Solution Architecture

Our software architecture consulting starts before the first line of code. We map the problem: domains and boundaries, data flows, integrations, failure modes, and the trade-offs that will matter in year three rather than week one. The most expensive mistakes in software are architecture decisions taken casually and then lived with for a decade. Solution architecture is how a growing business avoids them, without paying for a slide deck nobody can build from.

The problem, in your words

"We are about to invest in a new system, and we want to get the foundations right the first time." "We have three suppliers proposing three different technologies, and we cannot compare them." "Our current setup works, but every new feature takes longer than the last." "We need to integrate with the ERP and the tools we already use, without creating another mess."

Architecture decisions are hard to see and even harder to undo. Choose the wrong database, the wrong boundaries or the wrong integration pattern, and the cost does not arrive on day one. It arrives slowly, as every change gets harder, until the business is working around its own software.

Signs you need this

• You are about to build something significant, or migrate something painful.
• You have competing proposals or technologies and need an independent way to compare them.
• New features take longer every quarter, and nobody can say exactly why.
• Your systems do not talk to each other, and integrations are held together by hand.
• You want the map before the journey, and you want it to be one any competent team can follow.

How we work

1. Problem. We start with the business, not the technology: what the system must do, for whom, under what load and with which constraints. We also ask what you are afraid of. Those fears usually point at the real risks.
2. Idea. We explore the realistic options and the trade-offs of each, including cost, complexity, the people you have available and how the system will change. If an existing product already solves part of it, we say so.
3. Design & Build. We design the architecture in concrete terms: components, boundaries, data, integrations and failure modes, with the risky parts identified and a plan to prove them first.
4. Delivery. It ends in a working session where your team interrogates every decision. If a decision cannot survive that room, it is not the right decision. What leaves the room is yours.

What you get

• A concrete, buildable architecture, with diagrams that match how the system will really work.
• Written decision records with the reasoning and the alternatives rejected, so future changes start from context instead of guesswork.
• An integration map covering the systems you already run, such as an ERP like PHC, Primavera or Sage, and how data should move between them.
• A phased roadmap with the risky parts first.
• Not a slide deck. If you want it built, we can build it. But the architecture stands on its own, and any competent team can execute it.

Engagement shape

1. A call about what you are about to build, and what you are afraid of in it.
2. Discovery. We review the business context, existing systems and constraints.
3. Design. Options, decisions and the roadmap take shape, shared with you as they develop.
4. Working session. Your team challenges every decision before anything is final.

It is a short engagement, typically days to a couple of weeks, depending on the size of the problem.

What affects cost. We do not publish prices. The main drivers are how many systems and integrations are involved, how much of the current landscape must be reverse-engineered because it is not documented, regulatory or data-protection constraints, the number of stakeholders who need to be heard, and whether you want the architecture only or also a proof of the riskiest part. Everything is written down before it starts.

Request a scoped proposal

Frequently asked questions

Is this only for large systems? No. Smaller businesses often benefit most, because they have the least room to absorb an expensive mistake. The effort scales with the problem.

Do we have to use you to build it? No. The architecture is written so that any competent team can execute it. If you want us to build it, we can. It is your choice.

Can you work with our existing ERP and tools? Yes. We design around the systems you already run, including ERPs like PHC, Primavera and Sage, rather than assuming a blank slate.

What if we already have an architecture? Then we review it. You get an honest opinion on what holds, what will not, and what to change first.

How is this different from technical guidance? Guidance helps you make a decision. Architecture turns a decision into a design that people can build. Many engagements start with one and continue with the other.

Related services

• Technical Rescue: when the system already exists and needs to be stabilised and modernised.
• MVP & Product Development: when you want the architecture built, starting with the smallest version that proves value.

Get the map before the journey

Tell us what you are about to build, and what you are afraid of in it. We reply within one business day, usually with questions and a first honest opinion.

Start a project