--- title: "Custom software project method: 5 steps | C-Esium" description: "Assessment on site or by video, firm quote, a demo every 2 weeks, V1 in 1 to 2 months, code in your name: the C-Esium method for custom internal software." url: https://c-esium.com/en/method/ --- Method # How a custom internal software project with C-Esium works A C-Esium project runs in **5 steps**: assessment workshop (on site or by video), scoping, build, delivery, training and support. During the build, you see the software progress with **a demo every two weeks**. A **V1 on a first focused scope is delivered in 1 to 2 months**; a complete software takes from 6 months to more than a year, delivered in batches. The price is set by a **firm quote delivered at scoping**, and on delivery you become **the owner of the code, the data and the documentation**. By [Noé Fantino](https://c-esium.com/en/about/), founder at C-Esium · Updated 6 October 2026 ## The 5 steps at a glance Everything starts with a 30-minute call and a half-day assessment workshop, on site or by video, both free for a qualified project: nothing is invoiced before the project starts. After that, each step produces a concrete deliverable: no six-month black box. How a custom internal software project runs — C-Esium, October 2026 | Step | When | Deliverable | Who at C-Esium | Who on your side | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [1. Assessment workshop](#assessment) | Half a day, on site or by video, after the 30-minute call | A view of what really happens in your company: it is the basis of the scoping document. | Noé Fantino (assessment) | Management and the people who handle the cases | | [2. Scoping and firm quote](#scoping) | After the assessment | The scoping document, on which you decide whether or not to launch the project. | Noé Fantino (scoping) | Management, which decides whether or not to go ahead | | [3. Build in sprints](#build) | Demo every 2 weeks; focused V1 in 1 to 2 months | A tool that grows before your eyes, approved screen by screen, then the V1 on a first scope. | Noé Fantino (build), Cyrille Fantino (change management) | The internal lead and the users who attend the demos | | [4. Delivery and transfer of ownership](#delivery) | When each batch goes live | The software in service, the project source code in a Git repository in your name, the database and the technical and functional documentation. | Noé Fantino (technical delivery), Cyrille Fantino (roll-out) | The internal lead and the teams | | [5. Training and support](#training-support) | After roll-out | Teams that are autonomous on the tool. | C-Esium (training, support), Cyrille Fantino (review, handover of autonomy) | All users | Throughout the project, Jean-Philippe Diez is your contact for client relations and commercial follow-up. On your side, an internal lead carries the project with us: this is non-negotiable. ## The 5 steps in detail For each step: what happens, the duration when it is known in advance, the deliverable and what we expect from you. 1. Step 1 ### Assessment workshop A half-day workshop, on your premises or by video. What happens - We follow the real journey of a case, from the incoming call to the invoice. - We look at the tools used every day — and the ones that have been abandoned. - We observe the friction with the people who do the work. - We spot where margin is lost: re-keying, waiting, errors, reminders. Indicative duration Half a day, on site or by video, free for a qualified project. Deliverable A view of what really happens in your company: it is the basis of the scoping document. What we expect from you - Host us on your site for half a day, or join the workshop by video. - Make available the people who handle cases every day, from the field to the back office. 2. Step 2 ### Scoping and firm quote A document delivered, with a firm price. What the scoping document contains - A map of your current journey. - The friction, quantified in time. - The target scope and the integrations with your existing tools. - A roadmap in phases. - A firm quote — not a range. Deliverable The scoping document, on which you decide whether or not to launch the project. What we expect from you - Review the document and approve the target scope. - Decide, on that basis, whether or not to launch the project. - Appoint the internal lead who will carry the project with us. 3. Step 3 ### Build in sprints Short sprints, a demo every two weeks. What happens - The software is built in short sprints, with a demo every two weeks. - You see, try and correct mock-ups, then you approve the screens. - Your feedback is centralised in C-Esium Space, the project space: mock-ups, progress, deliveries. - Cyrille Fantino prepares adoption: modelling of current and target processes, organisational bottlenecks, business rules. Indicative duration A V1 on a focused scope in 1 to 2 months; a complete software from 6 months to more than a year, delivered in batches. Deliverable A tool that grows before your eyes, approved screen by screen, then the V1 on a first scope. What we expect from you - Attend the demos, every two weeks. - Give your feedback on the mock-ups in C-Esium Space. - Approve the screens. - Give us access to the tools and files whose data must be migrated or connected. 4. Step 4 ### Delivery and transfer of ownership Code, data and documentation transferred. What happens - The code is placed in a Git repository (GitHub or GitLab) in the client’s name, at the latest on delivery. - The rights to the project source code are assigned to you by contract, with the database and the documentation. - The switch-over is gradual: your current tools stay in parallel, for safety. - Cyrille Fantino supports the roll-out: internal champions in the teams, short working groups, redesign of approval workflows. Deliverable The software in service, the project source code in a Git repository in your name, the database and the technical and functional documentation. What we expect from you - Organise with us the switch-over of your teams to the new tool. - Keep your current tools running in parallel during the switch-over. 5. Step 5 ### Training and support Hands-on training for everyone, then support. What happens - Hands-on training for all users, from the field to management. - Support after roll-out. - C-Esium Space becomes the support channel: a screenshot, a few words or a voice message, tracked as a Kanban board, a table or a timeline. - Cyrille Fantino leads the adjustments between the organisation and the solution, the consolidation of procedures, the review, then the handover of autonomy to your teams. Deliverable Teams that are autonomous on the tool. What we expect from you - Have all users take part in the training. - Send your requests through C-Esium Space. - Choose who handles maintenance: C-Esium, your in-house team or another provider. ## The internal lead: a non-negotiable condition We do not start a project without a lead on the client side. That person turns well-built software into software that is actually adopted. Their role A project manager or an operations manager from your company, who carries the project with us. In practice, they attend the demos every two weeks, gather the teams’ feedback, approve the screens and champion the project internally. Without them, the tool may not be adopted: that is why we do not start without one. When this method is not for you - No one in-house can carry the project with us. - You do not wish to attend the demos or approve the screens: the method relies on your feedback. - Your processes are standard and off-the-shelf software already covers them. - Your budget is below AED 40,000 (€10,000 in France), the starting price of a [focused project](https://c-esium.com/en/focused-project/). ## Who does what at C-Esium C-Esium is a team of three partners, based near Lyon, France — serving clients in France and the United Arab Emirates. On your project, each has a role. ### [Noé Fantino](https://c-esium.com/en/about/#noe-fantino) Founder On your project: the assessment, the scoping, the build and the technical delivery. Leads the method, the assessment and the technical delivery. Background in software engineering and in organising operations in SMEs. ### [Jean-Philippe Diez](https://c-esium.com/en/about/#jean-philippe-diez) Partner — sales director On your project: your contact for client relations and commercial follow-up. Leads sales strategy and client relations. Background in sales management, marketing and contracts in aerospace and in digital and industrial transformation. ### [Cyrille Fantino](https://c-esium.com/en/about/#cyrille-fantino) Partner — change management On your project: change management — internal champions, working groups, adoption of the tool by the teams. Supports business owners and teams through the roll-out within the organisation. Background as an interim manager, provisional administrator and consultant. ## C-Esium Space: follow the project, then request support C-Esium Space is C-Esium’s project space. You use it during the build, then it becomes your support channel. ### During the project Your feedback on the mock-ups, the progress and the deliveries are centralised in one place. You know at any time where your software stands, in addition to the demo every two weeks. ### After delivery C-Esium Space becomes the support channel: a screenshot, a few words or a voice message are enough to make a request, tracked as a Kanban board, a table or a timeline. ## Change management, from the build onwards Software that teams work around is useless. Change management is led by [Cyrille Fantino](https://c-esium.com/en/about/#cyrille-fantino), interim manager, provisional administrator and consultant. It starts during the build, not after delivery. ### The four risks we address ### Automating a broken process Computerising a badly designed workflow makes it faster, not better. The process is reviewed before it goes into the tool. ### Resistance and workarounds Double entry, parallel practices, a spreadsheet kept “just in case”: all signs that a tool has not been adopted. ### Quality of input data Software is only as good as what goes into it. Data quality is handled in the project, with business rules built into the tool. ### Unanticipated human impact A new tool changes roles and habits. That impact is prepared with the people concerned, not after go-live. ### An approach in three phases 1. 01 #### During the build - Modelling of processes, current and target. - Identification of organisational bottlenecks. - Formalisation of business rules. 2. 02 #### During the roll-out - Internal champions in the teams. - Short working groups, with immediate deliverables. - Redesign of approval workflows. 3. 03 #### After go-live - Adjustments between the organisation and the solution. - Consolidation of procedures. - A review, then the handover of autonomy to your teams. ## How a project is paid: in milestones Payment is spread over the project milestones — kick-off, mock-ups, screen approval, delivery: you pay as the project progresses. 1. Milestone 1 Kick-off 2. Milestone 2 Mock-ups 3. Milestone 3 Screen approval 4. Milestone 4 Delivery ### The price A complete internal software starts from AED 200,000 excluding VAT (€50,000 in France); to start smaller, a [focused project](https://c-esium.com/en/focused-project/) starts from AED 40,000 (€10,000 in France). A company of about fifteen people can, from AED 200,000, bring its key operations together in a single tool. ### A firm quote, not a range Beyond the starting price there is no price grid: the budget depends on the size of the company and the number of people who will use the software every day, the number of sites and business units, the current tools and how scattered the data is, and the scope and depth of the software. The exact price is set after the assessment, in a firm quote. Maintenance is optional, as a monthly package. [What drives the price](https://c-esium.com/en/custom-business-software/#pricing). ## After delivery: who manages your software day to day? Optional maintenance, as a monthly package. Because the client owns the code, it can also bring the day-to-day management of the software in-house later, or hand it to another provider. The three options after delivery | Option | Who manages the tool day to day | What makes it possible | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance by C-Esium | C-Esium, with an optional monthly package | Your requests go through C-Esium Space: a screenshot, a few words or a voice message. | | Bringing it in-house | A developer on your team, trained by C-Esium | You own the code, the technical and functional documentation is delivered, and the stack is standard (TypeScript, React, Node.js, PostgreSQL). | | Another provider | The provider of your choice | The code is in a Git repository in your name, with the documentation: they can take it over without C-Esium. | [Maintenance and bringing it in-house, in detail](https://c-esium.com/en/custom-business-software/#maintenance) ## Ownership, hosting, continuity: what is provided C-Esium is a tight-knit team of three partners. That is why the future of your software rests on what you hold in your hands, not on a promise. What C-Esium provides for every software it delivers | Topic | What is provided | | --- | --- | | Ownership | The client owns its software: C-Esium assigns to it by contract all rights to the project code — including the building blocks we reuse from one project to the next — together with the database and the documentation. No per-user licence, no dependence on a software vendor. | | Source code | The code is placed in a Git repository (GitHub or GitLab) in the client’s name, at the latest on delivery. | | Technologies | Standard, widely used web technologies — TypeScript, React, Node.js, PostgreSQL: any web developer can take over the code. | | Documentation | Technical and functional documentation delivered with the software. | | Skills transfer | Skills transfer to an in-house developer or a third-party provider. | | Source code escrow | Source code escrow with a trusted third party (for example the APP, the French software protection agency), as an option. | | Hosting | For clients in the UAE, by default: AWS (Amazon Web Services) in its Middle East (UAE) Region, so the data stays in the country. A European region is possible on request. For clients in France: AWS in a European region by default, for its value for money; if data sovereignty matters, a European host such as Infomaniak, in Switzerland. Health data: the hosting arrangement is defined at scoping, in line with the applicable health-data rules. | | Accounting treatment | Capitalised or expensed: decide it with your accountant. | What would happen to my software if C-Esium disappeared? It would remain yours, and another developer could take it over. The code is in a Git repository in your name, the hosting account can be transferred to your name at any time, the technical and functional documentation is delivered, and the software is written with standard, widely used web technologies (TypeScript, React, Node.js, PostgreSQL) that any web developer can take over. C-Esium can train an in-house developer or a third-party provider, and offers source code escrow with a trusted third party as an option. [Continuity, in detail](https://c-esium.com/en/custom-business-software/#continuity) ## Frequently asked questions ### How long does a project take? For a focused first scope, allow 1 to 2 months for a working V1. Software covering the whole company takes from 6 months to more than a year, delivered in batches. You see the tool grow with a demo every two weeks, and your current tools stay in place until the switch-over. ### What do you expect from us during a C-Esium project? Three things. An internal lead — a project manager or an operations manager — who carries the project with C-Esium: this is non-negotiable. The availability of the people who handle the cases during the half-day assessment workshop, on site or by video. And your regular feedback: there is a demo every two weeks during the build, and you comment on the mock-ups and approve the screens in C-Esium Space, the project space. ### Can we stop the project along the way? The project is split into steps that each produce a deliverable, and you decide whether or not to launch the build on the basis of the scoping document and its firm quote. Payment is made in milestones (kick-off, mock-ups, screen approval, delivery), and the code is placed in a Git repository in your name at the latest on delivery. The precise terms for stopping during the build are set in the contract: ask us on the first call. ### How do we follow the progress of the project? In C-Esium Space, the project space: you give your feedback on the mock-ups there and follow progress and deliveries. During the build, a demo shows you every two weeks what has been built. After delivery, C-Esium Space becomes the support channel: a screenshot, a few words or a voice message are enough, tracked as a Kanban board, a table or a timeline. ### What happens after delivery? You own the software: the rights to the project source code are assigned to you by contract, with the database and the documentation, and the code is in a Git repository in your name. Your current tools stay in parallel during the switch-over, then C-Esium trains all users and supports you after roll-out. For what comes next, you choose: optional maintenance by C-Esium (a monthly package), bringing day-to-day management in-house with a developer trained by C-Esium, or another provider. ## Go further [### Custom internal software What you get, prices from AED 200,000, code ownership and the comparison with an ERP or a SaaS. Read](https://c-esium.com/en/custom-business-software/)[### Tech-O case study The complete internal software of a multi-branch water-leak detection network in France: 3,000+ hours saved per year (C-Esium estimate with Tech-O). Read](https://c-esium.com/en/case-studies/tech-o/)[### The C-Esium team Three partners, and a verifiable legal identity: SINEO SAS, and the UAE contracting company. Read](https://c-esium.com/en/about/) ## Your software, built for your company. 30 minutes to understand your organisation, your tools and what an internal software with AI would change for you. No commitment. [Book a call](https://c-esium.com/en/contact/)[contact@c-esium.com](mailto:contact@c-esium.com)