# How we work: Map, Prove, Build, Run > Every engagement runs Map, Prove, Build and Run: a priced plan, a pilot on your real data, a production build with weekly demos, then monthly care. - Page: https://methodcrew.com/approach - Last updated: 2026-10-28 - Publisher: [The Method Crew](https://methodcrew.com/) Every engagement runs through the same 4 stages. Each one ends with something you keep and a decision you make, so you never pay for a full build that has not already worked on your own data. ## In short The Method is the process behind every engagement, in 4 stages. Map finds and prices the work worth automating in 1 to 2 weeks. Prove runs a pilot on your real data for 1 to 3 weeks. Build turns it into a production system on your accounts in 2 to 8 weeks. Run keeps it monitored and improving each month. You decide at the end of each stage whether the next one goes ahead. ## Map: find the work worth automating Stage 1 of 4. Ends with: A ranked list and a confirmed price. ### What we do We interview the people who do the work, 1 to 2 hours each, and watch them use their tools over a screen-share. We pull a sample of real inputs, such as last month's invoices or a week of inbound email, and time the steps that repeat. Then every opportunity gets ranked by hours saved, build cost and the risks we can see. ### What you provide - A process owner who can make decisions - 1 to 2 hours from each person who does the work - Read access to the tools in scope, granted by an admin in the first week - A sample of real data, never a full export ### What you receive - Process map of the workflows in scope - Ranked opportunity list with cost and effort - Confirmed scope and acceptance test for the build - The pass mark the pilot has to hit ### How long 1 to 2 weeks ### How you decide to continue You read the ranked list and the confirmed scope for the build, then choose which opportunity, if any, goes to Prove. If nothing clears the bar, you stop here. The map and the list are yours either way, and they are detailed enough for your own developers to build from. ## Prove: a pilot on your real data Stage 2 of 4. Ends with: A written go or no-go. ### What we do We build the smallest version that can be judged on real inputs: last month's invoices, a week of inbound leads, your actual help docs. It runs in a sandbox, apart from your live systems, so nothing reaches a customer. We feed it the cases your team already handled and score the results against the pass mark agreed in Map. ### What you provide - The real inputs for the test, from your own history - A reviewer who knows the work and can score the output, about 2 hours - Sandbox or test access to the systems the pilot writes to ### What you receive - Pilot running on your data in a sandbox - Results measured against the agreed baseline - A written go or no-go decision - The list of cases that broke it, which becomes the Build test set ### How long 1 to 3 weeks ### How you decide to continue If the pilot clears the pass mark, you get a written go and Build starts at the price already agreed. If it misses, we stop, write down why and you keep everything we learned. You never pay for a full build that was not going to work. ## Build: a production system on your accounts Stage 3 of 4. Ends with: A system in production. ### What we do We harden the pilot into something your team can rely on: error handling, logging, permissions and human approval where the stakes call for it. Every case that broke the pilot becomes a test, and each week ends with a 45-minute demo of working software. ### What you provide - 2 to 3 hours a week from the process owner - A weekly demo slot with the people who will use it - Admin rights to create production accounts and keys in your name - Sign-off from IT or security on anything sensitive ### What you receive - Production system on your own accounts - Runbook and architecture notes - Training for the people who use it - The test set, so any later change can be checked ### How long 2 to 8 weeks ### How you decide to continue You accept the system once it passes the test set and your team has been trained on it. Then you choose between a monthly care plan with us and a clean handover to your own people. ## Run: watched, fixed and improved every month Stage 4 of 4. Ends with: A monthly report. ### What we do Live systems drift. A vendor retires an API version, or your team starts selling a product the workflow has never seen. On a care plan we monitor every run, fix failures, tune prompts and work through an improvement backlog that you set the order of. ### What you provide - A named contact for alerts and approvals - 30 minutes a month to read the report and reorder the backlog - Notice when the process changes, such as a new product line or tool ### What you receive - Monitoring and alerts on every workflow - Monthly report on runs, failures and cost - An improvement backlog you prioritize with us ### How long Monthly, 3-month minimum ### How you decide to continue Each monthly report shows what the plan cost and what it caught. If it stops paying for itself, move to a smaller tier or take the system in-house with the runbook from Build. ## A first month, week by week A typical first month for one workflow, such as routing inbound leads into HubSpot. Larger programs spend longer in Map. The order never changes. ### Before week 1 (Scoping): Scoping call and written scope A 30-minute call about one process. Within 5 working days you get a written scope and a fixed price. Nothing starts until you sign it. Your time: 30 minutes, plus reading the scope ### Week 1 (Map): Interviews and a sample of real data Kickoff, access to the tools in scope and interviews with the people who do the work. We time the steps that repeat and collect real inputs for the pilot. Your time: 1 to 2 hours per person interviewed ### Week 2 (Map): The ranked list and the pass mark We walk you through the process map and the ranked opportunities, agree the pass mark for the pilot and confirm the price of the build. You choose what goes to Prove. Your time: 60 minutes with the process owner ### Week 3 (Prove): The pilot runs in a sandbox The pilot works through last month's inputs. Your reviewer scores a batch of its output against how the team handled the same cases. Your time: About 2 hours from one reviewer ### Week 4 (Prove): Results and a written decision Results against the pass mark, the cases that broke it and a written go or no-go. On a go, Build starts and the first weekly demo goes in the calendar. Your time: A 45-minute results meeting ## The rules every engagement follows Sometimes the right fix is a process change or a better spreadsheet. When it is, the audit says so in writing, and we do not sell you an agent. ### Prove before building No full build starts until a pilot has passed on your real data. The pass mark is agreed in writing during Map, so nobody moves the goalposts after the results come in. ### You own everything Code, workflows, prompts, test sets, accounts and data are yours from the first commit. We build in your n8n or Make workspace, with your API keys, in your cloud. If you end the relationship, the system keeps running. ### Rule-based first when it is cheaper If a rule-based automation in n8n, Make or Zapier does the job, we build that. It costs less to run and is easier to debug than anything with a language model in it. AI goes where the inputs are messy: free-text email, scanned documents, phone calls. ### Human approval where the stakes are high Refunds, contract clauses and anything a customer sees for the first time wait for a person to approve them. The approval step is designed and priced from the start, and it can be relaxed later once the logs show it is safe to. ### Plain reporting Reports are written for the person paying for the work: runs, failures, cost and what changed, in sentences. When something breaks, the report says what, when and what we did about it. ## Questions about the process Pricing questions are answered on the [pricing page](https://methodcrew.com/pricing). Data, security and search questions are in the [full FAQ](https://methodcrew.com/faq). ### What happens in the first 2 weeks? It starts with a 30-minute scoping call, followed by a written scope and a fixed price. If you go ahead, the first 1 to 2 weeks are the Map stage: we interview the people who do the work, watch the tools they use and pull a sample of real data. You finish with a process map, a ranked list of opportunities with cost and effort, and the confirmed scope and acceptance test for the build. ### What happens if the pilot does not work? We stop, and you keep everything we learned. During Map we agree a pass mark with you, such as an accuracy rate on last month's invoices or the share of support questions answered correctly. The Prove stage runs a pilot on your real data for 1 to 3 weeks and measures it against that bar. If it misses, you get a written no-go decision with the reasons, and you never pay for a full build that was not going to work. ### Can we skip Map if we already know what we want built? Sometimes it gets much shorter. If you arrive with a written process, sample data and a pass mark you trust, Map becomes a few days of checking those against how the work really runs, and the price drops with it. We do not drop it completely, because the pilot needs a baseline to be measured against. Without one, nobody can say whether the build worked. ### Can we stop after any stage? Yes. Work is priced per phase, and every stage ends with something you keep: the map and ranked list after Map, the pilot results and a written decision after Prove, the production system and runbook after Build. If you stop, you pay for the phase you agreed and nothing after it. Nothing in the contract commits you to the next stage. ### How much time will our team need to give? Plan on 2 to 3 hours a week from one process owner during a build, plus a 45-minute demo of working software each week. During Map, each person who does the work spends 1 to 2 hours with us in interviews and screen-shares. Someone with admin rights needs to grant access to your tools in the first week. At handover, the people who will use the system get hands-on training. ### Do you work on-site or remotely? Remotely by default. Interviews, screen-shares and weekly demos run over video, and the work lives in your own tools, so you can check progress between calls. We travel for workshops and for kickoffs where being in the room helps. Travel is billed at cost and agreed in advance, and it never happens without your sign-off. ### What happens after the system goes live? You choose between a monthly care plan and a clean handover. Care plans cost $1,500, $3,000 or $6,000 a month and cover monitoring every run, fixing failures, tuning prompts and a short monthly report. If you would rather run it yourselves, you get documentation, a runbook and training at handover, and we stay on call for questions. Either way the system sits on your accounts, so nothing depends on us staying involved. ## Start with one process and a 30-minute call Bring the process that takes your team the most hours each week. On the call we say whether it is a job for rules, for AI or for neither. Request a 30-minute scoping call: https://methodcrew.com/contact. Or email contact@methodcrew.com. We reply within 1 working day with times for the call.