Discovery
Every project starts the same way: a short qualification call, then a fixed-scope discovery that maps the process and puts a number on what it costs. Nothing is built until the route is written down and agreed.
Most automation projects fail before the first line of code: the tool is chosen before the process is understood, and the quote is written before anyone has measured the problem. Our discovery exists to stop that. It is the same process for every enquiry, whether the answer turns out to be a small custom build, a product we fund, or no project at all.
The discovery is fixed in scope and fixed in fee. We interview the people who do the work, observe the handoffs, read the data and record a baseline. You finish with a process map, a costed problem and a written recommendation. The fee is credited against a build if you proceed with us.
The process
A short form and a 30-minute call: the process, the systems, the frequency, the cost and the owner. If there is no named problem and no decision-maker, we stop here and tell you what to clarify.
One to two weeks of interviews, observation and data work. We record how the work actually happens, not how the process diagram says it should. Exceptions are part of the map.
The problem is scored on frequency, cost, repeatability, willingness to pay, data readiness and risk. Every score carries its evidence. A score without a source is treated as zero.
You get a written proposal with one of three answers: a fixed-price custom build you own, a product licence we fund, or an honest no with a referral where we can.
The scorecard
The same questions every time, so two very different problems can be compared on the same basis.
| Question | What it decides |
|---|---|
| How often does the process run? | Whether the pain is worth a build, and how much automation can save |
| What does it cost today? | The baseline for the return calculation — time, rework, lost revenue |
| Who does it, and what would they do instead? | Whether the value is released capacity or simply a cheaper process |
| How do similar firms handle it? | Whether this is a one-off job or the seed of a product |
| Is there evidence other firms would pay? | Whether a product licence is justified, rather than assumed |
| Can the data be reached? | Integration risk, delivery cost and whether the build is realistic |
| What happens if it fails? | Approval points, audit trail, fallback and the cost of an error |
| Can we reach this buyer repeatedly? | Whether a product has a route to market beyond the founding customer |
Outcomes
You pay for the build and own the result: the code, the accounts and the data. This is the right route when the process is valuable but specific to you, when regulation requires a bespoke system, or when you want the asset on your own balance sheet.
When the same core problem appears across your sector, Grey Matter funds the build and owns the product. You become a founding customer: a reduced monthly price for the agreed term, direct input into the roadmap, and a role in testing and implementation. You remain a customer, not an investor — no equity, no share of the product and no claim to the IP, whatever you pay. We then sell the product to other firms.
Not every problem should be automated. If the process needs to be stopped, simplified or handled by a person, we will say so. If the work is outside our sectors, we will refer you where we can rather than stretch.
Product licences
We only fund development when the evidence supports a product. These are the conditions, written plainly so neither side is surprised later.
Questions
Yes. The 30-minute qualification call is free. The discovery sprint itself is a fixed fee, agreed in writing before it starts, because it takes real time and produces a document you keep.
It depends on the size of the process and how many people we need to interview. The fee is confirmed before we begin and is credited against a Grey Matter build if you proceed.
No. The report is yours. If you take it to another developer, the discovery fee is not credited, but there is no obligation and no lock-in.
The scorecard, plus a clear vertical where one product could serve many firms and at least two conversations with other firms facing the same problem. We need evidence that the problem repeats and that others will pay, not just enthusiasm from one company.
Grey Matter owns the product IP. The founding customer gets a reduced monthly price for the agreed term, roadmap input and implementation support, but the fee buys a licence, not the IP. No customer acquires equity in Grey Matter on any route. If you want to own the software, the custom route is the right one.
Only where it earns its place. Most processes are better served by ordinary rules, integrations and workflow software. We use a model when unstructured documents or messages make it the cheaper, safer option — and we will tell you when it is not.
Tell us what is slow, expensive or error-prone. We will tell you honestly whether we can help, what it would take, and roughly what it would cost — before anyone signs anything.
