Scoping Sprint · 5 business days · $2,500 founding-client price (regular $5,000)
Know exactly what to automate, what it's worth, and what it costs, in five business days.
Your team is re-typing, chasing and copy-pasting work that software could handle. In a fixed-price Scoping Sprint I map that work, estimate the hours it takes today, and hand you a build plan with a fixed quote.
Get my optionsFree 20-min call: whether I can help, a typical price range, no pressure.
- Fixed price
- 5 business days
- 100% credited toward the build
- Yours to keep
Already have a quote, a plan or an idea, and just want an expert's read on it?
A Software Second Opinion is 90 minutes with a senior engineer and a written summary. $500.
Where manual work slows you down
- Leads and referrals wait in an inbox while someone finds the time to handle them.
- Staff re-type the same data from documents, portals and emails into other systems, and mistakes slip through.
- You know AI could take some of this off your team, but not which part to start with or what it would really cost.
What you get
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Opportunity map
The workflows or features worth doing first, ranked by value and effort, with a rough estimate of the hours or revenue involved.
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A version-one scope
What's in, what's cut, and why each cut gets you live sooner.
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Architecture and integration plan
How it fits the tools you already use (CRM, portals, email, spreadsheets), which services and AI models to use, and where people stay in the loop.
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Risk register
Data, security and compliance considerations, third-party dependencies, and the unknowns to test first.
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A fixed quote and timeline
A fixed price and a milestone plan for the build, valid for 30 days. Yours to take to any team.
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A 60-minute readout
We walk through everything together. You keep the written plan and, if you like, the recording.
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14 days of follow-up
Email me questions for 14 days after the readout.
Free 20-min call: whether I can help, a typical price range, no pressure.
How the five days run
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Before day 1
Talk, then book
A free 20-minute call if you want one, then buy the sprint and pick a kickoff time. I send a short questionnaire and a list of what to have ready: a few real examples of the work, the tools involved, and any numbers you have.
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Day 1
Kickoff (90 minutes)
We walk through the workflow or product, the numbers that matter, and what success looks like.
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Days 2–3
Deep dive
I map the process step by step, review your systems and data, and test the riskiest assumptions: API access, document quality, portal limits.
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Day 4
Check-in (30 minutes)
A mid-sprint review so the plan reflects reality. No surprises at the readout.
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Day 5
Readout (60 minutes)
The scope, the plan and the fixed quote. Then you decide: build it with me, take it to another team, or park it.
One sprint, four starting points
Same five days, same fixed price. The sprint follows the problem you bring.
Automation sprint
Map one manual workflow, estimate the hours it takes, and get a fixed quote to automate it.
AI Automation →Product sprint
Turn your idea into a version-one scope, an architecture plan and a fixed build quote.
MVP Build →Rescue sprint
Audit stuck software: what you have, what's at risk, and whether to rescue or rebuild.
Rescue & Turnaround →CTO sprint
A 90-day technical roadmap and the first decisions made, before any retainer.
Fractional CTO →Who it's for
- Owners and operators with manual, repetitive work they want software or AI to handle
- Founders who want a real plan and a fixed price before hiring developers
- Teams with stuck software who need an honest outside assessment first
- Anyone comparing vendors who wants a scope every builder can quote against
Not a fit
- Ideas still looking for a problem
- Enterprise procurement and RFP processes
- Work that's already scoped in detail and just needs building (ask me for a build quote)
Why work with me
Mischa Serlin
Fractional CTO · zCube8
I build AI automation and software that grows revenue and takes manual work off your team. Then I keep it running.
- Built an AI referral intake system for a home health agency: unattended portal sign-in, document reading, routing to the right intake team (goes live October 2026)
- Led engineering on the technology that powers Realtor.com's FlyAround; Realtor.com reports a 2x increase in mobile map engagement Source ↗
- Experiment platform ran 90+ tests; a partner-selection algorithm doubled revenue per click
- Technical authority for 50+ Realtor.com engineers across web, iOS, Android, backend; none reported to me
Price
$2,500 founding-client price, regular price $5,000
Fixed price · 5 business days · 5 of 5 founding spots left
In exchange for the founding rate: a 30-minute feedback call and permission to publish an anonymized case study of the work.
The founding discount is applied automatically: at checkout you'll see $5,000 − $2,500 founding discount.
- 100% credited toward your next engagement if you start within 30 days
- Everything is yours to keep, whether or not we work together again
- Full refund if you cancel before the kickoff
- If at the kickoff a sprint isn't the right step, I'll refund you in full
Pay by bank (ACH) or card. Payments are processed by Stripe. Terms apply.
FAQ
What if I don't go ahead after the sprint?
Why not just give me a free quote?
Is the quote at the end binding?
How much of my time does it take?
I'm not technical. Is this for me?
What about sensitive data?
What if I don't need a sprint?
How is this different from the free call?
How do I pay?
What's the founding client rate?
Is this how you normally work?
Five days from now, you could know exactly what to build and what it costs.
Fixed price · 5 business days · credited in full if we keep going.
Get my optionsFree 20-min call: whether I can help, a typical price range, no pressure.
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Free 20-min call · no pressure
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