Frequently Asked Questions

Underdawgs follows a comprehensive innovation and product development process that we call the LAUNCH Framework. It’s a collection of the best startup and product development processes, techniques, mental models and tools to develop quality services and software as efficiently as possible. You can read more about the LAUNCH Framework here.

You will be assigned a dedicated product owner who will be your main point of contact throughout the project.

We believe in complete transparency with our client. As such you will have full access to our project management hub in Basecamp, our wiki in Notion and all designs in Figma. You will be able to see real time updates on exactly where we are with the project, what’s been done and what we will be working on next.

On a typical project we will also provide ad hoc updates as well having formal Review meetings every couple of weeks.

We use effective project management software such as Basecamp to manage tasks, timelines, deliverables and milestones. You will always be made aware of what we are working on and expected timelines.

Yes, Underdawgs follows an agile project management approach that allows for flexibility and adaptability throughout the project.

With that said, our LAUNCH framework provides a level of control over the wider project. This ensures we always understand where we are, what we’ve learned, what’s next and why.

Yes, user research is a key part of the LAUNCH framework and we highly recommend it. We use multiple interaction types with target stakeholders, personas and users at every stage of the LAUNCH Framework. These include, but are not limited to, expert interviews, problem interviews, solution interviews and usability testing.

As an innovation consultancy we have a multidisciplinary team working across the full suite of innovation services.

These include product research, development and growth services including strategy and concept validation, research, design, engineering, marketing, analytics and much more.

We think of ourselves as problem solvers rather than just software builders, and will advise you on what services we think you’ll need in order to meet your specific needs.

Our team spans strategy, product, design, engineering and marketing.

A team will be assembled that reflects the needs of your project in that specific phase and their resourcing will be allocated as required.

We've worked on many disruptive and industry impacting products and ventures. We pride ourselves of our discretion. If you need something more formal, we are also happy to sign standard non-disclosure agreements before any project.

We are industry agnostic. We simply tackle problems and bring ideas to life. With that said, we have a focus on problems or ideas where software is the main product. We don’t play in the hardware space.

Our innovation studio consists of two pillars.

The first pillar is our full services innovation consultancy. This is where we specialise in helping our clients innovate more effectively. That could for example be helping them to identify the best areas in which to innovate in or taking them from an initial idea or problem through to bringing a solution to market. We do this using our LAUNCH framework.

It's worth stressing that we pick up projects at different stages. For example it may be nothing more than an idea in someone’s head - that’s all we need to get started. Or they may have done comprehensive research into the space - that work that can inform us. They may have even done designs for the solution they envisage - we can use that to build from.

The bottom line is that Underdawgs, using our LAUNCH framework, will meet you wherever you are and take you to our agreed destination.

As for the projects themselves, it could be a new product or business idea or simply improving an existing business’ product suite or internal processes.

For our consulting work we charge a fee for our services. We agree the exact shape of that fee together in our contract before starting work. It could be deliverable based or time and materials based. It simply depends on the project and our partner.

And remember, we have a sprint back guarantee within our contract so you are always protected. We take the risk because we back our approach 100%.

The second pillar at Underdawgs is our Venture Studio. Here is where we are allocate our own resource, effectively as sweat equity, and make meaningful bets on a commercial project. We detail this out here.

Our Venture builder is where we house specific bets that Underdawgs make, putting our own resources and money on the line.

The types of projects we take on within the Studio vary. For example, it may be completely internally driven. That is to say, it’s our own idea and we drive the project ourselves piecing together a wider program team as we go.

On the other hand we may work with a seasoned entrepreneur or innovative company on something together from the very start. Entrepreneurs that we work with are typically those who already have a successful exit and are looking to stand up a full product and commercial wrapper efficiently.

We can then iterate the proposition with them until we find and demonstrate Product Market fit.

Corporations that we work with are typically a successful player in their chosen niche and can provide distribution advantage to something that we ship together. In other words, we can build a really great product and shape the venture itself (put in place the people, systems, tools and processes) and our partner can turbo-charge that our initial growth and traction.

We have a flexible pricing model depending on the needs of each project. We can charge on time and materials or deliverable basis.

This can vary greatly depending on the scope and complexity of the project but we will provide you with a detailed cost estimate at the beginning of the project and keep you up to date on costings throughout.

We usually like to start with a small piece of work (usually around £5-10k) that we call our proof of value. What we do in the PoV varies depending on the particular project but it is typically aimed at testing one of your assumptions or ideas.

Please get in touch to discuss your particular needs.

We use effective project management software such as Basecamp to manage tasks, timelines, deliverables and milestones. You will always be made aware of what we are working on and expected timelines.

We've worked on many disruptive and industry impacting products and ventures. We pride ourselves of our discretion. If you need something more formal, we are also happy to sign standard non-disclosure agreements before any project.