Work that does not fit the fixed menu
Some requests are too specific for a standard setup. Those get scoped and quoted separately — and some get declined, which is the part most worth reading before you get in touch.
How scoping works
Describe the work as it happens today
Who does it, how often, what they start from and what they produce. A workflow that has never been written down cannot be automated reliably.
Agree what stays human
Every custom workflow has a review point. We decide together where it sits before anything gets built.
Fixed quote, or an honest no
If the work fits, it comes back as a fixed scope and price. If it does not, you get told why rather than sold a discovery phase.
Declined at this stage
The list below is the part most worth reading before you get in touch.
- Legal, insurance, CPA, medical or other regulated workflows
- Anything presented as compliant with a specific regulation
- Locks, alarms, garage doors, security systems or life-safety devices
- Medical or financial decision-making
- Fully autonomous systems that act without a person reviewing them
- Custom application development, client portals or payment systems
Suitable for scoping
- A repeated written process that a person currently does by hand
- Internal SOPs, checklists and reusable team templates
- Drafting and research workflows with a human approving the result
- Work that fits within tools and accounts you already own
Why the declined list exists
A practice that says it can automate anything ends up doing expensive discovery on projects it should never have quoted. The list above is what keeps engagements finishable — and it is also how you can tell that the things we do take on have actually been thought through.
If your request is on that list, it is worth asking anyway. Some of it is a matter of timing rather than a permanent no, and you will get a straight answer about which.
Describe the workflow, not the technology
The most useful thing you can send is a plain description of what someone on your team does by hand every week. The tooling decision comes after that.
Prefer email? Write to willkimball99@gmail.com.