Scoping & Proposals

Scoping & Proposals

At MasterFabric, we believe that accurate scoping and transparent proposals are the foundation of successful projects. Our discovery process ensures we fully understand your needs before committing to timelines and estimates.

Our Discovery Process

Phase 1: Initial Assessment (Week 1)

Kickoff Workshop

• Business objectives and success criteria
• Current technical landscape
• Key stakeholders and decision makers
• Timeline and budget constraints
• Critical requirements and risks

Technical Review

• Existing systems and architecture
• Technology stack assessment
• Integration requirements
• Security and compliance needs
• Performance and scalability requirements

Stakeholder Interviews

• Developer team discussions
• Business stakeholder needs
• End-user perspectives
• Operations and support teams

Phase 2: Deep Dive (Week 2)

Architecture Analysis

• System design review
• Data flow mapping
• API and integration points
• Security architecture
• Deployment infrastructure

Requirements Documentation

• Functional requirements breakdown
• Non-functional requirements (performance, security, etc.)
• User stories and acceptance criteria
• Edge cases and error scenarios
• Migration and data requirements

Technical Feasibility

• POC or spike investigations
• Technology evaluation
• Risk assessment
• Alternative approaches

Phase 3: Planning (Week 3)

Implementation Roadmap

• Phase breakdown
• Milestone definitions
• Dependency mapping
• Critical path analysis
• Risk mitigation strategies

Team & Resource Planning

• Team composition and roles
• Skill requirements
• Workload distribution
• Timeline estimation
• Capacity planning

Cost Estimation

• Effort estimation by component
• Resource allocation
• Infrastructure costs
• Third-party services
• Contingency planning

Proposal Components

Our proposals include:

Executive Summary

• Project overview and objectives
• Key benefits and value proposition
• High-level timeline and investment
• Critical success factors

Scope of Work

• Detailed deliverables
• Feature breakdown with priorities
• What's included and excluded
• Assumptions and dependencies
• Success criteria

Technical Approach

• Proposed architecture
• Technology stack rationale
• Integration strategy
• Security and compliance approach
• Testing and quality assurance

Project Plan

• Phase breakdown and milestones
• Detailed timeline with dependencies
• Risk management approach
• Change management process
• Communication and reporting plan

Team & Resources

• Team composition and roles
• Key personnel bios
• Availability and allocation
• Escalation procedures

Investment & Terms

• Pricing breakdown by phase/component
• Payment schedule
• Contract terms and conditions
• Warranty and support terms
• Change order process

Next Steps

• Decision timeline
• Kickoff planning
• Required from client
• Questions and clarifications

Scoping Questionnaire

To help us prepare the most accurate proposal, please provide:

Business Context

• What problem are you solving?
• Who are your users/customers?
• What are your business goals?
• What's your competitive landscape?
• What's your go-to-market timeline?

Technical Context

• What systems currently exist?
• What technologies are you using?
• What integrations are required?
• What are your scalability needs?
• What compliance requirements apply?

Project Context

• What's your preferred timeline?
• What's your budget range?
• Who's on your internal team?
• What's your decision-making process?
• What are your biggest concerns?

Success Definition

• How will you measure success?
• What are must-have features?
• What are nice-to-have features?
• What would make this project fail?
• What metrics matter most?

Estimation Methodology

We use multiple estimation techniques:

Bottom-Up Estimation

Breaking work into small tasks and estimating each component with contingency buffers.

Analogous Estimation

Comparing to similar past projects with adjustments for differences.

Three-Point Estimation

Optimistic, most likely, and pessimistic scenarios to understand risk range.

Risk-Adjusted Estimates

Adding contingency based on:

• Technical complexity
• Requirement clarity
• Team experience
• Integration complexity
• Schedule constraints

Pricing Models

Fixed Price

• Well-defined scope
• Clear deliverables
• Agreed timeline
• Change order process
• Best for: Projects with stable requirements

Time & Materials

• Flexible scope
• Hourly or daily rates
• Regular progress reviews
• Transparent time tracking
• Best for: Evolving requirements or discovery-heavy work

Hybrid

• Fixed price for core deliverables
• T&M for flexible components
• Milestone-based pricing
• Shared risk approach
• Best for: Projects with defined core and flexible features

Refining the Proposal

We iterate on proposals based on your feedback:

Common adjustments:

• Scope prioritization (MVP vs. full feature set)
• Timeline flexibility (phased approach)
• Team composition (seniority mix)
• Risk allocation (fixed vs. T&M)
• Payment terms (milestone-based)

We'll work with you until the proposal aligns with your needs and constraints.

Approval Process

Once you approve:

Typical Timeline

From initial contact to project kickoff:

• Initial call: 1-2 days after contact
• Discovery & scoping: 1-3 weeks (depending on complexity)
• Proposal delivery: 3-5 business days after discovery
• Proposal review & refinement: 1-2 weeks
• Contract finalization: 1-2 weeks
• Project kickoff: 1-2 weeks after contract

Total: 4-8 weeks from initial contact to kickoff, though we can accelerate for urgent needs.

Questions?

Have questions about our scoping process?

• Schedule a call: Contact us
• Email: info@masterfabric.co

We're happy to walk you through the process and answer any questions before you commit to discovery.