Process
No black boxes. No guesswork. No surprises.
My process exists because complex WordPress problems require systematic thinking, not iterative experimentation at your expense. Every stage has a clear purpose and a clear output.
The Written Brief
Everything begins with a brief.
Send me an email describing your problem. Include as much detail as you have: what is wrong, when it started, what you or others have already tried, and what the business impact is.
I read every brief carefully. I ask any clarifying questions before making any commitments. At this stage, you are not paying anything and nothing is agreed.
I will tell you honestly at this stage whether I am the right person to help. If your problem falls outside my specialism, I will say so and, where I can, suggest who you should speak to instead.
No phone call required. No sales conversation. A written brief produces better outcomes than a 30-minute call because it forces precision and creates a record we can both refer back to.
The Diagnosis
A forensic audit before any proposal.
Before I quote for any work, I perform a thorough diagnostic audit of your site and the specific problem you have described. This is not a cursory look — it is a systematic investigation designed to identify the root cause of every issue.
I use query monitors, server logs, staging environment isolation, and binary elimination. I do not stop when I find a plausible explanation. I stop when I have confirmed the actual cause.
You receive a written diagnosis report and a fixed-price proposal. Not a day rate estimate. Not a range. A single number for the complete scope of work, with exactly what will be done itemised clearly.
If during the diagnosis I discover the problem is more complex than the brief suggested, I tell you before quoting. The proposal price only changes if the scope changes — and only with your agreement.
Read enough? Send your brief and I will take it from there.
Send Your BriefThe Surgery
Deep focus, zero guesswork.
Once the proposal is agreed and the first payment is received, I begin the work. I work asynchronously, which means I am able to maintain the deep concentration that complex WordPress problems demand.
I do not implement speculative fixes. Every change is a deliberate, targeted response to a confirmed problem. If I discover something unexpected during the work, I stop and contact you before proceeding.
You receive clear written updates at every key milestone. You always know what has been done, what is in progress, and what remains.
I work on one client site at a time during focused work sessions. This is not a production-line operation — it is skilled diagnostic and remediation work that requires full attention.
The Handover
You understand every change.
When the work is complete, I do not simply hand you a "done" confirmation. I walk you through every change in plain English.
You receive a written handover document covering what was found, what was changed, why each change was made, and what to watch for going forward. No jargon. No assumptions about your technical knowledge.
The goal is that you leave this engagement fully confident in what happened to your site and why it is now in better shape. If anything is unclear, ask — I will not close the engagement until you are satisfied.
Handover documentation is not optional. It is the deliverable that turns a fix into knowledge you own permanently.
The Future
Ongoing stability, if you want it.
After handover, we discuss whether a Technical Assurance Plan makes sense for your site. This is a monthly maintenance relationship where I actively manage your site's security, performance, and reliability.
Care plans are not a dependency I create — they are a practical response to the fact that WordPress sites require active maintenance to remain secure and performant. Most sites that come to me in crisis were not receiving any.
Whether you take a care plan or not, you leave every engagement with the knowledge and documentation to understand your own site. That is the point.
View care plan options and pricing on the dedicated page.
Common Questions
What people usually want to know.
Do I need to give you admin access to my site?
For most work, yes — I need WordPress admin access and ideally SFTP/SSH access to the server. I treat client credentials with the same security standards I apply to my own systems. All credentials are stored in an encrypted vault and revoked or rotated at project close.
What if you find the problem is more serious than expected?
I stop. I contact you with a clear explanation of what I found, what it means, and what your options are. I do not proceed with expanded scope without your explicit agreement and a revised proposal.
Do you work on live sites or staging environments?
Where possible, I work on a staging environment first, then push confirmed changes to live. For some types of forensic investigation, I need to observe the live environment — but any changes are always tested before implementation.
How quickly can you start?
It depends on my current schedule. I can usually begin a new engagement within 3–5 working days of receiving a brief. For genuine emergencies — a live site down, an active security incident — contact me immediately and I will tell you honestly what I can do.
Do you do ongoing maintenance or just one-off projects?
Both. Technical Assurance Plans (care plans) are available for ongoing maintenance. One-off projects are equally welcome — not every engagement needs to be a long-term relationship.
Ready to send your brief?
Describe your problem in an email. I will read it, ask any questions I need, and give you an honest assessment of what I can do and what it will cost.
