Frequently Asked Questions

Development
What approach do you use to develop software?

When trying to scope an entire software system upfront without all the required information, it can be frustrating and counterproductive. This approach can lead to scope creep, which is the gradual expansion of a project’s requirements beyond its original scope Scope creep can cause a project to run over budget, miss deadlines, and lack quality. Both customers and developers are always negatively affected by this. After years of being caught in this hamster wheel, we decided to simply remove that frustration from the development process and adopted a simplified agile development approach. The agile approach emphasizes iterative development and continuous feedback, which can help prevent scope creep and ensure that the project stays on track. We further simplified our approach by adopting a month as the smallest measurable unit of work since that is the most sensible time frame to achieve something large enough to move forward at a significant pace.

Do you only develop Laravel applications?

Yes - we are exclusively a Laravel development shop.

Why Laravel?

"Framework hopping" or "framework wars" is extremely counterproductive. We do not advocate that Laravel is the "best" PHP framework - we leave that subjective opinion to the numerous online discussion forums. Instead, we firmly believe that it's the best choice for us, and by settling on a framework and its augmenting ecosystem, we free up energy and focus to solve business problems. Settling on a single framework also ensures that we can easily obtain resources if required, and there is a clear development and training trajectory for growing our resources.

Why is the technology stack important?

The quick answer is: it usually is not - if you want to 100% outsource a bespoke application, then the technology stack is not important. However, if you intend to at some point take ownership of the application, or include it in your existing IT development environment, then the tech stack is very important. For this reason, we advocate clearly communicating what we use to build applications.

Costs
Why do you only charge month by month?

Counting hours in a software project can be counterproductive for several reasons. Firstly, it is difficult to accurately measure the amount of time that a developer spends on a particular task. This is because developers often work on multiple tasks simultaneously, and it can be challenging to track the exact amount of time spent on each task. Secondly, counting hours can lead to a focus on quantity over quality. Developers may feel pressured to complete tasks quickly, which can result in lower-quality work. Finally, counting hours can be demotivating for developers. If they feel like they are being micromanaged, they may become less engaged with their work. Using larger measurements like months can be more appropriate for measuring software development progress. This is because software development is a complex process that involves many different tasks, and it can be difficult to accurately measure progress on a day-to-day basis. By using larger measurements like months, developers can focus on achieving long-term goals rather than worrying about the number of hours they are working.

What happens if I don't like what you deliver?

You don't pay us. We are confident that our work "speaks for itself", but to give you 100% peace of mind, the first month of your project provides us both the opportunity to "test" the working relationship, and you will not be charged for the first month if you are not 100% satisfied. We simply "end" before we start. We pursue frictionless, synergistic work - let's be grownups about it - if it does not work, we both walk away and pursue other options.

Who owns the code?

As soon as the project moves beyond the first month, the code is 100% yours.

Is there a minimum amount of months for a project?

No. Development is month-to-month with no required commitment - we keep working together until the project is complete (or canceled).

Can I cancel a project?

Yes, you may cancel a project at any time, for whatever reason. Our working agreement is 100% "month to month", so simply let us know and your project will not proceed beyond the current month.

Can ONTHEROCK Software cancel a project?

Yes, we can - the freedom provided to you to cancel at any time is also extended to us. (In the past 15 years, we have never terminated a project for any reason other than non-payment by the client).

What happens when the project is done?

That's 100% up to you. You can host the software on your infrastructure, or we can provide hosting and continued support. We offer several flexible hosting options to fit your budget and deployment architecture requirements. For enterprise projects, we partner with Restack to ensure all enterprise requirements are met and managed with ease.