Typical durations
| Integration | Build | To settled quality |
|---|---|---|
| Helpdesk triage | 2–4 weeks | +4 weeks |
| Website assistant | 2–4 weeks | +4 weeks |
| CRM summaries | 3–5 weeks | +4 weeks |
| Document extraction with write-back | 5–9 weeks | +6 weeks |
| Multi-system workflow | 8–16 weeks | +8 weeks |
The second column matters. A system is built weeks before it is trusted, and planning that in avoids an awkward conversation.
Four causes of nearly every delay
- Access — credentials, API keys and permissions taking three weeks to arrive
- Data quality — the documents are messier than the samples suggested
- Availability — the domain expert is the busiest person in the business
- Scope — a second document type added in week four
Three of those four are entirely within your control, and dealing with them before the start typically saves a fortnight.
Front-load the access request
Ask for every credential and permission on day one, even the ones needed in week five. Corporate access requests are slow and they are slow in parallel just as easily as in series.
It is the single most effective thing a client can do to keep a project on schedule.
Protect the scope deliberately
Additions during a build are the normal way projects grow by 50%. The fix is not refusing them — it is putting them into phase two explicitly, in writing, with a price.
That way nothing is lost and nothing is absorbed silently.
What we do to keep it honest
- Access tested in week one, before anything is built on the assumption
- Real data reviewed before the estimate is confirmed
- Your people's time booked in advance, with dates
- A weekly note saying what moved, what did not and why