Engagement Model
This engagement model describes the way SafeCode Consulting works with clients.
Every program is different. The challenge may be a first certification with no clear path forward, a development effort that has run into unexpected technical trouble, an audit finding that needs a structured response, or a need for engineering capability that understands regulated work from the inside. The nature of the problem shapes the engagement — not the other way around.
Sometimes the client just needs a little additional manpower to finish work on a well-defined effort. For everything else, SafeCode Consulting engagements follow a consistent structure designed to produce clear outcomes and leave the client in a stronger position than before, regardless of scope or duration. That structure has five phases: Discovery & Diagnosis, Scoping, Solution, Acceptance, and Support.
Work at SafeCode begins under a consulting agreement that covers the Discovery & Diagnosis and Scoping phases — structured on a time basis, since the shape of the work is not yet fully known. Scoping concludes with a proposal and Statement of Work for the phases that follow. That proposal is the natural decision point: both parties have now done the work to understand the problem clearly, and proceeding — or not — is an informed choice rather than an act of faith. If the right answer is a different kind of engagement, a different supplier, or no engagement at all, that conversation happens here — before commitments are made.
The commercial structure for the work that follows — fixed-price, time-based, supplemental staffing, or advisory retainer — is determined during Scoping, once there is enough shared understanding to make that decision well. The nature of any post-delivery Support is agreed at the same time, so clients know from the outset what is included and what can be added.
The third phase is called Solution — and yes, we are aware that "solution" is among the most overworked words in the consulting vocabulary. We use it anyway, because no other word covers the ground as honestly. Depending on the engagement, this phase produces a certification strategy, an audit response, a verified requirements baseline, a working software component, or a structured analysis. What they have in common is that they constitute an answer to the problem diagnosed in the first phase and scoped in the second. "Solution" says that plainly. We decided plain was better than clever, and it was a bit more practical as a phase name than "The Magic Happens Here."
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Discovery & Diagnosis
Scoping
Solution
Acceptance
Before any work can be scoped, the situation must be understood. Discovery & Diagnosis is where SafeCode learns your program, identifies the real pain points, and distinguishes the stated problem from its underlying cause. For straightforward engagements, this may be brief. For complex or troubled programs, it may be the most valuable work of the entire relationship.
Scoping is where shared understanding becomes a defined plan. By the end of this phase, both parties know exactly what work will be performed, what the client will contribute, what the commercial arrangement will be, and whether SafeCode Consulting is the right fit for the engagement. There is an explicit off-ramp here — if a different path makes more sense, that conversation happens now, before commitments are made.
Solution is where the work happens. Depending on the scope agreed in the prior phase, this may involve software engineering, requirements development, verification and analysis, certification support, process work, or some combination. The form varies; the standard does not. Every SafeCode Consulting deliverable is designed to pass review, support the program, and hold up under scrutiny.
Acceptance is where the work is reviewed, validated against the agreed scope and objectives, and formally received. In regulated programs, this phase often has a defined structure and may involve third-party review. SafeCode Consulting creates deliverables for acceptance from the start — not as an afterthought.
Support is what comes after the core engagement — and what it looks like varies widely. For some clients, it means a brief knowledge transfer and a clean hand-off. For others, it means ongoing advisory access, retainer-based availability, or a continuing embedded relationship. Both the form and scope of Support are defined in the Scoping phase, alongside everything else.