This document outlines how we manage projects at Midnight.
While we take a holistic approach to projects, we have identified key steps from initial conversations to delivery and aftercare. These steps will change, evolve, and adapt as we continue to improve our ability to deliver great work.
The first step is a call to discuss the project in detail. We will ask for information about the project, its status, any deadlines, and a rough idea of the budget.
<aside> 💡 Projects under 6 weeks or around £15k are not typically taken on. We feel our sweet spot is projects with greater complexity - whether in functionality, amount of content, or in the types of animation and interactivity - which require more time and space for testing and refinement.
</aside>
After the call, we will send a recap to confirm that we have all the correct information. We will then share this information with our project team to discuss whether the timelines fit our schedule and whether it is the right type of project for us.
We will put together a Project Proposal outlining the key features and functionality, how we will approach the project, our suggested tech stack, a timeline, and a cost range. If you agree with our proposal, we will schedule a Kickoff Workshop to get started.
<aside> 🎨 If final designs for the website or app are available, or Midnight is creating the designs, then we can put together an accurate project price. If this is not the case and development needs to start, we can price based on sprints and scope deliverables at the start of each sprint cycle.
</aside>
We will set up a workshop video call with key members of our team and yourself to dig deeper into the project brief, any limitations or potential blockers, and gather all the information we need to get started.
Our development team will have an internal workshop to break the project down into development tasks and a sprint cycle. We do this as a team to leverage the group's experience and ensure we're on the same page and tackling the project in the most efficient and stable way.
<aside> 🤹 We put an effort score next to each ticket to help us understand how much work a single developer and a team can get through in a day and a sprint cycle. This helps us get more accurate in our costing and projections for other projects.
</aside>
After this point, we will send you a Scope Document with a technical breakdown and focus for each sprint cycle. This will include a final project price, or if a sprint-based project, a sprint cost.
<aside> 💲 For fixed price projects, we break invoices down into three parts - 20% at kickoff, 40% at a mid-production point, and 40% on delivery. We will start development after we've received the first payment. For sprint-based projects, we invoice at the end of each sprint and on agreement that the pre-agreed deliverables for that sprint have been met.
</aside>