Question 1

How is this different from off-the-shelf software?

Accepted Answer

Off-the-shelf software is one-size-fits-all. Your team adapts to the product, deals with bloat, and uses a fraction of it. Protiva builds custom tools designed around how your business actually works. There's no learning curve because the tool follows your workflow, not the other way around. You own the result outright: no vendor lock-in, no proprietary platform.

Question 2

Will my team need training to use what you build?

Accepted Answer

No. Because we build around the workflow your team already runs, adoption feels familiar. There's no new mental model to learn, no re-engineered process. We document how it works, train the people who run it, and hand it off clean.

Question 3

How fast can we deliver a working concept?

Accepted Answer

Most engagements ship a working concept in weeks, not months. Smaller Google Workspace automations can land in as little as a day. Audits run about 1 week. AI automations are usually 2–4 weeks. Custom micro-apps run 3–6 weeks. We always lock the timeline in writing before any code gets written.

Question 4

What is an Automation Audit and why start there?

Accepted Answer

An audit is the cheapest, fastest way to find out which manual workflows are actually worth automating. We interview the people doing the work, map every repetitive process, score each one by ROI and feasibility, and hand back a prioritized roadmap. You walk away knowing exactly what to automate, in what order, and what the payoff looks like — implement with us or anyone else.

Question 5

Do you work inside our Google Workspace tenant?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All Apps Script, AppSheet, and Workspace automations run inside your Workspace. We use a sandbox copy during development, then deploy into your production tenant. You own the code, the credentials, and the projects.

Question 6

How do you handle credentials and security?

Accepted Answer

Secrets live in your environment, never in our repo. We use your tenant's secret manager (or your cloud provider's), follow least-privilege access, document every credential we touch, and rotate them on handoff. You can revoke our access at any time without breaking anything.

Question 7

What AI models do you use?

Accepted Answer

We pick per task — OpenAI, Anthropic, or Gemini, depending on what gives the best quality and cost for the workflow. Every AI workflow ships with evals (automated quality checks against real examples) so quality stays high as models change. We also build in guardrails, retries, and human-in-the-loop checkpoints where it matters.

Question 8

Who owns the code and the automations?

Accepted Answer

You do — always. Apps Script lives in your Workspace. Custom apps live in your repo and your cloud. AI workflows run on your accounts. There's no proprietary Protiva platform you'd need to keep paying for. Hire any other developer to maintain it whenever you want.

Question 9

What if an automation breaks?

Accepted Answer

Every engagement includes error monitoring, alerts, and a 30-day post-launch support window — so you usually hear about a failure before your users do. Ongoing support and enhancements are available on request after the support window.

Question 10

Do you still build full web apps?

Accepted Answer

Yes — that's our Custom Micro-Apps pillar. When a workflow outgrows a script (you need real auth, a real database, or a proper UI), we build the full app. Same team, same standards, just a bigger surface area. Production-ready, owned by you.

Question 11

How long does a typical engagement take?

Accepted Answer

Audits run about 1 week. Workspace automations are usually 1–3 weeks each. AI automations run 2–4 weeks. Custom micro-apps are 3–6 weeks. We always lock the scope and timeline in writing before any code gets written.

Question 12

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

Engagement size depends on scope. Audits are typically a small flat package; automations and apps are scoped to fit. We give you a written quote after a free 20-min intro call — no surprises, no pressure.

Question 13

What do you need from us to start?

Accepted Answer

A short discovery call and access to the people who actually do the workflow today. We'll handle the rest — interviews, mapping, scoping, and a written proposal you can approve before any work begins.

Question 14

How do payments work?

Accepted Answer

Typical structure: deposit to start, milestone payment partway through, final payment at handoff. Ongoing retainers, when applicable, are billed monthly.

Question 15

Can I see examples of your previous work?

Accepted Answer

To protect client privacy, we share detailed case studies and walkthroughs only during a booked discovery call. This keeps sensitive workflows confidential while giving you a real look at our work.

Answers, straight up.