Custom web application in Lyon: software shaped around the way you already work
There comes a point where the spreadsheet overflows and the same information is typed three times into three different tools. The monthly subscription to software that does not quite do the job then costs more than a tool of your own. I build custom web applications for small and mid-sized businesses in Lyon and the north-west of Lyon, and remotely elsewhere, starting from the way you work rather than the way a vendor works.
The figure comes after an hour of scoping, free and with no commitment. The quote is then fixed and split into batches, and both the code and the data stay in your name.
When a custom tool is worth it
The same symptoms come up from one client to the next. The shared spreadsheet nobody dares edit any more. The double entry between the quoting software, the diary and the accounts. The subscription to an off-the-shelf product paid for three features out of thirty, one of which is missing. And sometimes the request comes from clients themselves, who would like to follow their file without phoning you.
The most common projects at this size: a booking schedule tied to your diary, a quote and order tracker, a client portal where everyone finds their own documents, a job management tool with forms filled in on the engineer's phone.
How I scope a project
Scoping starts with a free hour. We list the screens, the roles (who sees what, who is allowed to approve) and the business rules nobody can guess, such as your discounts, your deadlines and the special cases of your trade.
Then comes a design for every screen, which you walk through before a line of code is written. That is the cheapest moment to change your mind. The quote is fixed at that point and split into batches, each batch usable on its own. You commit to the first, you judge it on the evidence, and you decide what happens next.
What is delivered, and who owns it
You get the source code, hosting opened in your name, documentation for the tool and automated tests on the flows whose failure would cost you a day's work. Migrating your existing data, spreadsheets included, is part of the work, because a tool that starts out empty is no use to anyone.
There is no compulsory subscription and no closed platform. And nothing obliges you to come back to me to have the tool changed.
What moves the price
The number of screens and roles, how complex the business rules are to reproduce, integrations with your current tools (diary, accounts, till, mail) and the volume of data to migrate. The target counts too. A web application, usable on a computer and installable on a phone, costs less than a native app published to both stores.
The quote is fixed and valid for three months: 30% deposit on signature, the balance when it goes live, and payment in instalments is possible.
What each batch includes
How it works
Scoping, 1 free hour
We list the screens, the roles and the business rules. From that I draw a split into batches and a fixed quote, batch by batch.
Designs, 1 to 2 weeks
Every screen is drawn and walked through with you. We adjust while it is still a drawing rather than code.
Build, batch by batch
Each batch is delivered usable, tested and put in your hands before the next one starts.
Go live & training
Data migration, switchover, training for your users, written documentation. Then ongoing support if you want it.
Common questions about custom applications
Quoted after scoping: the price depends too much on the screens and the business rules to be announced in advance. The order of magnitude for a genuinely useful first batch runs to a few thousand euros, and the split into batches exists precisely so that you do not commit to everything at once.
From six weeks for a first batch to several months for a complete tool, depending on the number of batches. The schedule is set with the quote, batch by batch.
Yes, and that is what I recommend. The first batch is chosen so that it can be delivered and used on its own: you work with it while the rest is being costed, and you stop when you judge you have enough.
The code, the data and the hosting are in your name, and the documentation and tests come with them. Another developer picks the project up without starting over, and without having to ask me anything.
Web first, in most cases: a web application installs on a phone straight from the browser, works on every device and does not have to go through an app store. A native app only earns its place when the need demands it, for extended offline use or particular hardware.
Let's talk about your tool
A free hour to talk it through, then a written fixed quote. Yours to do with as you like.