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Example Engagement – Overview

This document provides a high-level map of an example customer engagement, linking all phases together. It is written for sales, architects, delivery leads, and project managers who need to understand the complete engagement lifecycle.

This example engagement pack demonstrates how ConnectSoft works with a customer from initial contact through delivery and retrospective, using a concrete scenario to make the process tangible and reusable.

Note

This is a blueprint you can adapt per client. The scenario is based on a real-world pattern but kept generic enough to apply to different customer situations.

Scenario Summary

Customer: Employment Services Company (fictional)

Business Idea: Multi-tenant SaaS platform where customers can hire virtual teams (agents/squads) for software development projects. The platform includes:

  • Agent Marketplace - Browse and hire AI-powered development teams
  • Project Management - Manage projects, track progress, assign work
  • Billing & Invoicing - Automated billing for agent hours and deliverables
  • Analytics Dashboard - Track team performance, project metrics, ROI
  • Client Portal - Self-service portal for customers to manage their teams

Customer Needs: - Fast time-to-market (3-6 months to MVP) - Multi-tenant architecture (each customer has isolated data) - Scalable platform (handle hundreds of customers) - Compliance and audit requirements (SOC2, GDPR) - Integration with external systems (payment processing, CRM)

ConnectSoft Solution: - Factory - Generate core microservices (Project Management, Billing, Analytics) - Platforms - Identity Platform (auth), Audit Platform (compliance), Config Platform (feature flags) - AI Squads - Starter SaaS Squad delivers 2-3 microservices per month - Integration - ConnectSoft handles integrations with payment processors and CRM systems

Engagement Phases

Phase Name Purpose Duration
1 Initial Contact & Discovery Understand context and fit 1-2 weeks
2 Solution Shaping & Proposal Define solution, scope, pricing 2-3 weeks
3 Contracting & Kickoff Formalize and set up 1-2 weeks
4 Delivery & Factory Runs Implement using Factory + squads 3-6 months
5 Retrospective & Expansion Learn, improve, expand scope Ongoing

Phase Flow

flowchart LR
    A[Initial Contact] --> B[Discovery]
    B --> C[Solution Shaping]
    C --> D[Proposal]
    D --> E[Contracting]
    E --> F[Kickoff]
    F --> G[Factory Runs]
    G --> H[Delivery]
    H --> I[Retrospective]
    I --> J[Expansion]

    style A fill:#e1f5ff
    style C fill:#fff4e1
    style E fill:#e8f5e9
    style G fill:#f3e5f5
    style I fill:#e1f5ff
Hold "Alt" / "Option" to enable pan & zoom

Roles Involved

ConnectSoft Team

  • Dmitry / Principal Architect - Solution design, architecture decisions, Factory oversight
  • Sales Lead - Initial contact, discovery, proposal, contracting
  • AI Squad (Starter SaaS Squad) - Code generation, implementation, testing
  • DevOps/SRE - Infrastructure, CI/CD, monitoring setup
  • Customer Success - Onboarding, training, ongoing support

Customer Team

  • Product Manager / Sponsor - Business requirements, priorities, decisions
  • Technical Lead - Technical decisions, architecture review, integration planning
  • Stakeholders - Business users, executives, compliance officers

Key Artifacts by Phase

Phase Artifacts Purpose
1 Discovery notes, initial deck, qualification assessment Understand customer needs and fit
2 Proposal document, high-level architecture sketch, scope definition Define solution and commercial terms
3 Contract/SOW, kickoff deck, onboarding plan, Azure DevOps setup Formalize engagement and prepare for delivery
4 Azure DevOps repos, Factory runs, ADRs/BDRs, releases, status reports Deliver working software
5 Retrospective document, lessons learned, next-steps roadmap, expansion proposal Learn and plan for growth

How to Use This Pack

This example engagement pack serves as:

  • Template - Adapt phases and checklists for your customer engagements
  • Training Material - Onboard new team members on ConnectSoft engagement process
  • Reference - Quick reference for what to do in each phase
  • Quality Assurance - Ensure all phases are completed thoroughly

Tip

Adaptation Guidelines: 1. Use the scenario as a starting point, but customize for your customer 2. Adjust timelines based on customer needs and complexity 3. Modify checklists to match your specific engagement requirements 4. Update artifacts based on customer preferences and tools 5. Learn from each engagement and improve the process