$750 · three working days · a written answer
Feasibility Sprint
You have a machine, a spec, or an API document on your desk. You don't know if the software side is doable, how long it takes, or whether there's a cheaper way around it. Most people would sell you a project. I'll tell you first.
What you get
- A written assessment, 3–5 pages. Can it be done. Which routes exist. What each one costs and what it risks. Which one I'd take. And — if it applies — why I think you shouldn't build this at all.
- A running demo. If it's technically feasible, you get something you can run, not a diagram. Mock mode where needed, so nothing touches your credentials or your equipment.
- A straight answer. Not a sales document with a proposal stapled to the end.
What I need from you
- The device manual, API doc, drawings or spec.
- One 45-minute call.
- A named person I can ask questions to during the three days.
The terms
If it turns out not to be feasible, I refund half. You keep the written analysis of why — which is usually the part that saves you the most money. If I can't reach a conclusion at all because the information isn't there, you get everything back and I'll tell you within 24 hours. If we go ahead and build it, the $750 comes off the project price in full. Your documents stay yours, and I'll sign your NDA before you send anything.
When this is the right move
- You've been asked to quote something and you're not sure what you'd be agreeing to.
- A piece of equipment has no documented interface and you need to know whether it can be read at all.
- Someone told you it's impossible and you'd like a second read.
- You're deciding between two architectures and want the trade-offs written down by someone who would have to live with them.
When it isn't
- You already know exactly what you want built. Skip this — send me the scope and I'll quote it fixed-price, for free.
- You want a general technology strategy review. That isn't what this is.
- You just want a gut read. Send it over and I'll give you one line, free. If the honest answer is "it depends" — which it usually is — that's when a sprint earns its keep.
Scope and price
| Tier | Price | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $750 | One device, one interface, or one clear technical question. Assessment plus a minimal demo. |
| Extended | $1,500 | Several devices, systems that have to talk to each other, or a genuine architecture choice. Assessment, a runnable prototype, and a recommendation. |
I hold myself to a time box — twelve hours on a standard sprint, twenty-four on an extended one. That rule exists to protect you, not me: an engineer who has sunk forty hours into an assessment can no longer afford to conclude "don't build this." The independence of the answer is the whole product.
"Why is an assessment paid? Everyone else does it free."
Because free assessments are sales documents. The conclusion is always "yes, and it'll cost you X" — it has to be, or the person writing it doesn't get paid. What you're buying here is the possibility that I tell you no. And if I say yes, it costs you nothing in the end, because it comes off the project.
Send me what's on your desk — the manual, the spec, the drawing, or just the question. I'll tell you within a day whether a sprint is even the right thing to buy. Start here →