Project phases — click to expand
Phase 0 — Discovery & Intake
Apr 12 – Apr 18, 2026
1 week▶
The provider has zero prior knowledge of how the client operates. This phase establishes ground truth before any technical work begins. All assumptions are documented and reviewed with the client before Phase 1 commences.
Provider actions
- Send pre-engagement questionnaire covering org structure, daily workflows, and tech stack
- Schedule 2-hour discovery workshop with all 7 staff
- Shadow one loan origination cycle end-to-end (observe, don't advise)
- Audit existing tools: email, CRM, loan management software, document storage
- Identify top 5 time-consuming and error-prone workflows by volume
- Document data flows, handoff points, and bottlenecks
Client responsibilities
- Complete questionnaire before kickoff call (allow 2 hrs)
- Provide read-only access to CRM, document systems, and email templates
- Assign one internal point of contact (project champion)
- Prepare list of current monthly pain points from each staff member
- Share sample loan files (redacted) to understand document types
Deliverables
Workflow map (as-is)
Pain point registry
Tech stack inventory
Automation opportunity matrix
Phase 1 — Architecture & Agent Design
Apr 19 – May 2, 2026
2 weeks▶
Using the discovery findings, the provider designs the specific Claude agents and integration architecture. No code is written yet — this phase produces the blueprint that both parties approve before build begins.
Provider actions
- Prioritize automation candidates by ROI and feasibility
- Design agent architecture: define each agent's role, inputs, outputs, and handoffs
- Map Claude API integration points to existing systems
- Define data schemas for loan files, borrower records, and document types
- Draft security model: data handling, PII policy, API key management
- Produce agent specification document for client review and sign-off
- Estimate token usage and monthly Anthropic API cost at scale
Client responsibilities
- Review and approve the agent specification document
- Confirm which workflows are in scope vs. out of scope for Phase 2
- Provide IT credentials or support for API/integration access
- Sign off on data handling policy before development begins
Agents to be designed
Loan Intake Agent
Parses borrower applications, extracts key fields, flags missing items
Document Review Agent
Reads uploaded docs, checks completeness, summarizes for underwriters
Borrower Comms Agent
Drafts status emails, follow-up messages, and request letters
Underwriting Assistant
Surfaces deal memos, comparables, and risk flags from loan data
Deliverables
Agent specification document
Integration architecture diagram
Security & data handling policy
API cost projection
Client sign-off
Phase 2 — Core Agent Build (Sprint 1)
May 3 – May 23, 2026
3 weeks▶
First build sprint. The provider develops and internally tests the two highest-priority agents: Loan Intake and Document Review. The goal is a working demo on real (anonymized) client data by the end of the sprint.
Provider actions
- Set up development environment, Claude API integration, and version control
- Build Loan Intake Agent: parse application forms, extract structured data (borrower name, loan amount, property address, LTV, requested terms)
- Build Document Review Agent: ingest PDFs (bank statements, tax returns, title reports), produce structured summaries and completeness checklist
- Build lightweight internal dashboard to view agent outputs
- Write unit tests for agent accuracy on sample loan files
- Internal QA: test edge cases, missing documents, and ambiguous inputs
- Prepare demo environment with anonymized test data
Client responsibilities
- Provide 10–15 real (redacted) loan files for testing accuracy
- Designate one staff member as day-to-day tester for weekly check-ins
- Attend mid-sprint check-in (30 min) to review progress and flag scope issues early
Key technical milestones
- Claude API connected and prompts versioned in repo
- Intake Agent accurately extracts fields from ≥90% of test files
- Document Agent produces summary + missing-item flag for all major doc types
- Internal demo delivered to client at sprint end
Deliverables
Loan Intake Agent (v1)
Document Review Agent (v1)
Internal dashboard (v1)
Sprint 1 demo
Test accuracy report
Phase 3 — Communications & Workflow Agents (Sprint 2)
May 24 – Jun 13, 2026
3 weeks▶
Second build sprint. Borrower-facing communications are automated and the underwriting assistant is built. These agents directly reduce the manual writing load on staff and surface deal intelligence faster.
Provider actions
- Build Borrower Comms Agent: generate status update emails, document request letters, approval/decline notices, and follow-up sequences — all in the client's voice and tone
- Build Underwriting Assistant: given a structured loan record, produce a deal memo draft, flag key risk items, and surface relevant comparables or notes from similar past deals
- Integrate agents with each other: Intake Agent output feeds into Document Agent and Underwriting Assistant automatically
- Add human-in-the-loop review step: staff approves before any email is sent
- Build email preview UI within dashboard
Client responsibilities
- Provide 20–30 example emails (past sent items) to train tone-matching
- Review and give feedback on Comms Agent drafts weekly
- Provide 5–10 past deal memos for Underwriting Assistant benchmarking
- Attend weekly 45-min review calls throughout sprint
Key technical milestones
- Comms Agent produces on-brand drafts rated "usable with minor edits" by staff
- Underwriting Assistant deal memo matches client's format and hits key risk categories
- End-to-end pipeline: new application → structured record → doc summary → deal memo, no manual intervention
Deliverables
Borrower Comms Agent (v1)
Underwriting Assistant (v1)
End-to-end pipeline
Email preview & approval UI
Sprint 2 demo
Phase 4 — Client Testing & Iteration (UAT)
Jun 14 – Jun 27, 2026
2 weeks▶
All 7 staff use the full system on real live deals for the first time, with the provider actively monitoring for errors, edge cases, and friction. This is the most important feedback loop in the project.
Provider actions
- Deploy to staging environment connected to client's live systems (read-only where possible)
- Conduct 2-hour onboarding session with all 7 staff
- Provide quick-reference guide for each agent
- Monitor agent outputs daily during UAT; log failure cases
- Triage and resolve critical bugs within 24 hours
- Collect structured feedback from each staff member via short weekly survey
- Tune prompts and logic based on real usage patterns
Client responsibilities
- All 7 staff use the system daily on real loans throughout UAT
- Log every issue, surprising output, or missed case in shared tracker
- Complete weekly feedback survey (5 min)
- Escalate any data errors or compliance concerns to provider immediately
- Project champion prioritizes bug backlog jointly with provider
UAT exit criteria
- ≥90% of intake extractions rated correct by staff
- ≥80% of comms drafts used with minor or no edits
- Zero data errors or PII leakage incidents
- All 7 staff report confidence using the system independently
Deliverables
UAT report
Bug fix log
Staff training materials
Prompt tuning changelog
Phase 5 — Production Deployment & Handoff
Jun 28 – Jul 18, 2026
3 weeks▶
The system goes fully live. All agents run on production data. Staff operate independently. Provider transitions to a support and documentation role with a 2-week hypercare window post-launch.
Provider actions
- Migrate from staging to production environment
- Final security review and penetration check on all API integrations
- Set up monitoring, alerting, and error logging (email alerts for failures)
- Produce full technical documentation: system architecture, API key management, how to update prompts
- Record 3–5 short walkthrough videos (one per agent) for staff reference
- Conduct final all-hands walkthrough call
- 2-week hypercare: provider available same-day for any production issues
Client responsibilities
- Confirm all systems are live and stable before handoff sign-off
- Designate internal owner for monitoring dashboard
- Review and store technical documentation securely
- Sign project completion acceptance
Go-live checklist
- All 4 agents deployed and processing live loans
- Monitoring and alerting active
- Documentation delivered and reviewed
- Staff training complete for all 7 members
- Hypercare period active (2 weeks post-launch)
Deliverables
Production system (live)
Technical documentation
Walkthrough videos
Monitoring & alerting
Project completion sign-off
Phase 6 — 30-Day Post-Launch Support
Jul 19 – Aug 1, 2026
2 weeks▶
Included support window after full handoff. The provider monitors passively, resolves emerging issues, and delivers a final usage report with ROI metrics and optional Phase 2 expansion recommendations.
Provider actions
- Weekly 30-min check-in call with project champion
- Monitor error logs and usage metrics passively
- Resolve any post-launch bugs or prompt drift issues
- Deliver final ROI summary: time saved per workflow, volume processed, error rate
- Present Phase 2 expansion roadmap (optional, additional scope)
Client responsibilities
- Report any new issues within 48 hours via shared Slack/email channel
- Track staff time savings informally to support ROI reporting
- Decide on retainer or Phase 2 engagement by end of support period
Deliverables
Final ROI report
Phase 2 expansion roadmap
Support period close
Timeline overview
| Phase | Apr W2 | Apr W3 | Apr W4 | May W1 | May W2 | May W3 | May W4 | Jun W1 | Jun W2 | Jun W3 | Jun W4 | Jul W1 | Jul W2 | Jul W3 | Jul W4 | Aug W1 |
|---|
Project investment summary
Phase 0 — Discovery & Intake (1 wk)$3,500
Phase 1 — Architecture & Agent Design (2 wks)$6,000
Phase 2 — Core Agent Build / Sprint 1 (3 wks)$9,000
Phase 3 — Comms & Workflow Agents / Sprint 2 (3 wks)$9,000
Phase 4 — Client Testing & Iteration (2 wks)$5,000
Phase 5 — Production Deployment & Handoff (3 wks)$7,500
Phase 6 — 30-Day Post-Launch Support (2 wks, included)$3,500
Onboarding, documentation & video production$4,000
Total project investment
$47,500
Payment terms: 25% on contract signing ($11,875) · 25% at Phase 2 start ($11,875) · 25% at Phase 4 start ($11,875) · 25% on production go-live ($11,875). Anthropic API usage billed separately to client's own account. Optional retainer post-launch: $1,500/month for ongoing monitoring, prompt updates, and priority support.