Scoping Impact-Tech Projects

Impact tech—medical, conservation, climate, industrial—often has real-world consequences and sometimes regulatory or environmental constraints. Scoping these projects well is what separates “we built something cool” from “we built something that ships and is maintainable.”

A few principles I use:

1. Define “done” in terms of outcomes — e.g. “device passes this validation protocol” or “buoy survives 30 days at sea and reports correctly,” not just “firmware compiles.”
2. Identify the high-consequence interfaces — Where does the system touch safety, compliance, or the environment? Those get more design and test time.
3. Plan for one person (or a tiny team) — If the budget only allows one technical owner, the architecture should assume that: clear modules, good docs, and minimal “tribal knowledge.”
4. Leave room for iteration — First hardware spin often isn’t the last; firmware and app should be easy to update in the field.

I’ve put together a Project Scoping Questionnaire for anyone considering working with me. It’s a way to align on goals, constraints, and timeline before we commit. If you’re building in climate, conservation, or health tech and want a single technical partner from board to cloud, that’s the place to start.