Working together
From first request to final handoff.
You should be able to decide what to buy, see whether the work meets the agreement, and keep using it after the project ends. Here is what each stage gives you and where your input is needed.
You can start with a problem description. We agree the work, price, and completion checks before you commit to paid work.
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A first conversation about your problem
Describe what is getting in the way and one example of the result you need. We use that conversation to assess fit, clarify the next step, and identify whether paid investigation is needed before a project can be priced.
Helpful starting information
- The affected website, tool, or task and who uses it
- Your deadline and budget, if known
- A contact who can answer questions and approve the work
Inquiry and communication arrangements
Start at hello@inherent.design with the problem, your current tools, the result you need, and any budget or deadline. Leave passwords, customer records, and confidential attachments out of the first message.
Email is the starting point today. We agree the working channel and authorized contacts during onboarding.
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A proposal you can make a decision on
Your proposal sets out what you will receive, how it will be checked, what it costs, and what is outside the scope. You can review the ongoing vendor costs and your responsibilities before deciding whether the work is worth doing.
Before you approve
- Named deliverables and a practical way to check completion
- Fees, dependencies, and the proposed schedule
- The accounts, content, and decisions needed from you
Scope documents and approval responsibilities
The proposal identifies the deliverables, completion checks, exclusions, responsibilities, dependencies, and fees. If investigation is needed before implementation can be priced, that investigation is scoped and approved separately.
A Master Service Agreement (MSA) supplies shared terms. A Statement of Work (SOW) identifies the particular work, price, and schedule. A maintenance schedule identifies recurring tasks and coverage. Signing an MSA alone does not start a subscription.
- Who can approve scope, spending, access, and acceptance
- Which accounts you own and pay directly, and what access we need
- Which documents, source files, configurations, and instructions you receive
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Payment tied to defined work
Fixed-price work up to USD 500 is normally paid in advance. Larger short projects normally use a 50% advance and a 50% balance invoiced when the result is ready to review. Longer work has an intermediate payment schedule, and remaining balances are normally due within 15 calendar days.
Before the start date
- A written quote with the payment schedule and any exceptions
- Agreement on vendor purchases before you incur those costs
- A confirmed start date once payment, access, and capacity are in place
Payment timing, advances, and purchases
Clearly scoped fixed-price work up to USD 500 is normally paid in advance. Larger short projects normally use a 50% advance and a 50% balance invoiced at review-ready delivery. Work lasting more than four weeks has an explicit intermediate payment schedule. The signed quote records any exception.
Remaining milestone and final balances are normally due 15 calendar days after the invoice. Advances are credited toward earned fees. They are not automatically non-refundable. Client-owned vendor accounts are billed directly; any purchase we make for you needs prior approval and funding.
We confirm the start date after checking payment, capacity, access, and dependencies. Sending a payment alone does not establish a start date.
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Progress you can follow
During active project work, a weekly update tells you what is complete, what is blocked, and which decision is needed next. The engagement record keeps the current work and approvals together so you can find them without reconstructing a conversation.
During the work
- A current deliverable or progress reference to review
- The effect of a requested change on price and schedule before you approve it
- A record of checks, open questions, and next actions
Change approval and the engagement record
The engagement record links the agreed scope, current deliverable version, approvals, open questions, and delivery checks. During active project work, weekly updates make the next action and any blocker visible.
A request for new work needs an agreed scope, price, and schedule before it becomes billable. A correction to our work is handled through the correction process. We distinguish those cases in the record rather than treating every request as an extra charge.
- You approve the specific change and any new spending
- We record completion evidence and remaining limitations
- Invoice issuance, deployment, and acceptance are separate events
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A result you can check before accepting
You receive the deliverable, access, and completion evidence together, with seven business days to review it against the agreed requirements. Corrections to our work reported within 30 calendar days of review-ready delivery are handled without another fee. New features or preferences are scoped separately.
At review
- Check the agreed customer path or operating task using the supplied instructions
- Send specific feedback against the requirements or written approval
- Keep any unresolved defects in the record until they are addressed
Review deadlines and correction terms
Review-ready means the specified deliverable, access, and completion evidence are available to your authorized contact. The normal review window is seven business days for written approval or specific feedback against the agreed requirements.
Silence is not acceptance. We send a reminder at the review deadline; after 14 business days without needed feedback, dependent work may pause with notice and dates may need rescheduling.
We correct defects attributable to our work that are reported within 30 calendar days after review-ready delivery without another fee. A timely reported defect remains open beyond that reporting window. New preferences or features need an approved change. These windows do not automatically waive other applicable rights.
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Access and instructions for the next person
Your accounts and data remain yours. Handoff gives you the agreed files or configuration, operating instructions, and known issues so your team or another provider can take over. Ongoing maintenance is a separate choice.
At handoff
- The source, exports, or configuration identified in your scope
- Ownership and recovery access for your accounts
- Instructions for routine tasks and any limitations that remain
Ownership, licensing, and portfolio permission
You keep ownership of your accounts and data. The identified original, client-specific deliverables transfer after payment for those deliverables. Retained reusable components come with the agreed license needed to operate and maintain the result, including through another provider. Third-party components retain their own licenses.
Handoff includes the agreed source or configuration, operating instructions, known issues, and access transition. Maintenance is a separate choice. Public use of your name, logo, testimonial, or project as a case study needs separate permission.
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Terms you can review before signing
The signed documents record what applies to your engagement, including any agreed differences from this guide. Ask about any unclear responsibility or cost before you commit; this page does not change an existing agreement.
How this guide relates to your agreement
This guide explains our standard approach. Your signed engagement documents identify the applicable terms and any agreed differences; this page does not amend an existing agreement or enroll you in a service.
Ask us to explain any unfamiliar term before signing. Ownership, data handling, liability, and service responsibilities should be explicit for the work you are buying.