Service
Custom Software Development
We design and build the system your operation actually runs on, then hand over the source code, the documentation and the intellectual property.
The problem
What usually goes wrong
Off the shelf software asks you to run your business the way the software was written. For a while you adapt. Then the workarounds start: a spreadsheet beside the tool, a shared inbox doing the routing, a person whose job is copying fields between two systems.
Those workarounds are where the money goes. They are also invisible on any invoice, so they survive for years.
Custom software is worth building when the process is the thing you compete on, when the volume of manual handling is high, or when the tools you need to connect have no path between them.
Scope
What we deliver
Scoped specification
Before any build we write what the system does, screen by screen and rule by rule, and fix it. Scope changes after that are a written decision, not a surprise.
Data model and schema
A relational schema designed for the questions you will ask of it, with constraints in the database rather than hoped for in the application.
Application and interface
The screens your team uses every day, built for the density and speed of real work rather than for a screenshot.
Integrations
The connections to accounting, payments, email, scheduling and whatever else your process touches, with retries and error handling designed in.
Roles and permissions
Access modelled on how your business is actually organised, enforced server side.
Handover package
Source code, intellectual property assignment, documentation, credentials and a deployment guide. You can take it to any engineering team.
Method
Technical approach
We begin with the data model, because the schema outlives every interface drawn on top of it. Entities, relationships and constraints come first, and the application is written against a database that refuses invalid states rather than one that trusts the form.
The backend uses parameterised SQL or a typed query layer, transactions around anything multi step, and idempotency keys on operations that an impatient user or a retrying webhook can trigger twice.
Interfaces are built for the job. Dense tables with keyboard navigation for operational work, and simpler guided flows for anything a customer touches.
Every integration is treated as a system that will fail. Outbound calls are retried with backoff, inbound webhooks are verified and deduplicated, and anything that cannot be completed lands in a queue a human can see.
Testing covers the rules that carry money and time: pricing, scheduling, permissions and anything that writes to a third party. Quality assurance runs against the specification, not against what the code happens to do.
Handover
Deliverables
Everything below is yours at delivery, including the intellectual property. Sawhorse keeps nothing.
- 01Written specification with fixed scope
- 02Database schema with constraints, indexes and migration path
- 03Application backend with authentication, authorisation and audit logging
- 04Operational interface designed for daily use
- 05Integrations with retries, verification and error queues
- 06Automated test suite over the rules that carry risk
- 07Deployment configuration and environment documentation
- 08Full source code, IP assignment and handover documentation
Related
Systems this service builds
- Custom CRMCustom CRM software for account relationships, sales pipelines, activity history, permissions, reporting and integrations with your operational systems.
- Inventory and Order ManagementOne stock position and one order lifecycle across every channel, built on a movement ledger rather than a quantity field people adjust.
- Field Service ManagementDispatch, routing, mobile job capture and invoicing for businesses whose work happens at the customer address rather than in an office.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
How do you stop scope growing during the build?
Scope is fixed in writing before the build starts, and any change is a written decision with its effect on schedule stated. Nothing is added quietly.
What do we own at the end?
Everything built for you: the source code, the intellectual property, the documentation and the deployment configuration. Sawhorse keeps nothing.
Can our own developers work on it afterwards?
Yes. That is the point of the handover package. The code uses mainstream tooling, the schema is documented, and the deployment guide is written for someone who was not on the project.
Do you replace our existing systems or work alongside them?
Both happen. Where a system works, we integrate with it. Where it is the bottleneck, we replace it and plan the data migration as part of the build.
How is the work reviewed as it goes?
A dedicated project manager runs the cadence, and you see working software at each stage rather than status reports. You test before we ship.
What happens after delivery?
Support plans are available and are tailored on a discovery or technical call. You are also free to maintain the system yourself or hand it to another team.
Let’s talk about the system you need.
Tell us where the current process breaks down. We can map the workflow, examine the integration requirements and define a practical scope for the build.
- A mutual NDA is signed before project details are shared.
- Scope is fixed in writing before any build starts.
- You own the source code, the IP and the documentation at delivery.
- Support plans are available and tailored on a discovery or technical call.