Three engagement models — and when each one breaks
Dedicated, Fixed Bid, Managed Services. Picking the wrong model is the #1 way projects go sideways.
We offer three engagement models. They sound interchangeable. They are not.
Dedicated Team
Best for open-ended product builds. You bring a roadmap; we embed a senior squad that ships every sprint.
It breaks when the client doesn't actually have a roadmap. A dedicated team without a product owner becomes an expensive consulting exercise. Fix: hire a product person — or move to Fixed Bid for the first 60 days.
Fixed Bid
Best for well-scoped projects with a hard deadline. We give you a SoW, milestones and a fixed price.
It breaks when scope is squishy. "Build an internal CRM" is not a Fixed Bid project — it's a Dedicated one in disguise. Fix: spend a week scoping carefully before signing.
Managed Services
Best for live systems that need ongoing care. Patches, upgrades, small enhancements, monitoring.
It breaks when used as a roadmap-execution vehicle. If you want big new features, Managed Services will feel slow. Fix: graduate big-feature work to a Dedicated engagement.
Picking right is half the project
Three questions to ask before kick-off:
- Is the scope frozen or evolving?
- Is the timeline fixed or open?
- Is this build, evolve, or run?
Answer those, and the model picks itself.