Process

Here's roughly how it goes.

Most of my engagements start the same way: something's not quite right with the product, or the team is bigger than it used to be and the old way of working isn't scaling, or there's a real thing to build and not quite enough senior people to build it properly.

I don't have a fixed methodology. I have a set of things I know work, and I pick the ones that fit.

Understand first

I spend the first week reading, talking, and asking questions that probably seem obvious. What are customers actually paying for? Where does the team spend its time? What's the thing everyone knows is broken but nobody has fixed?

Most product problems turn out to be prioritisation problems. Knowing which one you have is most of the job.

Get the shape right

Before anyone starts building, the shape of the thing needs to be clear — what it does, what it doesn't do, how it fits together. That's user flows, wireframes, a spec. It's also the list of things that aren't in v1, which is usually the harder conversation.

Stay through the build

I stay involved during development — reviewing, unblocking, making calls when things need deciding. The goal is a thing that works in front of real users. Everything after that is iteration.

Rates

I work on a day rate of [£X] or a fixed monthly retainer for ongoing engagements. Most fractional arrangements are one or two days per week. Happy to talk through what makes sense for your situation — it varies a lot depending on what's actually needed.