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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.

12 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.

7 guides

Build, Buy, or Replace

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

6 guides

Development Practice

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

8 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 16 min read

The Risks of AI-Augmented Development

AI-augmented delivery introduces specific risks across IP, attribution, regulation, security, quality drift, and skills. Eight risks and the controls that contain them.

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AI and Code 15 min read

AI-Augmented Development for Public Sector and GDS

How AI-augmented delivery aligns with the GDS Service Standard, Technology Code of Practice, and UK public-sector procurement. Practical guidance for delivery teams and buyers.

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Build, Buy, or Replace 14 min read

AI-Augmented Development ROI for UK Mid-Market Buyers

How AI-augmented delivery changes the cost model for UK mid-market software builds. A worked ROI framework, the inputs that matter, and how to read supplier claims.

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AI and Code 18 min read

The AI-Augmented Software Development Lifecycle

Stage by stage walkthrough of AI's role in discovery, specification, build, test, review, deploy, and operate. Where the human keeps the lead and the artefacts that change.

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AI and Code 10 min read

AI-Augmented vs AI-Assisted Development: The Difference

AI-assisted development uses AI as an editor helper. AI-augmented development integrates AI across the lifecycle, with measurable delivery gains. The distinction in 2026.

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AI and Code 16 min read

What is AI-Augmented Development? Meaning, Practice, and Evidence

AI-augmented development integrates AI tools across every stage of the software lifecycle, with human engineers in the lead. A practical definition, the practice behind it, and the evidence.

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AI and Code

View all 12 guides

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

AI and Code

The Risks of AI-Augmented Development

AI-augmented delivery introduces specific risks across IP, attribution, regulation, security, quality drift, and skills. Eight risks and the controls that contain them.

16 min read
AI and Code

AI-Augmented Development for Public Sector and GDS

How AI-augmented delivery aligns with the GDS Service Standard, Technology Code of Practice, and UK public-sector procurement. Practical guidance for delivery teams and buyers.

15 min read
AI and Code

The AI-Augmented Software Development Lifecycle

Stage by stage walkthrough of AI's role in discovery, specification, build, test, review, deploy, and operate. Where the human keeps the lead and the artefacts that change.

18 min read
AI and Code

AI-Augmented vs AI-Assisted Development: The Difference

AI-assisted development uses AI as an editor helper. AI-augmented development integrates AI across the lifecycle, with measurable delivery gains. The distinction in 2026.

10 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 7 guides

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

Build, Buy, or Replace

AI-Augmented Development ROI for UK Mid-Market Buyers

How AI-augmented delivery changes the cost model for UK mid-market software builds. A worked ROI framework, the inputs that matter, and how to read supplier claims.

14 min read
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

Development Practice

View all 6 guides

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

Development Practice

Claude Code for .NET Developers: A Practical Getting Started Guide

Getting started with Claude Code for C# and .NET. Installation, IDE integration, pre-approved command setup, cloud agents, and practical .NET workflows.

13 min read
Development Practice

Configuring Claude Code for .NET: Settings, Hooks, MCP, and Cloud Agents

Claude Code configuration reference for .NET teams. Pre-approved command catalogue, hooks, MCP servers, skills, subagents, and cloud environments.

14 min read
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

Legacy Modernisation

View all 8 guides

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

Legacy Modernisation

Migrating from .NET Framework to .NET 10: An AI-Assisted Approach with Claude Code

Migrate .NET Framework 4.x to .NET 10 with Claude Code. Hooks, ArchUnitNET, parallel cloud agents, worktrees, and real anonymised migration examples.

15 min read
Legacy Modernisation

Legacy .NET Application Assessment: A Scoring Framework for Modernisation Readiness

A practical scoring framework to assess legacy .NET applications for modernisation readiness. Score across six dimensions and prioritise your migration programme.

9 min read
Legacy Modernisation

Modernising Legacy .NET Applications with AI: The Enterprise Playbook (UK, 2026)

A structured approach to modernising legacy .NET Framework applications using AI-assisted development. Four pillars, real migration patterns, and practical guidance for enterprise teams.

22 min read
Legacy Modernisation

Xamarin & PhoneGap Are Dead: The Enterprise Mobile Migration Playbook (2026)

Both Xamarin and PhoneGap have reached end of life. This playbook covers migration paths, framework choices, and practical timelines for enterprise mobile teams.

18 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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