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Guides

Guides

Practical reference guides for teams that build, buy, and run software. Updated regularly, built to last.

Browse by category

Each category covers a specific area of software delivery. Dive into the topic that matters most to your team right now.

7 guides

AI and Code

AI tools, IP ownership, attribution, and compliance for enterprise teams.

5 guides

API and Integration

REST, GraphQL, gRPC, Azure API Management, and integration patterns.

6 guides

Build, Buy, or Replace

Decision frameworks for build vs buy, SaaS replacement, and migration planning.

4 guides

Development Practice

DevOps, CI/CD, testing, estimation, and delivery patterns.

2 guides

Legacy Modernisation

Recognising hidden costs, choosing a modernisation strategy, and planning migration from legacy systems.

3 guides

Teams and Support

Choosing partners, managing handovers, and outsourcing application support.

Recently updated

The latest guides from across all categories.

AI and Code 14 min read

Harness Engineering for Coding Agents

What harness engineering means for AI coding agents: inner vs outer harnesses, guides, sensors, and deterministic tools for Cursor and Claude Code.

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AI and Code 11 min read

Harness Templates for AI Coding Agents

How model-driven templates and code generators become a deterministic outer harness for AI coding agents in Cursor and Claude Code.

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AI and Code 15 min read

The EU AI Act and Custom Software: What UK Businesses Commissioning AI Need to Know

When you commission custom AI-powered software, the EU AI Act determines who carries which obligations. This guide explains provider vs deployer, risk classification, and what UK businesses must do before August 2026.

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Development Practice 14 min read

The GDS Service Standard for Private-Sector Delivery Teams

A practical guide to what the UK Government's GDS Service Standard offers private-sector delivery teams, which practices transfer directly, which need adapting, and which are genuinely public-sector specific.

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AI and Code 16 min read

Using AI to Meet the GDS Service Standard

How AI tools, agent rules and skills (in tools like Claude Code and Cursor), and the GOV.UK Design System help delivery teams meet the GDS Service Standard across research, design, build, and operation, and where human effort still concentrates.

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Build, Buy, or Replace 12 min read

Power Apps, SaaS, or Custom Build? A Self-Assessment for Business Leaders

Answer 10 questions covering your IT capability, requirements, and preferences to get a tailored recommendation. Free, expert-backed results in three minutes.

Read guide

AI and Code

View all 7 guides

AI tools, IP ownership, attribution, and compliance for enterprise teams.

AI and Code

Harness Engineering for Coding Agents

What harness engineering means for AI coding agents: inner vs outer harnesses, guides, sensors, and deterministic tools for Cursor and Claude Code.

14 min read
AI and Code

Harness Templates for AI Coding Agents

How model-driven templates and code generators become a deterministic outer harness for AI coding agents in Cursor and Claude Code.

11 min read
AI and Code

The EU AI Act and Custom Software: What UK Businesses Commissioning AI Need to Know

When you commission custom AI-powered software, the EU AI Act determines who carries which obligations. This guide explains provider vs deployer, risk classification, and what UK businesses must do before August 2026.

15 min read
AI and Code

Using AI to Meet the GDS Service Standard

How AI tools, agent rules and skills (in tools like Claude Code and Cursor), and the GOV.UK Design System help delivery teams meet the GDS Service Standard across research, design, build, and operation, and where human effort still concentrates.

16 min read

API and Integration

View all 5 guides

REST, GraphQL, gRPC, Azure API Management, and integration patterns.

API and Integration

Backend for Frontend (BFF): API Patterns for Mobile and Web Clients

When to use the BFF pattern, how it compares to a single API or API gateway, and how to implement it on Azure. Practical architecture for teams serving mobile, web, and internal clients.

12 min read
API and Integration

API Versioning Strategies That Actually Work at Scale

URL path, header, and query parameter versioning compared. Breaking vs non-breaking changes, deprecation workflows, Azure APIM versioning, and a practical policy template.

11 min read
API and Integration

Planning an Integration Strategy: A Guide for Business and Technology Leaders

Integration projects fail when the strategy is wrong, not when the technology is wrong. A practical guide to planning an integration programme that moves at AI-augmented speed.

14 min read
API and Integration

Mobile API Best Practices: Building Backends That Scale

How to design, secure, and operate APIs for mobile apps. Protocol choice, authentication flows, offline sync, push notifications, versioning, and Azure architecture patterns.

13 min read

Build, Buy, or Replace

View all 6 guides

Decision frameworks for build vs buy, SaaS replacement, and migration planning.

Build, Buy, or Replace

Power Apps, SaaS, or Custom Build? A Self-Assessment for Business Leaders

Answer 10 questions covering your IT capability, requirements, and preferences to get a tailored recommendation. Free, expert-backed results in three minutes.

12 min read
Build, Buy, or Replace

What You Can (and Can't) Legally Copy When Replacing SaaS: A UK Guide for CTOs

UK copyright law protects expression, not functionality. Learn what CTOs can legally replicate when replacing SaaS with custom-built software, including clean-room implementation, TOS boundaries, and data portability rights.

20 min read
Build, Buy, or Replace

The AI-Era SaaS Replacement Playbook: When, Why and How to Replace SaaS with Custom Software

AI-augmented development has collapsed the cost of custom software. A decision framework for UK CTOs evaluating whether to replace SaaS tools like HubSpot, BambooHR, and Workday with purpose-built systems.

18 min read
Build, Buy, or Replace

SaaS to Custom Software Migration: A 90-Day Playbook

A phased migration plan for moving from SaaS to custom software. Covers discovery, data migration, parallel running, and cutover with week-by-week guidance.

10 min read

Development Practice

View all 4 guides

DevOps, CI/CD, testing, estimation, and delivery patterns.

Development Practice

The GDS Service Standard for Private-Sector Delivery Teams

A practical guide to what the UK Government's GDS Service Standard offers private-sector delivery teams, which practices transfer directly, which need adapting, and which are genuinely public-sector specific.

14 min read
Development Practice

In-House DevOps vs DevOps-as-a-Service: A Cost and Capability Comparison

Should you hire a DevOps engineer or work with a DevOps-as-a-Service partner? A practical comparison of cost, coverage, risk, and how AI-augmented delivery changes the economics.

12 min read
Development Practice

DevOps Maturity: Where Does Your Team Stand and What Should You Fix First?

A practical DevOps maturity model with AI-augmented practices at each level. Self-assessment questions, DORA metrics, and a prioritised improvement path.

14 min read
Development Practice

From Prototype to Production: What AI-Built Software Needs to Ship

AI tools make prototyping nearly free. The gap between a working demo and production-grade software is where most projects stall. A practical guide to bridging it.

12 min read

Legacy Modernisation

View all 2 guides

Recognising hidden costs, choosing a modernisation strategy, and planning migration from legacy systems.

Legacy Modernisation

Modernise, Rebuild, or Replace: A Decision Framework for Legacy Systems

Six modernisation strategies explained in plain language. Decision criteria, cost and risk comparisons, and how AI-augmented delivery changes which options are viable.

14 min read
Legacy Modernisation

Signs Your Legacy System Is Costing You More Than You Think

Legacy systems hide their true costs in maintenance burden, talent risk, security exposure, and missed opportunities. Eight warning signs and how AI-augmented analysis reveals the full picture.

12 min read

Teams and Support

View all 3 guides

Choosing partners, managing handovers, and outsourcing application support.

Teams and Support

Choosing a Software Development Partner in the Age of AI

How to evaluate software development agencies when AI-augmented delivery is the new baseline. Eight criteria that matter, how to assess AI maturity, and red flags to watch for.

12 min read
Teams and Support

Your Development Team Left: A Practical Guide to What Happens Next

Your developers left, your vendor disappeared, or your contractor finished. The system is still running and the business still depends on it. Here is what to do, in order.

10 min read
Teams and Support

Managed Support vs Hiring: When to Outsource Application Maintenance

Should you hire a developer to maintain your software or use a managed support partner? A practical cost, risk, and capability comparison with AI-augmented economics.

12 min read

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