Build & Deploy — sdai.dev

How the engagement works.

PHASE 1

Strategy & scoping — Weeks 1–3

Every Build & Deploy engagement starts with the full Foundations process: discovery call, ops audit, and written strategy. Once you have the prioritized roadmap, we scope the first initiative together — defining exactly what gets built, what it integrates with, what success looks like, and what it costs. You approve the scope before any build work begins.

Full Foundations deliverablesEvery Build & Deploy engagement starts with the complete Foundations process — discovery call, ops audit, and written strategy document included in the price. Initiative scope documentA detailed spec for the first initiative: what gets built, what it integrates with, acceptance criteria, timeline, and exactly what success looks like. Fixed price quoteThe scope document locks the price before any build work begins. No hourly billing surprises. Changes to scope are re-quoted before proceeding. Integration requirementsA technical document listing every system the initiative needs to connect to, data formats, API access requirements, and credential needs.

PHASE 2

Build sprints — Weeks 4–10

We build in focused 2-week sprints. At the end of each sprint, you see a working demo — not a mockup, not a slide deck. Real data, real integrations, real output. Each sprint has a clear deliverable, and you sign off before we move to the next. If something isn't right, we adjust before moving forward.

Working demo every 2 weeksAt every sprint boundary, you see the system processing real data from your environment — not mockups, not slides. You sign off before we continue. Sprint sign-off gatesEach sprint has a clear deliverable. You review and approve before payment and before we move to the next sprint. No runaway builds. Progress reportsA written update at each sprint: what was completed, what's next, any blockers or scope questions, and hours invested vs. planned. Staging environmentA mirror of your production setup where we build and test. Your team can access it anytime to see work in progress.

PHASE 3

Integration & testing — Weeks 8–11

We integrate into your existing tools — your CRM, your EHR, your file system, whatever the initiative touches. Then your team tests it alongside their normal workflow. We're looking for edge cases, false positives, workflow friction, and anything that feels wrong to the people who'll use it every day.

Integration with your stackWe connect to your existing tools — CRM, EHR, file systems, email, scheduling, whatever the initiative touches. We adapt to your stack, not the other way around. Staff acceptance testingYour team uses the system for a full day alongside their normal process. They flag anything that feels wrong before we deploy to production. Edge case documentationA catalog of unusual scenarios the system may encounter, how it handles each one, and when it should escalate to a human. Performance benchmarksMeasured accuracy, speed, and throughput against the baseline you were operating at before. Concrete numbers, not estimates.

PHASE 4

Launch & handoff — Week 12

We deploy to production, train your team on day-to-day operation, and hand over complete documentation — runbooks, troubleshooting guides, and admin procedures. Your team should be able to operate, monitor, and make basic changes without us.

Production deploymentWe deploy to your live environment with a rollback plan. Typically done during off-hours with your IT team present. Staff training sessionsTwo 90-minute hands-on sessions: one for daily operators (how to use it) and one for admins (how to configure, troubleshoot, and maintain it). Runbooks & documentationStep-by-step guides covering daily operation, common troubleshooting, configuration changes, and escalation procedures. Written for your team, not for engineers. Admin access & credentialsFull admin access to everything we built. No vendor lock-in — you own the system, the code, the data, and every credential.

PHASE 5

Post-launch support — 90 days

For 90 days after launch, we monitor system health, fix any issues that surface, and adjust for edge cases your team encounters in real operation. If the system degrades or a new scenario appears, we handle it — no extra charge. After 90 days, you own it completely, or you can retain us on a fractional basis.

Daily health monitoringFor 90 days post-launch, we monitor error rates, processing times, and accuracy. If something degrades, we catch it before your team does. Bug fixes includedAny bugs discovered in the first 90 days are fixed at no additional cost. This includes edge cases that only surface with real production volume. Edge case adjustmentsReal-world usage always surfaces scenarios that testing didn't catch. We tune the system to handle them during the support period. Transition to ownershipAt day 90, we do a formal handoff call. Your team confirms they can operate independently. After that, you own it — or retain us on a fractional basis.

What's included beyond Foundations.

🔨

Full build of one initiative

Not a prototype — a production system processing real data, integrated into your real workflow.

🔌

Integration with your stack

We connect to your existing tools. CRM, EHR, file systems, email, scheduling — whatever the initiative needs.

👥

Staff training & acceptance

Your team tests and approves before we deploy. Two hands-on training sessions covering daily operation and admin.

📖

Complete documentation

Runbooks, troubleshooting guides, and admin procedures. Everything your team needs to operate independently.

🛡️

90-day post-launch support

We monitor, fix, and adjust for three months after go-live. No extra charge for issues discovered in production.

📊

ROI tracking

We measure the actual impact against the projections from your strategy document. You'll know exactly what the system saved.

Milestone-gated payment

You don't pay for the full build upfront. Payments are tied to sprint milestones — you see working software before each payment. If we can't deliver what was scoped, you don't pay for that sprint. The scope document locks the price before we start building.