Adaptive SystemsCustom software
Bespoke solutions for the business headaches slowing down your team.
Where custom software pays for itself
Custom software is worth its cost when a product, a spreadsheet or a paper process is costing you more than it looks. These are the cases we see most.
Paper processes
Forms filled in, signed, scanned and retyped cost staff hours every week.
We replace the paper with a system your staff and customers fill in once, on a phone or a desktop. Records are searchable the moment they are saved.
Approvals, signatures and reminders happen inside the system.
Overgrown spreadsheets
A spreadsheet that several people edit and one person understands is a risk to the organisation.
We turn it into an application with proper records, permissions and history, and we bring the existing data across.
Each person sees what they need, and two people can work at once without overwriting each other.
Software that nearly fits
Working around a product every day costs more than its subscription suggests.
We build the part that the product lacks, or replace it with a system designed for your process, and your data moves across with you.
Systems that do not talk
Typing the same information into three systems invites mistakes.
We connect the systems you already use, so that information is entered once and appears wherever it is needed.
Where a system cannot be connected, we build a replacement that can.
A prototype that became the product
Something built quickly to prove an idea is now carrying real customers.
We test it first, so that you know which parts are sound and which are fragile.
Then we rebuild the fragile parts properly, keep what works, and leave your data where it is.
What you end up with
A project ends with working software, and with what you need to keep it working after we step back.
A written scope
The scoping workshop produces a document you can hold us to.
It sets out what the software must do, who uses it, the information it holds, the systems it connects to, and the price. If you already have a brief, we start from it.
Later changes are quoted against it, so you always know what is included and what is extra.
Working software, in stages
Smaller projects can often have a first usable version within weeks.
Larger systems are developed and demonstrated in agreed stages. Each week you see what was built and decide what comes next. Your existing records are brought across as part of the work.
Tests and security checks
Every release is tested before it reaches you.
Automated tests cover phones, desktops and keyboard use, and they run again before every later change. Automated checks cannot show everything a screen-reader user meets, so we also check screen-reader use by hand.
We apply the checks from our security review to our own work, using the OWASP Application Security Verification Standard (ASVS) as the checklist.
Notes to run and change it
The system comes with notes on how it is built, run and changed, so another developer could pick it up.
The notes cover how to run it day to day, how to restore it from a backup, and how to make a change safely.
Your staff are shown the parts they use.
Questions about custom software
How much does custom software cost in New Zealand?
Software costs depend entirely on project complexity, core features, system architecture and how soon you need it. Ask for a quote and we will arrange a scoping workshop to establish a price for the build.
How small a job will you take on?
Small jobs are welcome. Connecting two systems you already use, or one small tool to replace a spreadsheet, can be quoted on its own. We scope each job to what you need, and if a smaller one would answer your question, we say so.
How long does it take?
A first usable version of a small system usually takes a few weeks.
What if our needs change part-way through?
That is common. We quote each change before making it, and you decide whether it goes ahead, replaces something else, or waits.
Can you take over something another developer built?
Often, yes. We start with a software test, which shows what state the system is in before you pay to change it.
How do you keep our code and findings confidential?
We sign a mutual confidentiality agreement with you before you share anything. Findings go only to you, in an encrypted file, never in the body of an email. Afterwards we keep only our record of the work, encrypted and with your data removed, and we never name you or describe your system as an example without your written agreement.
Do you take on AI integration work?
Yes. And if we believe something other than AI would solve the problem better, we will tell you.
Do you do search engine optimisation (SEO)?
We work within your marketing strategy and make the standard changes on the software side which search tools expect: page titles and descriptions, readable addresses, fast loading, a sitemap and the structured data search engines read. A search strategy itself is work for a firm that specialises in it. If that is out of reach, we can point you towards the basics, though it is outside the services we quote for.
Where will it be hosted?
With a hosting provider you choose; where your data must stay in the country, that can be a New Zealand provider. Ongoing maintenance and support may be available for applications we build. It is scoped separately, and where an IT provider referred you to us, we discuss it with them first.
Where are you based?
In Auckland, and we work with organisations anywhere in New Zealand. Most of the work is done remotely, through video calls and progress you can check between them. Where a workshop or training goes better in person, we come to you and charge travel at cost.
Describe the process you want to fix
In one free conversation we will tell you whether software will help and how long it would take. A written quote follows.