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Forward deployed engineering

An engineer from Kavalo works inside your operation, beside the people who do the work. They learn how the day really runs, build what it needs in your system and on your phone line, and ship changes every week until your team runs it without us.

Book a free consultation How a deployment works

Photo: U.S. Department of Agriculture

What it is

An engineer, not a slide deck

Software projects often stall between the meeting and the morning shift. A forward deployed engineer closes that gap: they sit where the work happens, change the system, and watch your team use it.

  • On site first, then a steady rhythm

    The first days are on your place: in the barn, the packing shed, the corrals or the office. After that, a set mix of on-site and remote days, agreed in writing.

  • Working changes every week

    Not a report at the end. Each week, something your team uses: a booking that updates the schedule, a call that lands as an order, a report built once.

  • Everything written down

    A weekly note, a backlog you can read and handover notes the next person can follow. Nothing lives only in one person's head, ours included.

How it is sold

A first deployment, then a monthly engineer if you want one

You start with a fixed deployment that ends with a written outcome. Keeping an engineer each month after that is your choice, not a condition.

Step one

First deployment

A fixed period, agreed in writing before it starts

  • A written outcome and acceptance criteria, agreed first
  • The first days on site, with the people who do the work
  • A map of how work moves today and a backlog in your order of priority
  • Changes shipped every week, tested on a copy of your system first
  • A handover: what was built, how to run it and what comes next

Fixed price, invoiced by milestone

Then, if you want

Monthly engineer

A set number of days each month, on site and remote

  • The same engineer, who already knows your operation
  • A shared backlog that you prioritize
  • Releases tested on a copy first, and every change logged
  • A written report each month: what shipped, what is next
  • Ended or changed on the notice the agreement sets

Monthly agreement

Software subscriptions, phone numbers, call minutes and other third-party costs are billed by their providers or passed through at cost. Each quotation states the price agreed with you.

A week with your engineer

The same rhythm every week

So you always know what is being built, what shipped and what needs you.

  1. Monday

    Agree the week

    Fifteen minutes on what ships this week, from the backlog you prioritize.

  2. Tuesday

    Build

    Configuration first; custom work only when it earns its place, and labeled as such.

  3. Wednesday

    Test on a copy

    Every change tried on a copy of your system with your own scenarios.

  4. Thursday

    Show it working

    The people who will use it try it before it goes live.

  5. Friday

    Write it down

    A short note: what shipped, what is next, what needs your decision.

By industry

What the first weeks look like

The work differs by industry. The method does not: the first days on site, then a working change every week.

EquestrianBookings, waivers and boardThe first days at the barn, learning how lessons, rides and boarders are booked and billed today. Then, week by week: booking on the real schedule, a waiver for every rider, board and add-ons billed from one record, and the morning board for staff.
AgricultureOrders, stock and pickupThe first days in the packing shed and the farm office, following an order from the call to the invoice. Then, week by week: orders that land as records, harvest and stock counts in one place, pick lists and delivery runs, and invoices matched to what went out.
RanchingHerd records and beef salesThe first days at the corrals and in the ranch office, learning what the crew writes down and how a half beef goes from deposit to pickup. Then, week by week: herd records the crew will keep, a cut sheet for every order, the final bill from the hanging weight, and grazing days logged by pasture.

Rules we keep

  • Standard first

    What the software already does well is used as it is. Every custom piece is labeled and justified in writing.

  • Your system, your data

    Access is set up properly, never passwords by email. Code lives in a repository you control.

  • Tested on a copy

    Nothing reaches the live system untested, and every change can be undone.

  • No lock-in

    The handover notes, the backlog and the code stay yours; another engineer can pick them up.

Not included unless agreed

  • Software subscriptions, phone numbers, call minutes and other third-party costs
  • Work outside the agreed outcome or backlog: new scope goes through a change request
  • Legal, tax, accounting or safety advice
  • Being on call around the clock, unless the agreement says so

Want an engineer in your operation?

The free consultation is with the founder. We will ask how your week runs and tell you plainly whether a deployment is the right place to start.

Book a free consultation How we work Answer a few questions first

See the prices for an engineer on site