Engagement Model
Four defined phases. Client-controlled gates. An Architecture Lead on every engagement. Here's exactly what you're buying.
Every engagement has a client sign-off gate — you control what proceeds.
Engagement model
Defined phases. Defined outputs. Client-controlled gates at every transition. Nothing moves forward without your sign-off.
1–2 weeks
2–5 weeks
variable
1–2 weeks
Open-ended consulting produces open-ended uncertainty. We structured the model to eliminate that: defined phases, defined outputs, client-controlled gates. Nothing moves forward without your sign-off.
Scope is defined at each stage based on what the previous stage actually found — not on an estimate made before the work started. You can stop, pause, or redirect at any gate. The work completed to that point is yours, with clear deliverables.
Architecture Lead assigned to every engagement — not a project manager, an engineer.
Same team that designs the system builds it. No handoff to a separate delivery team.
Fixed-phase model with defined gates. No open-ended retainers.
India, US, and Europe coverage — timezone overlap by design.
Everything. All architecture documentation, runbooks, design decision records, and code are client-owned. Kaarastu does not create intellectual property dependencies. The goal of every engagement is that you can operate, extend, and change the system without us.
This isn't just good practice — it's how we structure the Handoff phase. If your team can't operate independently after the engagement, the Handoff isn't complete.
System blueprints
Architecture diagrams, dependency maps, decision records
Runbooks
Operational procedures for every modeled failure mode
Validated code
Implementation with tests, CI/CD pipelines, and documentation
Knowledge transfer
Your team operates independently — no ongoing dependency
The architect who scopes Discovery delivers Architecture. Not a project manager who hands off to a separate team — the same senior engineer from first contact through final Handoff. Continuity means context isn't lost between phases.
No account managers. No coordination layers. No headcount that generates cost without delivering expertise. The team is assembled for your engagement, sized to the work, and every person on it is there because the problem requires them.
Kaarastu operates on a fixed-phase model. Each phase has a defined scope and a defined cost before work begins — you know exactly what you're paying for before committing to the next stage.
Engagement cost varies based on three factors: the size and complexity of your system, the number of services in scope, and whether the engagement includes an Execution phase. There are no standard tiers because the work isn't standard. Specific pricing is scoped during Discovery, once we understand your system. No scope expansion without your sign-off.
Fixed-phase pricing — each phase has a defined scope, timeline, and cost before work begins.
No open-ended retainers. You approve each phase independently.
Scope document delivered in Discovery — you see exactly what you're paying for before committing to Architecture or Execution.
If your systems are slowing down as they grow, if reliability gaps are widening, or if you suspect architectural debt is compounding beneath the surface — that's when Kaarastu engages. The right starting point isn't always a large program. Sometimes a single Architecture Review is the most valuable investment you make this year.
We work across industries and company sizes. What our clients share isn't a stage — it's a recognition that the structural layer needs attention before the next phase of growth.
CTO or VP Engineering at a $15M–$150M revenue company
Architecture debt is slowing your team down
Scaling bottlenecks you can't solve with more headcount
Need a senior engineering partner, not a staff augmentation vendor
Book a strategy session and we'll tell you which phase — and which service — is the right starting point for your situation.