- There is no incentive for the agency to work more efficiently - in fact, they get paid less if they do
- If the agency’s estimates for a project are incorrect, the client is hit with unexpected costs (conversely, the agency actually makes more money)
- At a distance we break the project up into its component parts, usually in a workshop with our client. There may be 100s of components.
- We then estimate each component using ‘points’ . Using a consistent method, we make estimates of the effort, in ‘points’, that it will take to deliver each component of the software.
- In batches the project’s component parts are scheduled for build. We document the specification (acceptance criteria), review the ‘points’ estimate, and fix it for each component. At this point we guarantee that we’ll deliver each completed component for its set cost (or points value) - meaning we carry the risk.
- We deliver working software in incremental pieces. Each component is designed, built and tested before we send it to the client. If it doesn’t meet the client’s criteria, it is passed back. And we only get paid after the acceptance of each component.
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