How I work

Calm, careful and direct. The person you explain the problem to is the person solving it.

Legacy work goes wrong when people rush, when access is chaotic, and when nobody knows what's happening. This page explains how I avoid all three.

Book a free conversation

The process at a glance

You can stop after any stage. The assessment and documentation are yours whether or not we continue.

1. Free conversation

A short call to understand what the system does, why it has become a problem, and whether I can help. I'll tell you honestly if I think I'm not the right person, or if what you need is something else.

2. Assessment

A structured investigation of the application and its environment, ending in a prioritised, plain-English report and a walkthrough call. Legacy System Assessment, from £2,500

3. Plan and quote

Options for what to do next, with fixed prices wherever the scope is clear and day rates only for exploratory work. Pricing

4. Build the safety net

Before significant changes:

• Verified backups of code and data
• A safe working copy and a staging environment
• Tests that capture current behaviour, so we can tell if a change breaks something

5. Make changes in small steps

• Version control for every change
• Small, reviewable pieces rather than big-bang rewrites
• Human review of every significant change, whether or not AI assisted. How I use AI
• Testing in staging before anything reaches production

6. Roll out carefully

Deployments are planned for a low-risk time, with a rollback plan and monitoring afterwards. For critical systems, we agree the timing and the "what if it goes wrong" plan together in advance.

7. Handover

You receive documentation of what changed and how the system works, so you're never dependent on me. If you'd like ongoing support, that's a separate, optional agreement. Ongoing care

Access and security practices

Giving someone access to your systems is a matter of trust. These are the working principles.

• Least privilege. I ask for the minimum access needed, read-only wherever possible.
• Named, individual accounts, not shared logins, so there's an audit trail
• Secure connections: VPN, SSH keys and multi-factor authentication where available
• Credentials shared safely, never by plain email, and rotated or removed when the work ends
• Separate environments: I work on copies and staging, not on live production, unless it's an agreed deployment or an emergency
• Minimal data: sanitised or limited data in preference to live personal data
• Encrypted devices and storage, kept separate per client
• NDA and data processing agreement on request

Data protection and security

Communication

You'll deal with me, directly. There's no account manager, no handoff to a junior and no game of Chinese whispers.

• A single point of contact on your side is ideal, someone who can answer questions and approve work
• A regular update on active projects: a monthly update, plus a call when needed
• Plain English. I explain risks and options so that non-technical decision-makers can decide
• No surprises on cost. If scope changes, I tell you before doing the extra work, with a price
• Bad news early. If I find something serious, I'll tell you promptly, not at the end of the project

Availability and response

I'm a one-person business, which is how you get a senior specialist directly. It also means my capacity is finite, so I'm candid about it:

• I'll tell you at the start when I can begin and how much time I can give
• Urgent incidents are prioritised where I can, at the urgent rate, subject to availability
• Planned work is better than emergency work. The earlier you get in touch, the better I can fit you in

I work Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm, and reply to messages within one working day.

What if something happens to me?

A fair question about any sole supplier. The answer is documentation. Everything I learn about your system is written down, so you, or anyone else, can pick it up. You're never locked in, and I'd rather you have the knowledge than depend on me for it.

Where I work

Based near Bristol and Bath, working remotely across the UK, and with organisations in France and Spain. Most legacy development is naturally remote. On-site discovery and meetings can be arranged where they're useful.

Working with agencies

If you're an agency, I can work white-label or with you as referrer, under clear terms for access, payment and approvals. Agency partnerships

What I ask of you

• Access in place before work starts. Delays here are the biggest cause of slipped timelines
• One person who can make decisions
• Honest information, including what you already know is broken, or what a previous developer left in a mess. Nothing will shock me
• Prompt payment as agreed. See the terms on the pricing page

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to commit to a big project?

No. The free conversation costs nothing, and the assessment is a defined, fixed-price piece of work with a useful report at the end.

Will you work on our live system?

Not unless it's necessary. I work on copies and staging. Production changes are planned, tested and rolled out in a controlled way.

What if there are no tests?

That's the normal starting point. Building tests around critical behaviour is part of how I make changes safe.

Can I talk to your previous clients?

Yes: references are available on request, where previous clients agree. My portfolio has selected work, and any case study I publish about your system is anonymised unless you say otherwise.

How are projects billed?

Fixed price where scope is clear, with a deposit upfront and milestone billing on larger work. See pricing.

What if we want to stop?

You can stop after any stage and keep all documentation and deliverables to date. I'll hand over access, credentials and notes cleanly.

Tell me what you've inherited.

Start with a free conversation. You'll know within a call or two whether we're a good fit.

Book a free conversationLegacy System Assessment, from £2,500