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how projects start · fixed scopeKnow what to build before you build it.
A fixed-scope analysis for businesses, small business programmes and fintechs serving SMMEs. We work out what your system needs to do, where the current setup falls short, and what to tackle first. It ends with a scoped proposal for the project.
- ScopeFixed, agreed before we start
- FormatInterviews, workflow mapping and two workshops
- You getRequirements, gap analysis and a project proposal
- PricingWritten quote after a short discovery call
what you get
fictional example: the kind of extract you get, based on the demo business
A clear picture, and a plan you can act on.
Plain-language documents your programme, product, finance and technical people can all use. They are yours to keep, whoever builds the project.
| id | requirement | today | gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-04 | SLA report built from job cards | Compiled by hand from photos and spreadsheets | No link between jobs and invoices |
| R-07 | Two approvals for quotes over R50,000 | Owner approves by phone | No record of who approved |
| R-11 | Subcontractors blocked until documents are valid | Checked once at onboarding | Expired cover goes unnoticed |
| R-15 | Job cards captured offline on site | Paper cards typed up weekly | Arrival times lost |
Problem statement and goals
What’s going wrong, for whom, what it costs, and what success looks like.
Users and workflows
Everyone who touches the system, what each needs to get done, and how work and information move between them today.
Business requirements
What the system must do and the data it must hold, written so it can be designed, built and tested, and ranked by priority.
Gap analysis
Where today’s tools, processes, data and reporting fall short of those requirements, and what each gap costs.
Options and recommendation
Fix, extend, buy or build: the realistic routes, with trade-offs, and the one I’d choose.
Scoped project proposal
Recommended scope, phases, timeline and quote for the work that follows.
who it’s for
Teams with a system that has outgrown its first version.
Donor-funded programmes
Funders want better evidence
Outcome figures that take days to compile and are hard to verify when a funder asks where they came from.
Fintechs serving SMMEs
Owners drop off
Onboarding, verification or credit journeys that busy owners abandon, and back-office tools that slow your team down.
Growing businesses
Processes run by hand
Orders, approvals and reports held together by spreadsheets and email, and a team that knows automation could help but not where to start.
Anyone about to build
A new platform on the way
A funded idea that needs clear requirements and a realistic scope before money is spent on development.
how it runs
From kick-off to proposal.
Kick-off
Goals, constraints, stakeholders and the questions that matter most, agreed in a short workshop.
Listen and observe
Interviews with staff, partners and end users, and a close look at the tools, documents and reports you use now.
Map and define
Workflows, requirements and gaps written up and shared for your team’s comments.
Readout
Findings, options and the scoped proposal, walked through together, with every file handed over.
Why start here
Many systems struggle not because they were built badly, but because they were built against the wrong requirements. A focused analysis costs far less than rebuilding the wrong thing, and it gives funders and boards a clear case for the project.
Why me
I spent 17 years designing complex, regulated products in iGaming, and I build products for small businesses myself, including BalaShoppa.
before you talk
Check your system, or see an example.
questions
Before you book.
We already have a system. Is this still for us?
Yes, and that is the usual starting point. The analysis looks at what already works, what people work around, and what is missing, so the project fixes the right things and keeps what is worth keeping.
Do we have to use you for the project afterwards?
No. The requirements, gap analysis and proposal are yours. You can take them to any team, internal or external.
What do you need from us?
A named contact, time with the people who use and run the system (including a few end users if possible), access to current tools, documents and reports, and two short workshops.
Does it cover reporting, POPIA and compliance?
Yes, as requirements. I map what the system must record and report for your funders, investors and regulators, and where that breaks down today. Your legal and compliance advisers interpret the rules; I design the system that follows them.
How much does it cost?
It has a fixed scope. After a short discovery call I send a written quote, so you know the full cost before anything starts.
Can you sign our NDA?
Yes. I am happy to sign your NDA before we begin.
book
Start with a discovery call.
Thirty minutes to understand your programme or product, check the analysis fits, and agree the scope. I reply within one business day.
Email julian@stanleydesign.co.za
LinkedIn julian-g-stanley