Ways to Work
Together.

Engagement
Some businesses need a team for 8 weeks. Others need a developer for 8 months. Others need someone on call when things break at 2 AM. Rivulet IQ offers all three models.
Rivulet IQ offers flexible engagement models — fixed-scope managed projects for defined deliverables, dedicated team members embedded in your workflow for ongoing development, and ad-hoc support for maintenance, audits, and one-off technical tasks. Choose the model that matches how your business actually operates.

One Partner. Three Ways to Engage.

Most development partners force you into a single engagement model. You either buy a project or you buy hours — and neither fits every situation. Rivulet IQ operates differently. We offer three distinct models designed around how businesses actually work. You choose the structure. We deliver the results.

01

Managed Projects

Fixed scope. Fixed price. Fixed timeline. You define what needs to be built. We deliver it on time and on budget. Best for websites, applications, and defined product builds.

02

Dedicated Teams

Your own development team — embedded in your workflow on a monthly retainer. Best for ongoing product development, long-term roadmaps, and businesses that need consistent capacity.

03

Ad-Hoc Support

On-demand technical help billed by the hour or in pre-purchased blocks. Best for maintenance, bug fixes, audits, performance optimization, and one-off technical tasks.

Managed Projects. Defined Scope. Predictable Cost.

You have a project with clear requirements. A WordPress site that needs to launch in six weeks. A Shopify store that needs custom functionality. A SaaS MVP that needs to go from wireframe to working product. The managed project model gives you a fixed scope, a fixed price, and a dedicated team that owns the delivery end to end.

Fixed Pricing

The price in the scope document is the price you pay. If we underestimate effort, that is our problem — not yours. Scope changes are quoted separately and approved before work begins. You never receive a surprise invoice.

Defined Timeline

Every project ships with milestones. You know what is being built, when each phase completes, and when the final deliverable goes live. Deadlines are commitments, not estimates.

Dedicated PM

One project manager owns your engagement from discovery to launch. They coordinate the team, manage the timeline, handle communication, and serve as your single point of contact throughout the build.

Structured Delivery

Discovery, scoping, sprint-based development, QA, and coordinated launch. Weekly status updates, staging access, and sprint demos keep you informed at every stage. Nothing ships without your sign-off.

Post-launch Support

Every managed project includes 30 days of post-launch support for bug fixes and minor adjustments. The relationship does not end the day the site goes live.

Full Ownership

Code, designs, documentation, credentials — everything we build is yours. You receive complete handover documentation and can operate independently from day one.

Best for These Scenarios.

The managed project model works when you have a defined outcome in mind and need a team to execute against it.

New Website Builds

WordPress, Shopify, or custom-coded marketing sites. From design to development to launch — fully managed with a fixed timeline and fixed cost.

Web Application Mvps

Laravel, Vue.js, or full-stack SaaS platforms. Define the feature set, and we build and deploy the first version within an agreed timeline.

Platform Migrations

Moving from one CMS to another, redesigning an existing site, or rebuilding a legacy application on a modern stack. Scoped, planned, and executed as a single engagement.

eCommerce Launches

Custom Shopify themes, WooCommerce builds, product catalog setup, payment integration, and shipping configuration. Everything you need to start selling online.

Dedicated Teams. Your Team. Your Workflow.

Some work does not fit neatly into a single project scope. You have a product roadmap that evolves monthly. A platform that needs continuous development. A backlog that grows faster than your internal team can clear it. The dedicated team model gives you named developers, designers, and project managers embedded in your workflow on a monthly retainer.

Named Resources

You work with the same people month after month. They learn your codebase, your standards, and your preferences. No retraining. No context switching. The team builds institutional knowledge over time.

Flexible Capacity

Scale up when the roadmap demands it. Scale down when things slow. Add a frontend developer for a sprint. Bring in a QA engineer for a release cycle. Adjust the team composition as your needs change.

Your Tools. Your Process.

Dedicated team members work inside your project management tool, your communication platform, and your repository. They attend your standups, follow your branching strategy, and meet your code review standards.

Monthly Retainer

Predictable monthly cost based on team composition and hours. No per-ticket billing surprises. You budget for the quarter and know exactly what the development capacity costs.

Managed by Rivulet IQ

We handle recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and backfill if someone is unavailable. You get the output of a fully managed team without the overhead of managing it yourself.

Account Manager

A US-based account manager serves as your strategic point of contact. They monitor team performance, handle escalations, and ensure the engagement stays aligned with your business goals.

Best for These Scenarios.

The dedicated team model works when your development needs are ongoing and you need consistent, reliable capacity.

Ongoing Product Development

SaaS platforms, internal tools, and web applications with active roadmaps. A dedicated team ships features continuously without the overhead of project-by-project scoping.

Extended Development Team

Businesses that need a reliable development arm without the overhead of full-time hiring. Dedicated resources that operate as an extension of your in-house team.

Capacity Augmentation

Your internal team is stretched. You need senior WordPress developers, Laravel engineers, or frontend specialists to handle the overflow — without the delay of full-time hiring.

Long-term Maintenance

Large-scale WordPress multisite networks, enterprise eCommerce platforms, or complex applications that need continuous monitoring, updates, and feature development.

Ad-hoc Support. On-demand. No Commitment.

Not everything requires a project. Sometimes you need a senior developer to fix a critical bug. A performance audit before a product launch. A security patch applied within hours. The ad-hoc model gives you access to Rivulet IQ’s technical team on demand — billed hourly or in pre-purchased blocks.

Hourly or Block Billing

Pay by the hour or purchase a block of hours at a discounted rate. Use them when you need them. Unused hours in a block roll forward within the contract period.

Fast Response

Critical issues are triaged within 4 hours during business days. Standard requests are scoped and scheduled within 24 hours. Emergency support is available for production-down situations.

No Minimum Commitment

No retainer. No monthly minimum. You use the service when you need it and stop when you do not. No cancellation process. No lock-in.

Senior-level Engineers

Ad-hoc requests are handled by experienced developers — not junior staff. You get the same caliber of talent that works on managed projects and dedicated team engagements.

Transparent Time Tracking

Every task is logged with time entries, descriptions, and outcomes. You see exactly how your hours were spent. No ambiguity. No rounding up.

Scope Anything

Bug fixes, plugin updates, server configuration, performance optimization, security audits, content updates, third-party integrations — any technical task that does not require a full project engagement.

Compare the Three Models.

Each engagement model solves a different problem. Here is how they compare across the dimensions that matter most.

Managed Project
Dedicated Team
Ad-Hoc Support
Pricing
Fixed project cost
Monthly retainer
Hourly or block rate
Timeline
Fixed milestones
Ongoing / rolling
Per-request turnaround
Team
Assigned per project
Named resources, consistent
Senior engineer on rotation
Scope
Defined upfront, change-controlled
Flexible, evolves with roadmap
Task-by-task
Communication
Weekly updates, sprint demos
Daily standups, embedded in your tools
Per-task status updates
Best For
New builds, redesigns, MVPs
Ongoing development, product teams
Bug fixes, audits, one-off tasks
Commitment
Per-project contract
Monthly (3-month minimum)
None
Account Manager
Included
Included
Available on request

Not Sure Which Model Fits?

Start with the problem, not the model. Here is a simple decision framework.

You Have a Defined Deliverable.

You know what needs to be built. You have requirements, a target launch date, and a budget. You need a team to execute against a clear brief and deliver a finished product. Choose the managed project model.

You Have Ongoing Work.

Your development needs do not stop after one project. You have a product roadmap, a backlog of features, and a need for consistent development capacity month over month. Choose the dedicated team model.

You Have a Specific Task.

Something broke. Something needs updating. You need an audit, a performance fix, or a quick integration. It does not justify a full project or a retainer. Choose ad-hoc support.

You Do Not Have to Pick Just One.

Many of our clients use more than one model simultaneously. A dedicated team handles their ongoing product development. Managed projects handle new builds. Ad-hoc support covers the maintenance work between projects. The models are designed to complement each other — not compete.

Start With a Project. Scale to a Team.

Most partnerships begin with a managed project. Once the build ships and the relationship is proven, clients transition to a dedicated team for ongoing development. The team already knows your codebase, your standards, and your workflow.

Dedicated Team Plus Ad-hoc Overflow.

Your dedicated team handles the core roadmap. When a critical bug surfaces on a different property or a client needs an emergency fix, ad-hoc support handles it separately — without pulling your team off their sprint.

Projects for Builds. Ad-hoc for Maintenance.

New sites and applications come in as managed projects with fixed scope and pricing. After launch, ongoing maintenance transitions to ad-hoc support or a maintenance retainer. Clean separation between build and run.

Tell Us What You Need. We Will Recommend the Right Model.

Not sure which engagement model fits your situation? Describe the work, and we will propose the model, the team composition, and a timeline within 48 hours. No commitment required.

  • Managed project scopes returned within 48 hours
  • Dedicated team proposals with named resources
  • Ad-hoc rate cards available immediately
  • No obligation to proceed after the consultation

FAQ.

Common questions about engagement models — pricing, commitment, team structure, and how to get started.

Start with the nature of the work. If you have a defined deliverable with clear requirements and a target launch date, a managed project is the right fit. If you have ongoing development needs that span months, a dedicated team makes more sense. If you have occasional tasks that do not justify a retainer, ad-hoc support covers it. If you are unsure, describe your situation and we will recommend the right model.

Yes. Many partnerships evolve over time. A managed project often transitions into a dedicated team once the initial build ships and you need ongoing development capacity. Dedicated teams can scale down to ad-hoc support during slower periods. The models are designed to flex with your business — not lock you into a rigid structure.

Dedicated team engagements start with a three-month minimum. This gives enough time to onboard the team, build context on your codebase, and deliver meaningful output. After the initial period, the engagement continues on a rolling monthly basis with 30 days notice to adjust team size or end the retainer.

Typical ramp-up time is one to two weeks. We match team members based on the skills your project requires — WordPress, Laravel, Vue.js, Shopify, or SaaS development — and begin onboarding them into your tools and processes. If we need to recruit specific skill sets, that timeline may extend to three weeks.

On managed projects, scope changes are quoted separately and approved before work begins. Your original timeline and cost remain protected. On dedicated teams, you can add resources mid-engagement — additional developers, a designer, or a QA engineer — with the monthly retainer adjusting accordingly. Ad-hoc support scales naturally since there is no cap on the hours you can request.

Yes. Dedicated team retainers are priced lower per hour than managed project or ad-hoc rates because the engagement is longer and more predictable. Pre-purchased ad-hoc hour blocks also come at a discounted rate compared to pay-as-you-go billing. The specific pricing depends on team composition, skill requirements, and commitment length.

That depends on your preference. Some clients manage the team directly — assigning tasks, running standups, and reviewing output. Others prefer Rivulet IQ to manage execution while they focus on strategy and business priorities. A hybrid model is also common: you set priorities and Rivulet IQ manages the sprint execution. Your account manager ensures alignment regardless of the management structure.

WordPress (custom themes, plugins, Gutenberg blocks, headless), Shopify (Liquid templates, custom apps, Plus migrations), Laravel (APIs, admin panels, SaaS backends), Vue.js (SPAs, dashboard UIs, interactive frontends), and full-stack SaaS platform development. WordPress accounts for approximately 90 percent of our website development work, but the dedicated team and ad-hoc models cover the full stack.