How We Work: From the Discovery Call to Running the System After Launch
What you receive at each phase, which engagement model fits your project, and how any change in scope is priced before anyone works on it.
Most software projects do not go wrong in the code. They go wrong in a scope nobody wrote down and expectations nobody agreed. So every Web Pioneer project starts with a written scope that states its assumptions and exclusions before any payment, grows on a staging link you can open from week two, and closes each phase with documented acceptance. This page sets out the phases, the four engagement models and what we need from you to start. The first step is a written technical estimate.
Written scope before any payment
Every project starts with a scope document: what we will build, the assumptions the price rests on, and what is explicitly excluded. You sign it before a line of code exists.
Staging link from week two
You watch the system grow on a staging environment closed to search engines and the public, and try real screens instead of waiting months for a final demo.
Documented acceptance before launch
User acceptance testing runs on staging with a plain sign-off template: what was tested, what passed, what needs fixing. Nothing reaches production before your approval.
Ownership passes to you on final payment
Source code with its full repository history, editable design files, server access and every account registered for the project are handed over when the final invoice is settled.
The delivery phases and what you receive at each one
Ten phases take a project from the first call to steady operation. Durations depend on scope; the order of the phases and what you hold at the end of each one do not change.
| Phase | What happens | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery call | A free video call or office visit. We learn the business goal, how the work runs today and which systems must be connected. | A written summary of how we understand the problem, the options on the table and the open questions. |
| 2. Written scope | We write down the screens, reports, rules and integrations, with the assumptions behind the estimate and the explicit exclusions. | A scope of work you sign before any payment. Our requirement templates for websites and apps are linked below. |
| 3. Technical estimate | The scope becomes a fixed price per milestone, a timeline and payments tied to deliverables you can test. | A written technical estimate within one business day of the scope being complete, separating development, third-party costs and monthly operations. |
| 4. Design | Interfaces and the main journeys are designed and reviewed with you before the build, in Arabic and English where the system is bilingual. | Editable design files and a clickable prototype for approval. |
| 5. Build on staging | Development runs on a staging environment separate from production, and you get its link from week two. | Standing access to staging where everything completed so far is visible as it lands. |
| 6. Weekly review | A fixed weekly call: what was done, what comes next and what needs a decision from you. | Written minutes after every review with the decisions, open tasks and who owns each one. |
| 7. User acceptance testing | Your team tests the real journeys on staging with its own data, and we fix what surfaces before launch. | A documented UAT sign-off stating what was tested and the result. Our UAT template is linked below. |
| 8. Launch | The move to production goes through a controlled release path, on a quiet day you choose, with a way back. | A system running on your domain and your accounts, and training for your team on its real data. |
| 9. Warranty period | Defects within the agreed scope are fixed at no cost during the warranty period stated in the written scope. | Free fixes for implementation defects, and the handover of code, documentation and accounts on final payment. |
| 10. Post-launch operations | An optional monthly retainer for operations and support: monitoring, security updates, backups and incident response. | Periodic reports and an emergency channel for systems covered by a support agreement. The scope of support is set in that agreement. |
Environment separation, the release path and backups are described in the Trust Center, which is the reference for any question about engineering practice.
The four engagement models: which one fits your project
Four models, and many clients combine them: a fixed-scope project first, then a monthly operations retainer after launch. We do not publish hourly rates here; each model ends in a written quote within one business day through a technical estimate request, and the available payment options are listed on the payment methods page.
| Model | Suited to | How pricing works | What you commit to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed scope and price | A project with a clear beginning and end: a website, a store, a mobile app, a system with defined modules. | A fixed price per milestone from the written scope, with payments tied to deliverables you test yourself. Anything outside the scope is priced as a change request. | Approving the scope before the start, supplying content and accounts on time, and attending the weekly review and acceptance testing. |
| Monthly retainer for operations and support | A system already running in production that needs monitoring, security updates, backups and incident response. | A fixed monthly fee based on the size of the system and the support scope set in the agreement, with a clear line between support and new development work. | Scoped access to the infrastructure, one point of contact on your side, and prior approval of update windows. |
| Dedicated engineer or team by the month | A product that keeps evolving with a changing priority list, or an in-house team that needs more capacity. | Fixed monthly engineering capacity working to your priorities, invoiced monthly, scaled up or down with an agreed notice period. | A product owner on your side who orders the priorities, shared working tools, and a weekly review of the output. |
| Technical consulting by the hour | An architecture review, an assessment of a system another team built, a migration or modernisation plan, or a second opinion before a purchase decision. | Hourly, or as a pre-agreed block of hours, and every engagement ends in a written report, with no obligation to build it with us. | Access to the code and infrastructure under review, and a signed NDA where needed. |
If you are not sure which model fits, say so on the discovery call. Sometimes the recommendation is a small consulting phase before any commitment to build.
Communication cadence during the project
- WhatsApp on +201027770444 for quick questions and alerts, between the project engineer and your point of contact.
- Email for everything that needs a written record: scope, change requests, approvals and review minutes.
- A fixed weekly call at an agreed time, no longer than an hour, with written minutes afterwards.
- A booking link for any extra meeting outside the weekly call, through the contact page.
Working hours are Sunday to Thursday, 09:00 to 17:00 Cairo time. Systems covered by a support agreement have an emergency channel outside those hours, within the scope set in that agreement.
Change control: how a change is priced before anyone works on it
Change is a normal part of any project. The only problem is unwritten change. Any request outside the signed scope always follows the same path:
- You describe the change in writing, even in a short message.
- We reply with a written change request stating its effect on price and timeline, and whether it delays an agreed deliverable.
- You approve it in writing, decline it, or park it for a later phase. No work starts before approval.
- Once approved, the change joins the scope and appears in the next weekly review.
Fixes within the agreed scope are not change requests and are not priced. A change that undoes work already completed and accepted is priced on that basis, and we say so up front.
Ownership and confidentiality
Our standard position, as published in the Trust Center: on full payment, the source code, designs and data belong to you. The final wording is governed by the signed project agreement.
- A non-disclosure agreement is signed before we receive any sensitive material, on your template or ours.
- Source code is handed over with its full repository history, not as a zip file with no record.
- Editable design files are handed over too, not only exported images.
- Domains, hosting and app-store accounts are in your name from day one, and that is what we recommend.
- App signing keys, server access and every account registered for the project are handed over at final delivery.
- We do not use your name or project material in marketing without permission.
What we need from you before we start
One point of contact who can decide
Someone on your side who can approve scope, designs and acceptance without going back to a committee at every step. This is the single biggest factor in delivery speed.
The problem, not the solution
What eats your team's time or loses you sales today? Proposing the solution is our job. The website and app requirement templates below help you write it down.
Current systems and integrations
What you run today for accounting, payments, shipping or ERP, and whether it has APIs. We settle this during the scope phase, not after it.
Content and brand assets
Logo, brand files and the first content in Arabic and English. Late content is the most common cause of a late launch, so it gets its own date in the schedule.
Accounts in your name
The domain, hosting or cloud account, and the Apple and Google developer accounts are opened in your company's name, and we work through access you grant and can revoke.
One hour a week
Time for the weekly review and for acceptance testing by your team. Testing on staging with your real data catches what no test on our side can.
Related services
How the project runs
- Free discovery call: we learn the business goal and the existing systems, and tell you plainly what the project needs and what it does not.
- Written scope and technical estimate: assumptions, exclusions and a fixed price per milestone, signed before any payment.
- Design, then build on staging: a staging link from week two and a weekly review with written minutes.
- Acceptance testing and launch: your team signs the UAT template on staging, then we move to production on a day you choose.
- Warranty, then operations: implementation defects fixed during the warranty period, with an optional monthly operations retainer afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a quote take?
One business day from the moment the written scope is complete. The discovery call itself is booked within days, and if the project is large or involves reviewing an existing system we tell you up front how long the assessment will take. The estimate separates development, third-party costs and monthly operations.
Can we start with a small phase?
That is usually what we recommend. A limited first phase, such as a first version of the system or a consulting review, shows you how we work and gives you something usable before a larger commitment. The written scope states clearly what belongs to that phase and what is deferred.
What if we are unhappy with a sprint or a phase?
The weekly review exists precisely to catch that early. Anything that does not match the agreed scope is fixed at no cost, and anything that turns out to be a change in requirements is written up as a change request and priced before work. Payments are tied to deliverables you test yourself, so you never pay for a phase you have not accepted.
Do you sign NDAs?
We sign the NDA before receiving any sensitive material, not after work has started. You can send your template or use ours, and the confidentiality obligation covers everyone working on the project, not the company alone.
Do you work with our in-house developers?
Often. We work inside your repositories and tools with the same review and release path, or we add a dedicated engineer to your team by the month. Either way we start with a written review of the current code and infrastructure so both sides know where we are starting from.
What happens after launch?
The warranty period stated in the scope begins, covering implementation defects, and code, documentation and accounts are handed over on final payment. After that you can run the system with your own team or any other team, or sign a monthly operations retainer with us covering monitoring, security updates, backups and incident response.
Start with a discovery call
Thirty minutes with an engineer who tells you plainly what your project needs and which engagement model fits it, followed by a written technical estimate within one business day.
Trusted by clients across the region
“Thank you Web Pioneer for the outstanding work on both the website and the app.”
“Among the best companies for pricing, quality, response speed and technical support. I recommend them to any business.”
“An excellent company: professional manner, deep experience and truly fine work.”
From our public Google reviews, 4.9 out of 5 across 138 named reviews. Read them here. Quotes above translated from the Arabic originals.
