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METHOD

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THE DEFINITIONSPRINT

It exists for one reason: not to build the wrong thing well.

THE ANSWER

The definition sprint is the short phase before the build. I look at the process as it runs, not as it’s described. I name the users, the priority flow, the data sources and the risks. You get a map, a spec, priorities, an estimate and a proposal. Range €800–€2,000, VAT excluded, deductible from the next project.

A hand annotates a flow diagram on paper with a pen, beside a laptop out of focus.

AI-generated image

IN SHORT

  • Sprint range: €800–€2,000, VAT excluded.

  • Required for apps, MVPs and sensitive data.

  • Deductible from the project, if agreed in writing.

  • If you don’t build, the spec is yours.

WHY IT EXISTS

AN HONEST QUOTE COMES AFTER

Almost no project fails on the technology. It fails on what’s in and what’s out. One person describes the process as it ought to be, another builds that. The gap shows up in delivery week. A sprint moves it to the start, where it costs a sentence, not a month.

HOW IT RUNS

FIVE STEPS, IN THIS ORDER

The order isn’t decorative: each step uses the answer from the one before. (Skip one and you write a spec on an assumption.)

  1. I look at the process

    Who runs it, how often a week, where it stalls. And what happens when that person is on holiday. Not as the org chart says: as it actually goes.

  2. I name users and flow

    Who will use the system, and in which role. Which single flow has to work first.

  3. I list sources and risks

    Where the data comes from, and what state it’s in. Which integrations are genuinely needed. (And what breaks when a connected tool changes.)

  4. I write what’s in, out

    What goes into the first version, what stays out, what comes later. Written, not implied: at handover you know what to check.

  5. I write spec, estimate, proposal

    The essential spec, the priorities, the estimate and the delivery plan. From there you decide, including deciding to stop.

THE HANDOVER

WHAT YOU END UP HOLDING

A field of dense contour lines, crossed by a single transect line.

THE CONDITIONS

WHEN IT APPLIES, WHAT IT COSTS

Required
For web apps and MVPs, for sensitive data, for several integrations. And above €8,000 when the job isn’t written down.
Not needed
When the job is already written down and small. (An automation on one flow, a landing page with one objective.)
Range
€800–€2,000, VAT excluded.
Deductible
It can come off the next project, if we write that into the proposal.
What I need from you
One person inside who can answer for the process and decide. Without that, a sprint produces a document instead of a decision.

AFTER THE SPRINT

THE BUILD STARTS FROM A PAGE

With the spec I build the smallest version that solves the whole problem. I put it in the hands of the people who’ll use it. I leave code that reads, access in your name, few dependencies. A new request halfway through doesn’t disappear into the work. It becomes its own line, and you decide when it goes in.

Until the job is written down, every figure is a bet.

QUESTIONS

Do I need one if I’m clear?
If the job is already written down and small, no: we start straight away. If it’s clear in your head but not on paper, that’s what the sprint is for. The difference shows when somebody tries to write it.
Who takes part on your side?
One person who knows the process and can decide. Usually the owner, an operating partner, or whoever lives that job daily. You don’t need a committee, you need someone who answers.
What if I decide not to build?
You keep the map, the spec, the priorities and the estimate. It was delivered, it’s yours. (Decide with it, postpone, or hand it to somebody else.)
Is the sprint deducted from the project?
It can be, if we write that into the proposal before starting. It isn’t automatic and I don’t add it afterwards.
Does it apply to a small automation?
Usually not. On a single flow, with few integrations, definition happens inside the project. (It doesn’t become a phase of its own.)

Thinking about an app, a system with several sources, or a project above €8,000? This is the first step. Tell me which process you’re looking at.

Write to me