If you are commissioning software, you will hear the words "agile" and "sprint" in the first meeting. They describe a sensible way of working that benefits you directly, but they are rarely explained in plain terms. Here is what they mean and what to expect.
The old way, and why it failed
Traditional software projects specified everything up front, built for months in silence, then delivered a finished system. The problems were predictable. Requirements were wrong or had changed. Problems surfaced late, when fixing them was expensive. Clients saw nothing until the end and could not steer.
The agile way
Agile breaks the work into short cycles. In each cycle the team builds a small, complete piece of the system, shows it to you working, and takes your feedback into the next cycle. The plan is revised continuously based on what everyone has learned.
You still start with a specification and a plan. The difference is that the plan is expected to improve as the work reveals what really matters.
What a sprint is
A sprint is one cycle, usually two weeks. It has a rhythm:
- Planning. At the start, the team and your representative agree what will be built in this sprint, taken from a prioritised list of everything the system needs (the backlog).
- Build. The team works on those items. Short daily check-ins keep it on track. Questions come to you as they arise.
- Demo. At the end, the team shows you what was built, working, usually in a test environment you can log in to.
- Review. You give feedback. New ideas and changes go into the backlog. Priorities for the next sprint are set.
Every sprint ends with the system a little more complete and a little better understood.
What this means for you
You see progress. Every two weeks, something real. No six-month silence.
You can steer. If a feature turns out to be less important than you thought, or a new one becomes essential, the plan changes at the next sprint boundary. Cheaply.
Problems surface early. A misunderstanding is caught after two weeks, not after six months.
You control spend. In projects charged per sprint, you can pause, extend or stop with a working system at any boundary.
You have to be available. This is the trade-off. Agile needs someone on your side who attends demos, answers questions promptly and makes decisions. Without that person, sprints slow down and the benefit evaporates.
Fixed price and agile
People assume agile means an open-ended bill. It does not have to. Our usual approach is a discovery phase producing a specification, a fixed price for that scope, and delivery in sprints so you see and steer the work. Changes beyond the scope are quoted separately, and you decide whether they are worth it. Where a project is genuinely exploratory, we work per sprint instead. See our custom software cost guide for how each is priced.
Where it fits with ERP projects
The same rhythm applies to ERP implementations: configuration and customisation happen in sprints with demos, so each department sees their part of the system taking shape and can correct it before go-live. Our ERP implementation steps show where sprints sit in that process.
A sprint from your side, in practice
Monday of week one: a 30 minute call to agree the sprint's goals. During the fortnight: two or three quick questions by email or chat. Friday of week two: a 45 minute demo. Afterwards: 30 minutes trying it yourself and sending feedback. That is the commitment, and it is what keeps a project honest.
If you want to see how this works on a real project, the first sprint is the best demonstration. Read about our custom software service or request a quote.
Key takeaways
- Agile means building software in short cycles, each producing something working, and adjusting the plan as you learn.
- A sprint is one of those cycles, typically two weeks, ending in a demo of what was built.
- For you, it means seeing real progress every fortnight and being able to change direction early and cheaply.
- It works best when someone on your side can review and decide quickly.
Frequently asked questions
Need help with custom software?
eSolution Hub is a UK company with its own engineering team in Lahore. Every project starts with a free 30 minute discovery call and a written quote. Read about our custom software service or request a quote.
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