SaaS development agency
A useful platform starts with a specific problem. We link design, software, and data to build a first version your users can actually try.
Your reality, our starting point
For software publishers, B2B services, reporting teams, and companies wishing to transform their business expertise into a product.
You have already seen the same problem with several clients. Each keeps their own spreadsheet, prepares their report or follows up their teams in their own way. The SaaS project begins when you decide to offer them a common journey. From Trois-Rivières, Umbeli helps you clarify this first use, design screens and develop an online accessible application. The mandate defines what will be delivered, the necessary data and how to test the product before expanding its scope.
From need to process
Explore the steps. This scenario illustrates an operation to adapt to your business.
The pilot provides a representative file. The journey identifies expected fields and lines to correct before import.
The manager invites a colleague and chooses what they can consult. Permissions are verified server-side.
The report is reviewed with the user. Their remarks help decide the next product evolution.
Import to verify
Example of a process, without reservation or data submission.
Before discussing features, we follow a task from start to finish. Who provides the data? Who verifies the result? What document or decision ends the process? This approach avoids building a dashboard without real use. Interviews and examples of existing work provide an initial list of needs. We turn them into scenarios you can show to pilot users.
The minimum viable product must allow testing a specific hypothesis: does a user understand the value and complete their task? The prototype is used to try the journey. The first developed version then handles real data within a controlled scope. Secondary functions remain on a prioritized list. Feedback from the pilot helps decide what must be corrected, simplified, or added, with criteria agreed upon before launch.
On the ground · Fepi
For its ESG reporting platform, Fepi had to gather information from invoices, CSV files, and ERP systems. The problem was as much in data collection as in data reading.
The mandate focused on a reporting platform that gathers these flows in a structured interface. This example shows why source connection and information presentation are designed together before adding new indicators.
Discover the project Fepi
What takes shape together
The development mandate must leave usable elements at each stage. Here are the deliverables to define together, then validate with a first group of users.
A prioritized list of journeys, roles, and included functions, with dependencies and exclusions.
The validation pointEach function corresponds to a task observed in a pilot user.
Linked screens showing the first connection, data entry, and expected result.
The validation pointA future user can explain the next action without being guided at every screen.
The developed path, its data sets, and test scenarios: success, error, access denied.
The validation pointAgreed criteria are verified before opening the product to more accounts.
Accesses planned in the contract, connection documentation, and support and maintenance responsibilities.
The validation pointYour team knows who to contact, how to report an incident, and how to propose an evolution.
A SaaS used by several companies must define workspaces, roles, and data visible to each account. We document these rules before developing them. APIs, imports, and exports are studied based on the tools actually used. Recurring billing, quotas, or commercial plans are included only if the model requires them. Each dependency maintains its conditions and costs.
You must be able to try the journeys and understand the trade-offs. The work is organized around demonstrations, validation criteria and a test environment. A data error, denied access or interrupted connection are among the situations examined. Scope changes are estimated or prioritized before implementation. The quote distinguishes design, development, integrations, data recovery and launch support.
Putting the SaaS online opens a new phase: responding to users, monitoring errors, and evolving the product. Hosting, backup, and maintenance responsibilities are defined in the mandate. We plan the documentation, delivered accesses, and handover conditions for your team. An initial user group can be opened before a wider deployment, depending on test results and your support capacity.
Choose according to your situation
The right choice depends on the difference you want to bring to your users. Also compare limits and responsibilities after launch.
| Criterion | Existing software | Configured solution | Custom SaaS |
|---|---|---|---|
| When to choose it | The need corresponds to an already well-covered use. | Functions exist, but their assembly must follow your method. | Your value is based on a specific business journey. |
| First deliverable | A trial with your data and users. | A pilot journey configured in the chosen platform. | A prototype, then a developed version to try. |
| Product mastery | Functions and evolutions depend on the provider. | Configuration is yours according to the contract; possibilities remain those of the platform. | Rules and changes are defined within your scope; rights to the code are contractual. |
| Points to check | Roles, exports, usage limits and API compatibility. | Customization limits, portability, and extension costs. | Account separation, data recovery and support capacity. |
| Costs to anticipate | Licenses, configuration, training, and possible connectors. | Configuration, subscription, and maintenance of adaptations. | Design, development, hosting, external services, and maintenance. |
A specific SaaS is justified by distinct use and a team ready to maintain it. Scoping also helps recognize situations where an existing solution suffices.
Practical questions
Yes, after reviewing the code, accesses, dependencies, and data state. This review allows distinguishing necessary corrections from functions to continue. The takeover is estimated on this basis.
Ownership conditions, delivered accesses, and licenses for third-party components are specified in the contract. Hosting and external service accounts must have an identified responsible person.
Cost depends on the path, roles, data to be reused, and integrations. We separate realization cost from recurring fees. Framing allows preparing a usable estimate.
Yes. A pilot can be used by invited clients before adding paid plans. Billing must follow a defined business model without unnecessarily delaying validation of first use.
Your turn
A client request, the tools you use, and what is blocking you today: this information helps us suggest a concrete starting point.
SaaS development agency
Framing · Product · Development