Groundwork by Nimbus Analytica
A flat-price package that takes a software or AI idea from "we think we want this" to a decision, an architecture, a cost model and a working skeleton.
- ✓A decision memo.
- ✓Requirements.
- ✓An architecture.
- ✓A cost and ownership model.
- ✓A working skeleton or clickable prototype.
- ✓A vendor-ready scope pack.
- ✓A build option.
- ✓A readout and 30 days of questions.
Who this is for
Operations, revenue operations and marketing operations leaders, and founders, at companies with 20 to 200 people. You are planning a software project, probably in the $15,000 to $75,000 range. Or you are deciding whether to replace a software subscription with something built for you.
- —You can't tell what the project should cost, and the quotes you have don't agree.
- —You worry about maintenance, or about depending on one developer.
- —You are under pressure to "do something with AI" and want to know what is worth doing.
What you get
- 01A decision memo.Build, buy or hybrid. We research 3 to 5 alternatives and cite our sources. "Don't build" is a valid answer.
- 02Requirements.What the software must do, should do and won't do. User stories. Acceptance criteria you can test against.
- 03An architecture.A diagram, the technology choices and their trade-offs, a data model, a map of integrations, and security and privacy notes covering PIPEDA.
- 04A cost and ownership model.Build cost ranges under three paths: a specialist, an agency, or your own team. Running costs, maintenance, a 3-year total cost of ownership and a risk register.
- 05A working skeleton or clickable prototype.Deployed to your own account, so you can click through it and your team can build on it.
- 06A vendor-ready scope pack.A statement of work and acceptance criteria that any team can bid against.
- 07A build option.A fixed-price quote and timeline, valid for 30 days. If you sign, the package fee is credited.
- 08A readout and 30 days of questions.A 60 to 90 minute walkthrough, then 30 days of questions by message.
You own every deliverable. You can take them to any vendor, including ours.
How it works
- 01Fit call.A short call. We check that the project suits the package and tell you if it doesn't.
- 02Intake.You send what you have: the idea, your current tools, a rough budget, who will use it. The 10 business days start when we have it.
- 03Ten business days.We research, decide, design and build the skeleton. You get a short check-in partway through.
- 04Readout.We walk you through everything and answer questions.
- 05Thirty days.Ask questions by message. Decide at your own pace.
See a sample package on How it works.
What is not included
Groundwork is built to be fast and fixed in scope. It does not cover:
- A decision memo
- Requirements
- An architecture
- A cost and ownership model
- A working skeleton or clickable prototype
- A vendor-ready scope pack
- A build option
- A readout and 30 days of questions
- Systems that hold regulated data, for example health records or payment card data. Not sure? Ask on the call.
- More than one product
- More than 5 integrations
- Design beyond the prototype
- More than 2 rounds of revisions
- Hosting
- Legal advice. We are not lawyers. Our privacy notes are a design aid, not legal advice.
Our estimates are ranges
Costs in the package are ranges with stated assumptions. They are not quotes. The only price we commit to is the fixed-price build option, and it comes with a written scope.
Maintenance is usually the cost people miss. Agency-published ranges put it at 15 to 25 percent of the build cost per year (Keyhole Software, Axented). Your cost model uses your own numbers.
We also build. Here is how we handle that.
We sell builds, so you should know the conflict. We handle it three ways. The research and the decision memo are written to be useful to any vendor. You can take the scope pack to other teams. And "don't build" is a finished, honest result: you pay the package fee and you owe us nothing more.
Questions
Book a Groundwork call- Why pay when an AI tool writes specs for free?
- An AI tool can write a document quickly. It doesn't know your situation, and nobody stands behind its numbers. You get a person's judgement, a working skeleton and numbers you can hold a vendor to.
- Do I have to build with you?
- No. The package stands alone. You own the deliverables.
- What if you tell me not to build?
- Then that is your answer, and it is worth the fee. You will have the reasons, the alternatives and the costs.
- Is $2,999 the full price?
- It is the full price of Groundwork, plus HST. Anything on the exclusions list is outside it.
- What happens if the project is bigger than Groundwork covers?
- We say so on the fit call, before you pay.
- What do you need from me?
- A few hours: the intake, one mid-point check-in and the readout.
- Is the launch price real?
- Yes. It applies to the first 10 clients.
- What happens after 30 days?
- The deliverables are yours. If you want more help, we can talk about a build or a care plan. If not, nothing more is owed.