How long does this take, from first call to something we can use?

Asked almost word for word on a call: we gave it a go ahead to discovery and write some software, how long does that take?

The shape of it

• Discovery: two weeks, and I hold that line hard. Interviews in the mornings, two or three consecutive days, then a gap to write it up. Discovery that drags for a quarter has stopped being discovery and become a hobby.
• First usable phase: typically six to ten weeks after sign-off, depending on integrations. Something in real hands, not a demo.
• Everything after: phases, each earning the next.

What actually causes delay

Almost never the code. In my experience the schedule slips on: access to a system nobody can find the login for; a decision that needs someone who is on holiday; and feedback rounds where the client is genuinely busy running their business.

That last one is not a criticism. It is a planning fact. If your team can give me two hours a fortnight, we plan for two hours a fortnight and the timeline reflects it. Problems come from pretending otherwise.

What I need from you

Someone asked me to walk them through it: the flow of work at every stage, who does what, and how long it takes. Reasonable, and every supplier should be able to answer without hedging.

From you: a named decision-maker who can say yes without a committee, access to systems in week one, and the people who actually do the job for an hour each. That is most of it.

The honest warning

Be wary of anyone who gives you a confident date before discovery. They are either guessing or padding, and both cost you.