TimBurris
Custom software. Made to fit.
CHALK Logic, LLC is one person. This page is about that person, because in a practice this size he is the whole of what you are buying.
The practice
No hand-off. Ever.
The person who sits with you and works out what the problem really is, is the person who builds the answer to it. Nothing gets translated through a project manager, nothing gets passed to a team you never meet, and nothing gets lost between the conversation and the code.
That is the whole reason a small shop can beat a large one on this kind of work. Understanding your business is most of the job. Doing that once, properly, and keeping it in one head is worth more than any amount of process.
You don't have to speak software
You will never be asked to choose between two things you have no way to judge. Bring me the part of your week that eats the most time and describe it the way you would describe it to a new hire. That is enough to start. The technical decisions are mine to make and mine to be accountable for.
A quote, not an estimate
Hourly estimates put the risk on you: if the work turns out harder than expected, you pay for that. I quote a price for an outcome instead. If you don't end up where we agreed you would, you get your money back.
Built to keep changing
Businesses don't hold still, so software written to fit one has to be able to move. Most of my clients are still calling years later — not because something broke, but because the business grew a new corner and the software needs to grow with it.
What that looks like
From the people who have been on the other side of it.
“Though the technical skillset was absolute top notch, I was more impressed with the rest of the service. CHALK Logic brought intuitive and creative solutions to the project as if it were their own. They took the time to understand the broader objective, which gave them insight enough to suggest spot-on answers.”
“Tim is one of the best software engineers I have had the privilege to work with. Any technical decision Tim made while I worked with him was on point and supported the technical and business objectives of the project perfectly. I will work with Tim any time I get the privilege to.”
“I needed to move an outdated custom program to a new computer. I worked with my own IT guy, who called around to his friends, and no one could figure out how to do it. Within a day of hiring Tim, he figured it out. I wish I had found him three months earlier.”
“On top of being a gifted developer, he is also a solid communicator and was quickly able to understand our project and deliver above and beyond what we asked for. Highly recommend Tim for any project.”
Tell me what's eating your week.
Fully specified or drawn on a napkin — either one is a fine place to start.