Questions worth answering before the project starts.
Commercial, strategic, design and technical questions we hear most often — grouped by how the work actually happens.
1380 questions / 4 categoriesConsulting & strategy
Discovery, audits, requirements, product direction and decision support.
01What does consulting & strategy usually include?+
We shape consulting & strategy around the business problem, combining only the research, strategy, design and technical work needed for the outcome.
02When should we bring GEARS into consulting & strategy?+
Bring us in as early as useful. Early involvement gives us more room to challenge assumptions and reduce expensive rework.
03What is the typical starting budget for consulting & strategy?+
The starting point depends on scope. Defined build projects usually start at From £5k; focused consulting or audit work can start lower.
04How long does a consulting & strategy engagement take?+
Timing depends on complexity and decision speed. Focused work can take weeks; larger product or platform engagements usually run across several months.
05Can consulting & strategy be a standalone engagement?+
Yes. consulting & strategy can be commissioned on its own when there is a clear decision or outcome to produce.
06Can you work with our existing team on consulting & strategy?+
Yes. We often work alongside internal product, marketing, engineering or leadership teams and define responsibilities at the start.
07Can you audit what we already have before consulting & strategy?+
Yes. Reviewing the existing experience, stack and operating model is often the fastest way to avoid rebuilding the wrong thing.
08What do you need from us to start consulting & strategy?+
Useful context, access to the right people, existing data or systems where relevant, and a clear owner for decisions.
09Do you deliver consulting & strategy internationally?+
Yes. We work across markets from London and Poznań and structure collaboration around time zones and decision cadence.
10Can workshops for consulting & strategy be remote?+
Yes. Most workshops can run remotely; in-person sessions can be arranged when they materially improve the work.
11Who from GEARS works on consulting & strategy?+
A small senior team shaped around the engagement. You work directly with people doing the thinking and delivery.
12Do you subcontract parts of consulting & strategy?+
We keep the core relationship direct. If a specialist partner is needed, we make that explicit rather than hiding it inside a black box.
13How do you handle scope changes during consulting & strategy?+
We surface the effect on budget, timing and dependencies before changing the commitment, then agree the trade-off with you.
14How do you measure whether consulting & strategy worked?+
We define useful success measures at the start: business outcomes, behaviour, performance, operational effort or delivery risk depending on the engagement.
15Can you sign an NDA before discussing consulting & strategy?+
Yes. We can review and sign a reasonable mutual NDA before sensitive technical or commercial detail is shared.
16How do we communicate during consulting & strategy?+
Directly and regularly. We prefer short decision loops, written context and access to the people who can unblock the work.
17What happens after consulting & strategy is delivered?+
We can hand over cleanly, continue as a product partner, or support optimisation, monitoring and further delivery.
18Can we start small with consulting & strategy?+
Yes. An audit, discovery sprint or focused prototype can reduce uncertainty before committing to a larger programme.
19What if our requirements for consulting & strategy are unclear?+
That is normal. Clarifying the requirements is often part of the engagement rather than something you must finish before contacting us.
20How do we book a first conversation about consulting & strategy?+
Use the brief or estimate flow and give us the context. After qualification, we can book a focused 30-minute introduction.
Design & brand
UX/UI, prototyping, design systems, branding and creative direction.
01What does design & brand usually include?+
We shape design & brand around the business problem, combining only the research, strategy, design and technical work needed for the outcome.
02When should we bring GEARS into design & brand?+
Bring us in as early as useful. Early involvement gives us more room to challenge assumptions and reduce expensive rework.
03What is the typical starting budget for design & brand?+
The starting point depends on scope. Defined build projects usually start at From £5k; focused consulting or audit work can start lower.
04How long does a design & brand engagement take?+
Timing depends on complexity and decision speed. Focused work can take weeks; larger product or platform engagements usually run across several months.
05Can design & brand be a standalone engagement?+
Yes. design & brand can be commissioned on its own when there is a clear decision or outcome to produce.
06Can you work with our existing team on design & brand?+
Yes. We often work alongside internal product, marketing, engineering or leadership teams and define responsibilities at the start.
07Can you audit what we already have before design & brand?+
Yes. Reviewing the existing experience, stack and operating model is often the fastest way to avoid rebuilding the wrong thing.
08What do you need from us to start design & brand?+
Useful context, access to the right people, existing data or systems where relevant, and a clear owner for decisions.
09Do you deliver design & brand internationally?+
Yes. We work across markets from London and Poznań and structure collaboration around time zones and decision cadence.
10Can workshops for design & brand be remote?+
Yes. Most workshops can run remotely; in-person sessions can be arranged when they materially improve the work.
11Who from GEARS works on design & brand?+
A small senior team shaped around the engagement. You work directly with people doing the thinking and delivery.
12Do you subcontract parts of design & brand?+
We keep the core relationship direct. If a specialist partner is needed, we make that explicit rather than hiding it inside a black box.
13How do you handle scope changes during design & brand?+
We surface the effect on budget, timing and dependencies before changing the commitment, then agree the trade-off with you.
14How do you measure whether design & brand worked?+
We define useful success measures at the start: business outcomes, behaviour, performance, operational effort or delivery risk depending on the engagement.
15Can you sign an NDA before discussing design & brand?+
Yes. We can review and sign a reasonable mutual NDA before sensitive technical or commercial detail is shared.
16How do we communicate during design & brand?+
Directly and regularly. We prefer short decision loops, written context and access to the people who can unblock the work.
17What happens after design & brand is delivered?+
We can hand over cleanly, continue as a product partner, or support optimisation, monitoring and further delivery.
18Can we start small with design & brand?+
Yes. An audit, discovery sprint or focused prototype can reduce uncertainty before committing to a larger programme.
19What if our requirements for design & brand are unclear?+
That is normal. Clarifying the requirements is often part of the engagement rather than something you must finish before contacting us.
20How do we book a first conversation about design & brand?+
Use the brief or estimate flow and give us the context. After qualification, we can book a focused 30-minute introduction.
Development & technology
Web applications, platforms, APIs, data, infrastructure and performance.
01What does development & technology usually include?+
We shape development & technology around the business problem, combining only the research, strategy, design and technical work needed for the outcome.
02When should we bring GEARS into development & technology?+
Bring us in as early as useful. Early involvement gives us more room to challenge assumptions and reduce expensive rework.
03What is the typical starting budget for development & technology?+
The starting point depends on scope. Defined build projects usually start at From £5k; focused consulting or audit work can start lower.
04How long does a development & technology engagement take?+
Timing depends on complexity and decision speed. Focused work can take weeks; larger product or platform engagements usually run across several months.
05Can development & technology be a standalone engagement?+
Yes. development & technology can be commissioned on its own when there is a clear decision or outcome to produce.
06Can you work with our existing team on development & technology?+
Yes. We often work alongside internal product, marketing, engineering or leadership teams and define responsibilities at the start.
07Can you audit what we already have before development & technology?+
Yes. Reviewing the existing experience, stack and operating model is often the fastest way to avoid rebuilding the wrong thing.
08What do you need from us to start development & technology?+
Useful context, access to the right people, existing data or systems where relevant, and a clear owner for decisions.
09Do you deliver development & technology internationally?+
Yes. We work across markets from London and Poznań and structure collaboration around time zones and decision cadence.
10Can workshops for development & technology be remote?+
Yes. Most workshops can run remotely; in-person sessions can be arranged when they materially improve the work.
11Who from GEARS works on development & technology?+
A small senior team shaped around the engagement. You work directly with people doing the thinking and delivery.
12Do you subcontract parts of development & technology?+
We keep the core relationship direct. If a specialist partner is needed, we make that explicit rather than hiding it inside a black box.
13How do you handle scope changes during development & technology?+
We surface the effect on budget, timing and dependencies before changing the commitment, then agree the trade-off with you.
14How do you measure whether development & technology worked?+
We define useful success measures at the start: business outcomes, behaviour, performance, operational effort or delivery risk depending on the engagement.
15Can you sign an NDA before discussing development & technology?+
Yes. We can review and sign a reasonable mutual NDA before sensitive technical or commercial detail is shared.
16How do we communicate during development & technology?+
Directly and regularly. We prefer short decision loops, written context and access to the people who can unblock the work.
17What happens after development & technology is delivered?+
We can hand over cleanly, continue as a product partner, or support optimisation, monitoring and further delivery.
18Can we start small with development & technology?+
Yes. An audit, discovery sprint or focused prototype can reduce uncertainty before committing to a larger programme.
19What if our requirements for development & technology are unclear?+
That is normal. Clarifying the requirements is often part of the engagement rather than something you must finish before contacting us.
20How do we book a first conversation about development & technology?+
Use the brief or estimate flow and give us the context. After qualification, we can book a focused 30-minute introduction.
Commerce & delivery
E-commerce, integrations, launches, support and ongoing product delivery.
01What does commerce & delivery usually include?+
We shape commerce & delivery around the business problem, combining only the research, strategy, design and technical work needed for the outcome.
02When should we bring GEARS into commerce & delivery?+
Bring us in as early as useful. Early involvement gives us more room to challenge assumptions and reduce expensive rework.
03What is the typical starting budget for commerce & delivery?+
The starting point depends on scope. Defined build projects usually start at From £5k; focused consulting or audit work can start lower.
04How long does a commerce & delivery engagement take?+
Timing depends on complexity and decision speed. Focused work can take weeks; larger product or platform engagements usually run across several months.
05Can commerce & delivery be a standalone engagement?+
Yes. commerce & delivery can be commissioned on its own when there is a clear decision or outcome to produce.
06Can you work with our existing team on commerce & delivery?+
Yes. We often work alongside internal product, marketing, engineering or leadership teams and define responsibilities at the start.
07Can you audit what we already have before commerce & delivery?+
Yes. Reviewing the existing experience, stack and operating model is often the fastest way to avoid rebuilding the wrong thing.
08What do you need from us to start commerce & delivery?+
Useful context, access to the right people, existing data or systems where relevant, and a clear owner for decisions.
09Do you deliver commerce & delivery internationally?+
Yes. We work across markets from London and Poznań and structure collaboration around time zones and decision cadence.
10Can workshops for commerce & delivery be remote?+
Yes. Most workshops can run remotely; in-person sessions can be arranged when they materially improve the work.
11Who from GEARS works on commerce & delivery?+
A small senior team shaped around the engagement. You work directly with people doing the thinking and delivery.
12Do you subcontract parts of commerce & delivery?+
We keep the core relationship direct. If a specialist partner is needed, we make that explicit rather than hiding it inside a black box.
13How do you handle scope changes during commerce & delivery?+
We surface the effect on budget, timing and dependencies before changing the commitment, then agree the trade-off with you.
14How do you measure whether commerce & delivery worked?+
We define useful success measures at the start: business outcomes, behaviour, performance, operational effort or delivery risk depending on the engagement.
15Can you sign an NDA before discussing commerce & delivery?+
Yes. We can review and sign a reasonable mutual NDA before sensitive technical or commercial detail is shared.
16How do we communicate during commerce & delivery?+
Directly and regularly. We prefer short decision loops, written context and access to the people who can unblock the work.
17What happens after commerce & delivery is delivered?+
We can hand over cleanly, continue as a product partner, or support optimisation, monitoring and further delivery.
18Can we start small with commerce & delivery?+
Yes. An audit, discovery sprint or focused prototype can reduce uncertainty before committing to a larger programme.
19What if our requirements for commerce & delivery are unclear?+
That is normal. Clarifying the requirements is often part of the engagement rather than something you must finish before contacting us.
20How do we book a first conversation about commerce & delivery?+
Use the brief or estimate flow and give us the context. After qualification, we can book a focused 30-minute introduction.