Our Process
You have a problem. It probably involves software.
Something isn't working. Orders get lost between two systems, a report takes three days to produce, the app slows down every afternoon, or the one person who understood the old system has left. You may not know whether you need a fix, an integration, a rewrite, or nothing at all.
That's the right place to start. Figuring out what you actually need is the first part of the job.
I'm Daniel. I've spent twenty years building and fixing software for companies of every size, and Boro Software is how you hire me.
The kind of problems I take on
- Two or more systems that should share data and don't, so people re-key it by hand
- An existing application that is slow, unreliable, or breaks every time someone changes it
- A spreadsheet, script, or internal tool that the business now depends on and nobody wants to touch
- A vendor or previous developer who is gone, leaving code no one on staff understands
- A process that eats hours every week and seems like it should be automated, though no one is sure how
- A new tool or feature you need built on top of what you already have
I work with whatever you're running. Most of the systems I'm asked to look at were built by someone else, in a language or framework I didn't choose. That's normal.
How it works
1. Initial consult
Free.
We sit down, in person or over video, for about an hour. You describe what's going on in your own words; no technical vocabulary needed. I ask questions until I understand what's happening and what it's costing you.
By the end we decide together whether there is a problem worth solving. Sometimes there isn't, or it's small enough that I can tell you how to handle it on the spot. If it's outside what I do, I'll say so and point you to someone who can help.
2. Diagnosis
Fixed price.
I talk to the people who deal with the problem, look at the systems involved, and find out what is actually going on. Often the problem is somewhere other than where it first appears.
You get a written summary in plain language: what's wrong, what the options are, what each one costs and risks, and what I'd recommend. If the right answer is a small change, an off-the-shelf product, or leaving it alone, the report says so.
The report is yours whether or not you hire me for the next step.
3. The work
Fixed price, quoted from the diagnosis. Paid 40% at start, 30% at a midpoint review, 30% on delivery.
Larger jobs are split into phases, and each one delivers something you can use. If a phase doesn't justify the next, we stop.
4. Handover
You own everything I build. It comes with documentation written so your staff, or the next developer, can maintain it without me.
Experience
Twenty years of software engineering, much of it on backend systems, data, integrations, and the infrastructure that holds them together. I've worked at Blue Origin, Water Gremlin, Optimum Energy, Phylum, and Ziosec, across aerospace, manufacturing, energy, and security software.
I use modern tools, including AI coding assistants, which make the work faster and less expensive than it used to be. I review and test everything before it reaches you, and I'm accountable for what I deliver.
I'm based in Everett, WA, and work with clients in person or remotely.
Projects
I also build and maintain my own software, including Kumi, an open-source situational awareness server.
Notes
Occasional writing on keeping software working, untangling old systems, and making sensible technology decisions.
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Start with a conversation
The initial consult is free and there's no obligation. If you're not sure whether you have a software problem, that's a good reason to book one.