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Solution design

Solution designAn isometric drawing of a planning table. In the middle lies a blueprint sheet with a grid. Along the back right edge stands a row of block models: a web app, an API, a third-party integration, a job queue and a database. At the back stands a build-or-buy balance scale, at the left a stack of brief cards, a dish of flag pins and an open decision log, and along the front edge a roadmap rail with three empty slots. The four stages are printed on the table's front edge. Next stage steps through Discovery (the brief cards land), Build or buy (the integration is weighed and the scale tips to buy), Architecture (the blocks drop onto the blueprint, are joined up, and flags mark the parts that can fail) and Roadmap (three phase tiles slot onto the rail, each with an owner). Start over clears the table; the failure points switch shows or hides the flags.01 discovery02 build or buy03 architecture04 roadmapplan · rev 1buildbuymust doweb appapi3rdpartyqueue1234567

Stage 1 of 4, Discovery. Founders, product and engineering sit down together and agree what it must do. Press next stage.

A plan for the system that your team can pick up and build.

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In short

Solution design is the planning done before a software build. It covers picking the stack, mapping how the parts connect and working out what it'll cost to run. It's for founders and product teams starting a platform, replatforming or adding AI. Zenoware, an Auckland studio, delivers architecture and sequence diagrams, a decision log, cost guardrails and a phased roadmap your engineers can build from. It starts with a free first call about the problem on your desk.

What you get

  • Stack chosen with cost, security and runway in mind

  • Big calls logged, with a diagram next to each

  • Gated stages, so half-finished work doesn't leak through

How it runs

  1. 01

    Discovery

    Founders, product and engineering sit down together and agree what it must do.

  2. 02

    Build or buy

    Each piece gets priced against what it'll cost to run and who you've got.

  3. 03

    Architecture

    We draw it out (integrations, data, the bits that can fail) before any code.

  4. 04

    Roadmap

    You walk away with phases, owners and the reasoning behind each decision.

Who you'll work with

JP Caparas

JP Caparas

Founder and lead engineer

Thirteen years of principal engineering, including development lead at Public Trust. OpenAI Codex and Devin ambassador in New Zealand. You talk to the person who writes the code.

About the team

Questions

What is solution design in software development?

It's the planning before the build. That covers frameworks, hosted services, how data gets from one place to another, what happens when something falls over, and the monthly bill. If what comes out is a slide deck, we've done it wrong.

What does a solution architect do?

They turn a business problem into a technical design. In practice that means looking at the options, settling on a stack and writing the reasons down, because nobody remembers them six months on. A good one also puts the riskiest work first.

Should a startup build custom software or buy SaaS?

If it's already sold as a product and isn't what sets you apart (payments, email, auth), buy it. If it's the workflow your customers pay for, build it. Rising per-seat fees or wanting your data on your own terms can tip things.

What do I get at the end of a solution design engagement?

Architecture and sequence diagrams, a decision log, cost guardrails and a roadmap in gated phases. If you're replatforming or adding AI, we'll also say who you'll need on the team and when.

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The first call is free, and we'll tell you straight whether we're the right people for it.

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