Development Process
How a Project Actually Runs
The same underlying process applies whether the work is a small support fix or a full platform migration — the scale changes, the discipline doesn't.
1. Discovery conversation
We talk through what you need in plain terms — the editorial or technical problem, not just a feature request. This step is free and doesn't commit you to anything.
2. Written scope & estimate
You receive a document listing deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, and an estimate. For upgrades and migrations, this follows a technical assessment first — see our pricing pages for why.
3. Environment preparation
A staging copy of your installation is prepared (or provisioned, for new setups) and a backup is taken before any changes begin.
4. Build
Development, configuration, or migration work happens on staging, isolated from your live journal and its editorial activity.
5. Review & testing
You review the work against real scenarios. We test against a validation checklist rather than eyeballing it.
6. Deployment
Changes are deployed to production during a planned, low-activity window, with a documented rollback plan for higher-risk changes.
7. Handover
You receive documentation of what was done, source code/files where applicable, and confirmation the change is complete.
8. Follow-up
We check in after deployment to confirm everything is holding up as expected, not just at the moment of handover.
Staging First
Production is never the first place a change is tested.
Written, Not Verbal
Scope and deliverables are documented, not just discussed.
Checklist-Validated
Work is confirmed against a checklist before being called done.
Ready to start with a discovery conversation?
No commitment — just a conversation to understand what you need.