“How long does custom software take?” is the sibling of the cost question. Honest partners answer with phases, not one heroic date.
Typical phase bands
- Discovery + first thin slice: often 2–6 weeks depending on clarity.
- MVP usable by real users: commonly 1–3 months for focused scope.
- Hardening + integrations + multi-role expansion: additional months as complexity grows.
What makes timelines slip
- Unowned decisions on your side.
- Hidden integrations discovered late.
- Expanding “MVP” mid-flight.
- No staging or QA until the end.
How to set a timeline you can trust
- Define done for the first release in writing.
- Schedule weekly demos.
- Separate must-haves from later bets.
- Re-forecast after sprint one with real evidence.
ConaiSoft plans delivery as sprint milestones with working software — so dates are based on progress, not optimism.