A client came to us with a problem that's common in growing service businesses: their core processes were running on spreadsheets, emails, and manual document templates. They needed a custom platform — fast.
Here's how we went from first conversation to production deployment in 8 weeks.
Week 1-2: Discovery and Architecture
Before writing any code, we spent two weeks understanding the business. Not just the surface-level requirements, but the actual workflows:
- How does the team assess new opportunities?
- What does the review process look like from start to finish?
- What information do clients need visibility into?
- Where are the biggest time sinks?
From these conversations, we mapped out the architecture:
- Internal dashboard with a workspace system and multi-checkpoint review process
- Client portal with team management, ticketing, and service requests
- AI-powered report generation to automate the most time-consuming deliverable
- Role-based access control to gate features by user type
The tech stack decision was straightforward: Next.js for the full-stack framework, tRPC for type-safe APIs, Prisma for the database layer, and Clerk for authentication. All deployed to Vercel.
Week 3-5: Core Platform Build
This is where AI-augmented development shines. With the architecture defined, building the core platform was a focused sprint:
Database schema and API layer — Prisma schema design, tRPC router setup, and all CRUD operations. AI handles the repetitive patterns (every entity needs create, read, update, list endpoints), while we focus on the business logic and validation rules.
Workspace system — The multi-checkpoint process is the heart of the platform. Each checkpoint has specific data requirements, status tracking, and progression logic. This is the kind of complex state management where experienced engineering judgment matters most.
Authentication and roles — Clerk made this straightforward, but the role-gating logic — admin vs staff vs client, and what each role can see and do — required careful architecture.
Week 6-7: Client Portal and AI Reports
The client portal was built as a separate route group within the same Next.js app, sharing the database but with a completely different UI and permission model.
Team management dashboard — Clients see their team members, profiles, and status in real time.
Ticketing system — Full support ticket lifecycle, replacing email threads with a structured system.
AI report generation — This was the game-changer. The manual report process took staff hours. We built an LLM integration that takes structured data from a workspace review and generates a polished analysis report in minutes. Same quality, fraction of the time.
Week 8: Polish and Launch
The final week was dedicated to:
- Responsive design audit across all breakpoints
- Error handling and edge case testing
- Loading states and skeleton screens
- SEO metadata and performance optimisation
- Production deployment and monitoring setup
The Outcome
Eight weeks from first meeting to production deployment. A platform that replaced spreadsheets, emails, and manual documents with a structured, AI-enhanced workflow.
The key metrics:
- Report generation went from hours to minutes
- Clients gained real-time visibility into their teams
- The review process became consistent across all staff
- Support moved from email to a trackable ticketing system
What Made This Possible
Three things:
-
Strong discovery — We didn't start coding until we deeply understood the problem. Those first two weeks saved us from building the wrong thing.
-
AI-augmented development — The scaffolding, boilerplate, and repetitive patterns that normally eat weeks were handled in hours. Our time went to architecture, business logic, and UX.
-
Focused execution — One experienced developer, clear priorities, weekly demos, tight feedback loops. No handoffs, no coordination overhead, no committee decisions.
This is the model we bring to every engagement. Not a team of 10 working for 6 months — a focused expert engagement powered by AI, delivering in weeks what used to take quarters.
Interested in a similar approach for your project? Let's talk.