One team for design, code and hardware
Custom software
A lot of work does not fit a standard package, so people work around it with spreadsheets, loose emails and manual checks. Custom software follows your process instead of the other way round. Chief builds platforms, portals, apps and integrations, takes over existing software and, where needed, designs the hardware and firmware underneath too. You work directly with the team that builds it.
From business case to working software
What we build for you
From the business case
We start with what the software has to deliver and for whom, and only then design it. If a standard package covers most of your process, we say so.
Apps and integrations
An app is usually the part of your platform people use away from the office, as with Wayzo, our own product for trip registration. Integrations with your accounting or ERP make sure your data is right in one place.
Taking over or renewing software
We take over software someone else built. First you get on paper what is there and what carries risk, then we build on. We replace outdated software step by step. The code and documentation are yours.
Hardware and firmware from the same team
We also design the device, the firmware and the platform where the measurements land, as with Spotten, our measuring platform with its own sensor in the road surface.
What we build with
.NET, React or Angular, on Azure or AWS, plus iOS, firmware and hardware where needed. See how that works out in our cases.
From idea to working software in four steps
Introduction and sharpening the brief
A conversation about what needs to happen and why. After that we watch the work as it runs today. You get a short note: what we would build, in what order, and what we would deliver first.
Design and technical plan
We draw the main screens and set out the data model and the integrations. You get a clickable design you can show your own people, plus the technical choices in writing. We agree the lead time per project.
Building in sprints
We put working versions on a test environment you can use yourself, with a demo alongside it. What you send back goes into the plan for the next sprint. So you never face a final delivery you do not recognise, you get software you have already used along the way.
Live and further development
We put the software live, set up the release and monitoring route and hand over the documentation. You get working software, the code in your own repository, and a clear agreement on maintenance: we do it, your team does it, or we do it together.
From idea to working software in four steps
Every project runs differently, but the order stays the same. After each step you know what you have in hand and what happens next.
You talk to the people who build it, from the first conversation to go-live.
Cases built with this expertise
How Chief built a parking and noise measurement platform and is designing Spotten's own sensor, from hardware and firmware to public dashboards.
Digital watermark for an image library
Chief researched, designed and built an international organisation's own digital watermark service and integrated it into its image workflow.
Chief built Ledventure's complete software platform for interactive LED floor games, from the game software and player interface to the online environment.
Frequently asked questions
How does Chief work during a project?
In sprints. We put working versions on a test environment you can use yourself, and we demo what is finished. You talk directly to the developers and the designer, with no account manager in between. We work from our office in Utrecht and are on site with you whenever that makes the work faster, for example when untangling a process or testing with real users.
Who owns the code and the design?
You do. We put it in the contract: the source code, the design files and the documentation are your property, during the project as well. We build with common technology (.NET, React or Angular, Azure or AWS), so another team can carry on with it if you want that.
Can you take over and develop our existing software?
Yes, we do it regularly. We always start with a review of the code, the environment and the release route, and then agree what we repair first. Your existing software keeps running in the meantime. We prefer to replace it step by step rather than all at once.
How do you handle handover if we take it in house?
We work as if you are leaving tomorrow, even when you are staying. The code sits in a repository you can access, the build and release route is automated, and there is documentation on the environment, the integrations and what you need to know to ship. At handover your developers run a release alongside us rather than only sitting through a meeting.
What do you need from us to get started?
Three things. Someone who can make decisions and is available. Access to the systems we integrate with and to the people doing the work today. And a picture of what should be better, even if that is not a list of requirements yet. We write that list with you in the first step.
How quickly can you start?
When we can start building depends on the projects already running. We tell you that honestly in the first conversation instead of promising a date we will miss.
Book an introduction
Tell us briefly what you want to build and which systems are involved. You will speak to someone who builds, not an account manager. After the call you get it in writing: what we would build and in what order, even if you carry on with someone else.
Monday to Friday
8am to 5pm
Send us your question
What else can Chief help you with?
Alongside building, we do AI implementation and we join teams that are already working on their software. Those often overlap.
AI implementation
Implementing AI in your processes and existing software, on data you can trust. See how we start with one process and what you get first.
Developers & technical leadership
Senior developers and technical leadership from one team in Utrecht. You hire a developer, a tech lead, or both.
