ENGAGEMENT MODELS • DENVER-BASED, REMOTE-FIRST

Ways we plug into your product work— from scratch builds to mature platforms.

ColibriCode is a senior-led product engineering workshop. We join teams to design, build, ship, and maintain production-ready systems—whether you’re starting from zero, modernizing a legacy platform, or stabilizing a codebase under pressure.

We work in a few predictable shapes so expectations stay clear: defined phases, visible progress, and an exit path your team can own.

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AT A GLANCE

Senior engineers only, small teams, direct communication.
Build-from-scratch delivery and modernization work.
Drupal, Symfony/Laravel, React/Next.js, Python, Go, DevOps.
Production-first: performance, security, observability, operability.
Clear milestones, documented decisions, and clean handoffs.

Most collaborations start with a focused 4–6 week phase. From there, we extend, switch to an embedded squad, or hand back to your internal team.

HOW TO CHOOSE

How to choose an engagement model.

Most teams don’t need a “perfect” long-term contract. They need a strong first milestone that reduces risk and ships value.

We usually start with a focused 4–6 week phase to:

Validate architecture decisions.

Ship an initial slice of the product or platform.

Establish delivery rhythm and operational baselines.

Create clear next steps (extend, handoff, or shift models).

ENGAGEMENT MODELS

Three shapes, tuned to different stages and stacks.

Whether you're stabilizing a legacy Drupal platform, extending a Symfony/Laravel API, launching a new React/Next.js app, or wiring Python and Go services into your product, we map the model to the risk and scope—not the other way around.

Project-based delivery

A defined phase with clear scope, milestones, and outcomes.

TYPICAL LENGTH

4–12 weeks per phase (often starting with 4–6 weeks)

TEAM SHAPE

1–3 senior engineers, optionally paired with your internal team.

STACK FOCUS

Ideal when we can define a clear slice of work across Drupal, Symfony, Laravel, React/Next.js, Python, Go, and DevOps—and ship it with production readiness included.

BEST FOR

Greenfield builds (idea → production).
Platform launches or redesigns.
Major migrations (Drupal upgrades, legacy replacement).
Time-boxed modernization with a deadline.

WHAT YOU GET

A defined milestone with measurable outcomes.
Production-ready implementation (not a demo).
Documentation for handoff and future evolution.
Operational readiness (deployments, monitoring, rollback strategy).

Start a project phase

DAY-TO-DAY

Everything runs through your existing tools where possible: GitHub or GitLab, your issue tracker, your CI, your Slack/Teams. We're not adding process for the sake of it—just enough to make work predictable and visible.

Clear entry and exit: we agree on what “started” and “done” mean before we open the first ticket.
Senior engineers only: the people on the intro call are the ones actually shipping code.
Respect for ops: every change considers release, rollback, logging, and observability.

We work inside your tools (GitHub/GitLab, issue tracker, CI, Slack/Teams). You get frequent demos and written updates that make progress obvious.

If at any point we jointly feel like the engagement model should change (e.g. from project-based to an embedded squad), we'll say so and reshape the collaboration.

HOW WE START

A first phase that creates clarity and momentum.

Most engagements begin with a short phase designed to produce real progress and reduce uncertainty.

Intro & technical review

We review context, constraints, and goals. If there’s existing code, we inspect the parts that carry risk: architecture, pipelines, deploy process, monitoring, and the areas that are slowing the team down.

Define the first milestone

We propose a milestone that is shippable, measurable, operationally realistic, and a foundation for the next phase.

Build with visible progress

You get regular demos (staging or production, not slides), written updates readable by non-engineers, and clear scope tracking: what’s done, what changed, what’s next.

Review & next steps

We close the loop on what shipped, what improved, what risks remain, and the recommended next milestone (extend, handoff, or switch model).

EXAMPLES OF FIRST MILESTONES

A thin vertical slice of a new product (auth → core workflow → deploy).

Drupal migration step with performance and content modeling.

Backend API foundation with RBAC and key integrations.

Stabilization milestone: CI/CD + monitoring + critical bug fixes.

After the first phase, some teams keep us as an embedded squad, some move to a lighter advisory pattern, and some simply keep running with the systems we stabilized or built together.

COLLABORATION RHYTHM

How we stay in sync without drowning you in meetings.

We keep communication simple and consistent so progress stays obvious and decisions stay documented.

Written updates

Written updates (what shipped, what changed, what decisions were made) in short, concrete form—readable by non-engineers.

Lightweight sync

Lightweight sync (daily or 2–3x/week, or async if you prefer) to keep momentum without meeting overload.

Regular demos

Regular demos of working software in staging or production (not presentations) so “done” stays unambiguous.

Decision logs

Decision logs capturing architecture and trade-offs for future teams: what we chose, what we didn’t, and why.

GUARDRAILS

Clear scope and a clean exit path.

We design engagements to stay honest and predictable.

Senior engineers only

Senior engineers only, no hidden handoffs. The people you meet are the ones shipping code and owning decisions.

Clear milestones & outcomes

Clear milestones and outcomes, not open-ended promises. We align on what “done” means before work starts.

Production-first delivery

Production-first delivery: performance, security, observability, and operability are included—not bolted on later.

Exit-friendly by design

Documentation and structure so your team can own the system long-term. If we’re not the right fit, we tell you early and recommend alternatives.

NOT SURE WHICH MODEL FITS?

Tell us about your stack and we’ll recommend a first milestone.

Send a short brief with:

What you’re building (or what’s breaking).
Your current stack (if any).
Timeline and constraints.
What success looks like in 3–6 months.

We’ll reply with clarifying questions and a recommended first milestone.

Email hello@colibricode.com Open the contact page

No pressure, no long forms. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll say so honestly.