How often do we meet or receive updates during the project?
Written by
Contic
Read time
2 minutes
Once a week you see working software at a demo, with short written updates in between. Discovery and Design need the most meetings, because that’s where the big decisions are made. During Build, contact gets lighter and centres on the demo.
We agree the rhythm with you when the project starts, and adjust it if it isn’t working.
What contact looks like at each step
| Step | How we work together | What you’re doing |
|---|---|---|
| Discover | Working sessions, mostly live | Explaining your customers, setting priorities, agreeing the plan |
| Design | Reviews of wireframes, designs and the prototype | Saying what’s right, what’s wrong and what’s missing |
| Build | A weekly demo, plus written updates | Trying features on your own phone and answering questions |
| Launch | Testing and sign-off together | Checking it’s ready for real customers |
What it means for your diary is covered in how much of my time the project will take. This article is about how you’ll know where things stand.
Demos of working software, not status reports
A status report tells you what someone says happened. A demo shows you. Each week you see the product as it actually is, on a real device.
That matters most if you aren’t technical. You don’t need to read code to judge progress. You need to tap through the feature and see whether it does what your customer needs. Ask to have each new feature on your own phone, not just on our screen.
The demo is also where decisions get made fast. Something you can hold is far easier to judge than a paragraph describing it.
Written updates where you already work
Between demos, you get short written updates. They say what moved, what’s next, and anything we need from you.
They come in the channel you already use, whether that’s email, Slack, WhatsApp or something else. You shouldn’t need a password and a project tool to find out how your own product is doing.
When you’ll hear from us outside the rhythm
Some things can’t wait for a demo. We tell you as soon as something is blocked, rather than saving it for the next demo. Typical examples:
- a decision that holds up the next piece of work
- a third-party service that behaves differently from its documentation
- an app store question that needs your company’s details
- a scope question, where something you’ve asked for sits outside the plan
Each one comes with what we recommend, so a one-line reply often settles it. If it needs more than that, a five-minute call beats a long email thread.
More contact, or less
Some founders want to see everything. Others want the headline and a demo. Both work, as long as decisions still get made on time.
What doesn’t work is going quiet for weeks during Discovery or Design. Those decisions shape everything after them, so a silence there echoes all the way to launch.
If you have a board, investors or a cofounder who need updates too, tell us at the start. It’s easier to bring them into a demo than to rewrite updates for each audience.
How to get the most from it
- Turn up to the demo, even when you’re busy. Half an hour there saves days of rework.
- Name one person on your side who can make decisions.
- Try every feature yourself before you sign it off.
- Keep a “later” list for new ideas, so the demo doesn’t become a scope discussion.
The non-technical founder’s build playbook explains why weekly demos and quick answers do more for a deadline than any process. For how the four steps fit together, see what happens during a LaunchPad build.
Thinking about building something?
We design, build and launch digital products at a fixed price, with a money-back guarantee after Discovery. Tell us what you have in mind.