One‑liner
Map what you actually use, then ship a working replacement slice. Keep the savings, own the roadmap.
Why teams buy this
- License bloat or per‑seat costs outpacing value
- Customization walls and vendor lock‑in
- Data gravity and integration pain
- Security or residency needs SaaS won’t meet
Scope: what we replace—and what we don’t
We target the capabilities you rely on, not a pixel‑clone. Typical wins:
- Forms/workflows, light CRMs, approvals
- Content/KB tools, internal dashboards
- Simple tasking, lightweight doc workflows
We do not: evade licenses, clone proprietary UI verbatim, or break ToS. We build original implementations.
Engagement flow
Day 0 — Prep (async)
- Cost & usage snapshot (seats, modules used, overages)
- Export paths (data schemas, APIs), compliance constraints, SLAs
Day 1 — Capability Map & Cut
- Must‑have vs. nice‑to‑have; critical user journeys
- Build/buy matrix; choose the smallest viable slice to prototype
Day 2–3 — Prototype the Replacement
- Implement the top 1–2 workflows end‑to‑end (UI, data, auth, audit)
- Import a sample of real data; set up fixtures and smoke tests
Day 4–5 — Decision & Path to Production
- TCO/ROI sketch (run + build + change costs)
- Risk register (support, DR/BCP, staffing)
- “Next 30–60–90” plan and migration checklist
Need more rigor? Extend to Week 2 for RBAC, migrations plan, and a more complete test suite.
Deliverables (specific to Replace Your SaaS)
- Capability map with usage %, blockers, and dependency graph
- Prototype repo + data migration plan (export/import scripts, mappers)
- Operational notes: backups, monitoring, error budgets, SLO sketch
- Decision memo: keep, replace, or hybrid; TCO/ROI; staged rollout plan
“Should we replace it?” scorecard
Use this 1–5 scoring model in the room.
| Factor | Question | Score (1–5) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $/active user vs. value delivered | |
| Fit | How much do you bend process to fit tool? | |
| Integrations | Can it read/write what you need? | |
| Data | Can you export cleanly, with history? | |
| Risk | Vendor stability, lock‑in, outages | |
| Control | Can you change it as fast as needed? | |
| Security/Residency | Does it meet your obligations? | |
| Build Effort | Can a small team own it? |
Scores ≥ 28 usually justify a prototype. Below that, keep or renegotiate.
Hand‑off or build‑out
- Option A — We build: we take the prototype to MVP with SLAs.
- Option B — You build: we hand off code, docs, backlog, and support your team for the first 30 days.
What we’ll need to tailor this
- Short list of candidate tools to replace (seat counts and current costs)
- Export examples (CSV/JSON) or API docs for those tools
- Any security/compliance constraints (PII, residency, vendor rules)
- Who will own the prototype internally if you take the hand‑off path