Philosophy
Many companies do software estimation by asking: “How much will this project cost if it does X, Y, and Z?” But focusing on features isn’t strategic.
A good budget helps us decide what’s most valuable. Atomic asks: What budget will let us create a product with a good chance to succeed?
This keeps the focus where it belongs: on your goals. We start with enough capital for a strong first release, then squeeze as much value from that capital as possible.
Setting Your Budget
Undercapitalized projects are an enormous risk—one Atomic can help you avoid taking.
Read more about our estimation and budgeting practices on our blog. While budgeting always involves estimating, that's not our only consideration. We draw from a lot of sources.
Spending Your Budget
Prepare for the unexpected.
Every software project has surprises. How you deal with them depends on your business relationship with your software partner:
Time & Materials
Why budget at all? Just have your team start working, and see where you end up. (Not recommended.)
Fixed-Budget, Scope-Controlled
Carefully adjust the scope, in either breadth or depth, incorporating new knowledge and ideas.
Fixed Price
You can ignore the surprises and learning, since you're locked into your original, detailed plan. Or you can renegotiate your job with a series of change orders.
Atomic always uses Fixed-Budget, Scope-Controlled (FBSC) engagements. They let us ask, week after week: “How can we get the most value out of the remaining budget?”