Policies

Who we won't work with

Here are some types of organizations and individuals that we don't work with:

• Non-Canadian militaries or their contractors
• Weapons makers of any kind, including cyber and drone control systems
• Producers of addictive substances
• Deceptive marketers
• Political contributors who expect something in return
• Abusive or unkind individuals
• Fossil fuel producers, polluters, or egregiously wasteful companies
• Political propaganda outlets
• Companies with reputations of treating vendors or employees badly

Who we love to work with

Most people are decent, but there are some special individuals that make it so much easier to achieve a good result. They act in their own best interests and are committed to doing what is right. Typically, these people:

• Reply to requests in a reasonable time
• Communicate clearly, honestly and concisely, taking pride in the quality of their correspondence
• Realize that failure to plan on their part does not constitute an emergency on our part
• Don't have a problem writing things down
• Know that titles don't imply competence or personal worth
• Believe that the people doing the work are the ones who know best how to do it, and should be assisted by having obstacles removed
• Understand that just because they're paying doesn't mean they're right
• Want to know when their ideas won't work
• Tend to work slowly and carefully because rushing and making mistakes is more expensive than taking the time to do things right
• Don't try to squeeze new things into the project scope without understanding the implications for the schedule and budget
• Have a sense of humour (Canadian spelling!)
• Are curious and enjoy learning how things work outside of their domain of expertise

Money matters

It's okay to tell us what your budget is — we want to make sure we can deliver the most value within your constraints. We charge a fair price for our work and expect to be paid according to the terms below.

We do some pro bono work to support non-profit causes, but we don't gamble with our time and energy by working speculatively or for equity. We don't work with clients who have a reputation of not paying their bills.

Our terms are:

1. Receipt of payment of 10% of the total current estimated fee to commit our people and schedule the start of the project.
2. Receipt of payment of 40% of the total current estimated fee at the halfway point of the current estimated schedule.
3. Receipt of payment of 25% of the total current estimated fee at the corresponding date of the current estimated schedule.
4. Receipt of payment of the remainder of the total current estimated fee at project completion, which is when we deliver the final prototype and all associated support documentation.

Each payment is due in full 14 calendar days from the date of the invoice. We do not offer 30-day payment terms for any invoice. The project stops automatically, without liability on our part, if any payment is not received by the 14th day. If your organization is unable to meet the 14-day policy, we will accept early payments based on the current estimated work schedule.

Project scope agreement

Scope is the agreement that lets us reasonably estimate a schedule and price. Changes are normal — projects evolve as we learn — but they have to be handled deliberately so that quality, timeline and budget stay reasonable. We work from a scope document and track every approved change order against it.

We do not absorb uncompensated scope growth. If new work is needed, we will say so, quote it, and proceed once it is approved. The same applies vice-versa: if something becomes unnecessary, we will tell you and adjust the fee down.

We will always act in your best interest, especially when you suggest changes that we know will lead to a worse outcome.

Changes we are happy to make:

1. Clarifications to requirements that were ambiguous in the original brief, provided they do not expand the underlying deliverable beyond what was originally intended.
2. Substitutions of one feature for another of comparable complexity, agreed by charge order before work begins.
3. Reductions in scope, where a feature is removed and the schedule and fee are adjusted accordingly.
4. Additions to scope that are documented in a written change order, with a corresponding update to the schedule, fee and payment milestones.
5. Adjustments driven by findings from our own prototyping work, where continuing on the original path would produce a worse outcome.

Changes we will not accept:

1. Verbal or informal requests to "just add" features without a written change order.
2. Expansion of the deliverable while holding the original schedule or fee fixed.
3. Late-stage reversals of decisions that were previously approved, without a written change order.
4. New stakeholders introducing requirements after the project is underway, without going through the agreed change process. It's your job to manage your stakeholders.
5. Changes that compromise safety, quality or our published policies — these are never on the table, regardless of budget.

Every approved change is recorded in a short change order that updates the scope, schedule and remaining payment milestones. If we cannot reach agreement on a proposed change, the project continues against the original scope.