Architecture and MVP
We start with the minimum scope that tests the business hypothesis, and with an architecture that will survive growth. An MVP is not a “cut-down product” but an honest test of the idea before large investments.
Product development · SaaS and platforms · Backend, web, mobile
Software product development: from prototype to live operation
A product does not fail on the choice of framework; it fails earlier. More features were built than testing the idea required, or a beautiful interface was put on top of an architecture that will not survive the second client. We start with what the product has to prove to the business, and build exactly the scope that proves it.
For companies that need to build or rebuild a software product — a SaaS or platform, a marketplace, an internal system, ERP/CRM or a mobile app — with live operation in mind, not a demo.
What is included
Backend and APIs
Server logic, data model, integrations and APIs that do not fall apart under load and do not get rewritten from scratch in year two. We build the domain rules into the code and the database, not into a procedures manual.
Web interfaces
User accounts, dashboards and client applications in React/TypeScript: role-based access, data states, accessibility. The interface reflects what the system can actually do, not promises for the future.
Mobile applications
Cross-platform apps on top of your API — a thin client that keeps pace with the web version. The mobile channel is added to the product, not built as a separate second product.
Integrations with external systems
1C, CRM, payment and logistics services, marketplaces, internal APIs. With failure and timeout handling — because an external service will return an error one day, and the system must behave predictably.
Security and compliance
Access control, an audit of actions, handling personal data under Russia’s personal data law (152-FZ), encrypted backups. Designed together with the system, not added in a panic before launch.
Operation and handover
Containers, deployment, monitoring, documentation and team training. A product that only the contractor can support is not an asset but a dependency.
How we work
Task analysis
What the product has to prove to the business, and who needs it. We separate what the launch makes no sense without from what can wait for version two.
Prototype and MVP
We build a minimal working setup with live operation in mind: architecture, core features, an honest estimate of the timeline.
Development
In iterations, with demos and automated tests. You see a growing product, not a report on percentage complete.
Production
Load, fault tolerance, security, running costs, access rights and audit. Launch happens against measurable acceptance criteria.
Growth
New modules on the same architecture, without rewriting from scratch. The product grows as hypotheses are tested on real users.
Why us
We build and run our own products
We have our own products and platforms in production — with users, integrations and telemetry. We know the cost of running them because we pay it ourselves, rather than just delivering a project and walking away.
Full cycle, one team
Architecture, backend, interfaces, infrastructure and acceptance — with no handing off of responsibility between contractors, which is usually where the result gets lost.
From MVP to production in weeks
Our case studies show the path from a business canvas or a static mock-up to a working platform in production in weeks, not quarters. The timelines in the case studies are tied to commit history, not to slides.
Cases
Manufacturing · Building materials
MVP in operationPanel specs from CAD drawings in seconds, not hours
Reads DWG/DXF layouts and builds the Excel spec: 10–30 seconds instead of 2–15 hours by hand. All 784 panels of one real project matched the manual spec line by line.
- 784/784 and 189/189
- panels on one project and wall panels on another matched the manual specs line by line, size groups included; area within 0.001 m²
- 2–15 h → 10–30 s
- to produce a project spec: manual work vs app processing, measured on real projects
Music tech · SaaS
MVP in operation (closed launch)Music releases without missed deadlines
Release ops for independent labels: 9-stage lifecycle, pitching deadlines for 12 stores, AI drafts with human approval. Zero to production-grade in 7 weeks.
- 7 weeks
- from first commit to a production-grade stack with Vault, encrypted backups, SLOs and a move to a Russian data centre (265 commits)
- 16 days
- from project start to an investor presentation with a live product demo
Real estate · PropTech marketplace
MVP in operationLand-plot marketplace with a next-step plan: MVP in 2 months
From a mock-up to a working platform: plot → works → contractor → request. Rule-based next-step engine, three dashboards, personal-data compliance. MVP in 2 months.
- 2 months
- from approved spec to pre-release MVP on an HTTPS stand — week 9 against the plan's own 10–13 week estimate
- 7 days
- from spec to the first full-implementation commit: 168 files, 21.5k lines, then two months of hardening to pre-release
EdTech · HR-tech
MVP in operation (demo stand)From business canvas to a student-work marketplace demo in about six weeks
The client had a business model and no product. We built a student-task marketplace MVP where the server enforces legal and platform rules, and put a demo stand live.
- ~6 weeks
- from first commit to a deployed demo with all workspaces; 7 working days in commit history
- 3 checks
- run by the server before a contractor is assigned: data consent, self-employed status, mentor — each with a plain refusal
EdTech · Mobile app
In-house productA mobile client for an AI learning platform, built without waiting on the backend
Flutter client for an exam-prep platform: adaptive micro-lessons, a streaming AI assistant, a knowledge map. UI built in parallel with the backend via a mock layer.
- 13 weeks
- from first commit to a working app with auth, goals, lessons and AI chat
- 41 → 81 endpoints
- API coverage doubled from MVP to the extended version — 14 → 31 modules on the same architecture
IT consulting · Lead qualification
In-house productA pilot plan for the visitor, a qualified lead for sales
We replaced the contact form with an AI consultant: it interviews the visitor, returns a pilot plan with KPIs and risks, and sales gets a lead with budget and timeline.
- 1 day
- Working MVP — frontend, backend and deploy configs — built in a single day
- 16 days
- From first commit to production with HTTPS and an issued certificate on its own domain
Frequently asked questions
How much does software product development cost?
The cost is set by the scope of the product, the number of integrations, the security requirements and whether there is already an architecture or we build from scratch. Cheapest is a well-defined MVP with one integration; more expensive is a platform with several roles, external systems and 152-FZ requirements. We name a range after analysing the task, not in the first email.
How is an MVP different from a “cut-down version”?
An MVP is the minimum scope that tests a business hypothesis on real users, not a product trimmed to fit a deadline. We build an MVP so that its architecture can withstand further development: a successful hypothesis can be built upon rather than rewritten from scratch.
Do you build on your own technology or on a standard stack?
We build client products on a proven standard stack — Python/FastAPI, TypeScript/React, PostgreSQL and the like — so that you do not depend on a single contractor. We use our own developments where they give the client an advantage, and always so that the result stays yours.
What do we keep after the project?
The source code, documentation, deployment infrastructure and a trained team. By default we assume that the rights to the result belong to the client; the specific terms are fixed in the contract before work starts.
Can you improve our existing product rather than build from scratch?
Yes. We start with an audit of the code and architecture and say plainly which is cheaper — improving what exists or rebuilding the bottleneck. Sometimes the honest answer is “no rewrite needed”, and we give it.
Does the product need AI?
Not necessarily. The task is often solved with ordinary engineering — a rules engine, integrations, a careful data model — and that is cheaper and more predictable. We add AI where it pays off, not because it is fashionable.
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Cost the effect on your own numbers
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Estimate the impact with AVATell us about your task
Tell us what needs solving. If it cannot be solved or will not pay off, we will say so straight away, before any work starts.
or email us directly: hello@xteam.pro