Here's what actually happens during an engagement — not the marketing version, the real one.
Week 1 — Discovery & architecture
I map the product requirements, interview stakeholders, and audit any existing codebase or design system. The output is an architecture document: navigation tree, state shape, API contract, environment setup, and a risk register. This is where we decide what to build first and what to defer. Getting this wrong costs 10x more later — so I don't skip it.
Week 2 — Vertical slice
A thin but complete slice of the app: auth flow, one core feature, API integration, navigation, and crash reporting. This proves the architecture works end-to-end and gives stakeholders something tangible to react to. The slice ships to a staging build via EAS, not just runs on a simulator. If the architecture is wrong, we find out here — not after three months of feature work.
Weeks 3+ — Feature delivery
Weekly cadence: plan, build, review, ship. Each sprint delivers a testable increment to a staging or internal distribution track. I pair with your team where possible — code reviews, pairing sessions, and knowledge transfer are baked in, not afterthoughts. Feature flags gate what's visible to users, so we can merge early and often without exposing unfinished work.
Launch & stabilization
Store submission, phased rollout (start with 5-10% of users), and active monitoring of crash-free rates, API error rates, and startup performance. The first two weeks of production traffic reveal what simulators never could — real device fragmentation, network conditions, and user behavior patterns. I triage issues, ship hotfixes, and tune performance budgets before handing over to your team with documentation and a runbook.