such as downtime, processing time or cost per order, and every backlog item is prioritized against those goals. At weekly demos the client sees working software and reprioritizes as the business changes. When requirements shift, we show the impact on scope, budget and schedule before proceeding, so decisions stay tied to the goals. We also recommend against features that don't serve the goal.

We use Agile, mostly Scrum: short sprints with planning, weekly demos of working software and retrospectives. It suits most of our projects, where requirements evolve as the client sees the product. For well-defined modules or fixed-scope phases, we plan in milestones with a fixed scope and budget, keeping regular demos. For AI initiatives, we add a proof-of-concept stage that tests feasibility on real data before full development, and an evaluation step on every release to check model quality.

Clients have access to our Jira and Confluence from day one, so they can see the backlog, progress and documentation at any time. Every week they see working software at a demo, not just a status report. A named project manager is the single point of contact and shares regular progress and budget updates, and the team is reachable day to day through Slack, Microsoft Teams or the client's own tools. Risks and changes are raised as soon as we see them, with options and a recommendation.

Weekly as a baseline: a demo of working software plus a review of progress, budget and next priorities. Day to day, the team works in the client's chosen channel, such as Slack or Microsoft Teams, and some clients join our daily stand-ups. Sprint planning and review happen at the start and end of each sprint, and senior stakeholders get periodic reviews of goals and roadmap. Frequency is agreed during discovery and adjusted to what the client needs, from daily contact to weekly check-ins.

Quality is built into every sprint, not added at the end. Every team includes QA engineers who test against the acceptance criteria defined in discovery, and senior engineers and our CTO review code on every project, regardless of size. Features are accepted only after the client sees them working at the demo. For AI features, an evaluation harness checks model quality on every release. Our quality and information security management follow ISO 9001 and ISO 27001, and regulated projects are tested against HIPAA and GDPR requirements.

We surface the biggest risks early. Discovery looks for technical, integration and data risks, and uncertain parts, such as a new integration or an AI model's accuracy on real data, are tested in a prototype or proof of concept first. During delivery, the project manager reviews risks with the team and raises them with the client at weekly demos, always with options and a recommendation. Scope changes are assessed before work proceeds, and a designated backup project manager keeps the project moving if someone is away.

We stay with clients after launch. Support covers bug fixes, monitoring, security updates, infrastructure and dependency upgrades, and new features, either on a monthly retainer or on request. For AI systems, we also monitor model accuracy and retrain or recalibrate as data changes. Handover includes documentation and deployment instructions, and the client owns the code. Many of our clients have worked with us for years, adding new phases to systems we built long after the first release.