Skipping the Blueprint is a Big Mistake

A client recently came to us thinking about a web portal to improve customer experience & retention. We were excited — we've done work like this before and it's always a fun project. Before we started, we ran a rapid blueprinting phase to test the idea and build out the plan.

During that blueprinting phase we discovered their team was spending 2+ days running quality checks on every report they completed, where a lot of that work was predictable. With 10+ reports per project, we collectively realized there was a much bigger opportunity (that would probably also improve customer experience & retention).

They shelved the brand feature and pivoted to automating those quality checks. 

The new solution saved hundreds of hours per project, freeing up capacity, reducing errors, and delivering more to their customers than the original concept could have.

If we had skipped the blueprinting phase we could have been deep into design (or worse: development!) before we recognized the bigger opportunity. 

What is a software blueprint?

In two to three weeks, this phase produces a strategic foundation including:

• Project Charter. Goals, business need, scope, and success metrics.
• Technology Recommendations. A reasoned stack, selected for your scope and scale.
• Architecture Concept. Technical diagrams including system context, containers, key components, and infrastructure.
• Design Strategy. Guidelines and scope for the design phase covering research techniques, output types, accessibility plan.
• Timeline & Resourcing. A milestone-based plan with realistic turnaround.
• Fixed Pricing. An all-in price for the remainder of the work, no surprises.

A blueprint also allows us to go deeper on security & privacy up front:

• Threat Risk Assessment. Review potential security risks and design to mitigate up front.
• Privacy Impact Analysis. Document information collected, rationale, and strategies to ensure privacy is protected.

What does a software blueprint cost?

It starts at $5,000 so everyone has skin in the game. If you develop a blueprint with us, and use Strata for subsequent work on the project, we’ll credit you 100% of your Software Blueprint spend.

If you don’t move forward with Strata the work is yours, no strings attached.

If you’re not blueprinting, you’re set up for trouble

Skipping the Blueprinting phase isn’t “moving fast”, it just feels that way until you spot the mess further down the road. Worse, if you don’t spot it, the project just runs on with no end in sight.

We've all seen ideas with huge potential turn into endless slogs that burn cash for zero ROI. The best way to avoid that is a proper blueprint.

Want to uncover your project’s true potential and come away with a complete plan? Book an intro call.