Backend engineering
ASP.NET Core, NestJS on Node.js, Laravel and Python. Our engineers own services end to end: data modeling, API design, queues and background jobs.
Dedicated team alternative
Looking for a dedicated development team? Have the product built as a managed project
Timeline Digital does not supply developers or teams to other companies. We build and support the software for you.
Since 2013: 1,500+ projects for 860+ clients in 25+ countries.
Many companies look for a dedicated team because a product needs to keep moving and hiring takes months. A managed project gets the same work done without you directing engineers: our team of 1,200+ developers and 85+ management professionals, including group-company employees works under our management, you work with one project lead, and every project starts with a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules that you test before deciding on the final agreement.
Dedicated development team, the short answer
A dedicated development team is a group of engineers a vendor supplies by the month to work on your product under your direction. Timeline Digital, a custom software development company founded in 2013 in Islamabad, Pakistan, does not supply teams or developers. It delivers your product as a managed project: plan, free pilot, build and SLA support.
You work with one project lead, see weekly demos and progress in a shared tracker, and the code transfers to you on full payment.
What every managed project includes
- One project lead as your single point of contact
- Meetings scheduled in your working hours
- A free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules before you commit
- Planned releases with weekly demos and a shared tracker
- NDA before you share details; code and IP are yours on full payment
How It Works
How a managed project runs your roadmap
From the Plan step to long-term support, with you approving each stage and our project lead running the work.
Plan step
We analyse your requirements and roadmap, then agree the modules, priorities and release plan with you in writing. The schedule is set from those requirements, not from a template.
Free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules
We build 2 to 3 of your key modules as working software, free of charge. Your team tests them, and you decide on the final agreement before the full build starts.
Build and launch in planned releases
Our team builds each release under our project lead, with code review, automated tests and weekly demos. You see progress in a shared tracker and approve each release. Changes outside the approved scope are reviewed and agreed before extra work begins.
Long-term support under an SLA
After launch, fixes, updates and agreed changes continue under a service level agreement, with response targets in writing. The same team keeps the context of your system, release after release.
Why choose a managed project instead of a dedicated team?
A managed project moves the delivery commitment to the vendor. With a dedicated team you still plan the sprints, assign tickets and manage the people. With a managed project you agree the outcome, test a free pilot, approve each release and receive the code on full payment. For many businesses that is the simpler route.
A dedicated team or an in-house hire is the right choice when you have an engineering lead and want to direct engineers yourself. Timeline Digital does not offer that model, and we will say so plainly. For a one-off build with a defined endpoint, our software development outsourcing page covers the contract terms, IP and meeting hours to agree first.
Who works on your project
We staff every project from our own team and manage it ourselves. You deal with one project lead.
Frontend engineering
React, Next.js and TypeScript, matching your design system and component conventions where you already have them.
Mobile engineering
Flutter and React Native for cross-platform apps, plus native Kotlin and Swift when a feature needs it, published to the App Store and Play Store under your accounts.
QA and automation
Manual and automated testing of every release, regression suites and CI test gates, so defects are caught before release, not after a customer reports them.
DevOps
CI/CD pipelines, Docker, AWS, Azure and GCP, monitoring and runbooks, so deployments stay routine and uptime stays steady.
One project lead
Plans the releases, runs the demos, keeps the architecture consistent and is your single point of contact, so you never manage individual engineers.
Business analysis and design
Requirements and UI/UX design from the Plan step, so the screens and reports match how your users actually work.
Meetings in your hours
Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time (PKT, UTC+5), which overlaps with the Gulf working day and the UK and European morning. US and Canada calls are booked at the start of their working day, and the rest of the day runs on written updates.
Testing is part of every project we deliver. For an independent team that tests software built by you or another vendor, see our QA outsourcing services.
Staff augmentation, dedicated team, managed project or in-house hire?
Staff augmentation and dedicated teams sell developer time that you direct; a managed project sells a delivered result; an in-house hire is your own employee. Choose by who you want managing the work. Timeline Digital offers only the managed project, starting with a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules.
| Factor | Staff augmentation | Dedicated team | Managed project | In-house hire |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A vendor adds named engineers to a team you lead | A vendor supplies a stable group that works on your product under your direction | A vendor delivers the software against an agreed plan and manages its own team | You employ the engineers |
| Best for | Filling one skill gap in a team you run | An ongoing roadmap where you want to direct engineers | A defined build, or ongoing work delivered in planned releases | A long-term core team |
| Who manages the work | You | You, day to day | The vendor, against the plan you approve | You |
| Scope changes | You reprioritise directly | Reprioritised with you each sprint | Reviewed and agreed before extra work begins | Managed by your internal team |
| How you pay | Per engineer, usually monthly | Per engineer, usually monthly | Per project milestone, then SLA support | Salaries and overheads |
| Offered by Timeline Digital | No | No | Yes, starting with a free pilot | Not applicable |
Searching for individual engineers? See hire software developers or have it built. Building or extending an ERP? Hire ERP developers or have the ERP built covers the ERP roles on a managed project.
Working-hours overlap with the US, UK and Gulf
Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time (PKT, UTC+5). This table converts them into your local time, so you can see the overlap before you sign.
| Your location | Our hours in your time | Overlap with a 09:00 to 17:00 day | How calls work |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates (UTC+4) | 08:00 to 17:00 | 09:00 to 17:00, about 8 hours | Calls inside our office hours |
| Qatar and Saudi Arabia (UTC+3) | 07:00 to 16:00 | 09:00 to 16:00, about 7 hours | Calls inside our office hours |
| United Kingdom (GMT or BST) | 04:00 to 13:00 in winter, 05:00 to 14:00 in summer | Your morning: 09:00 to 13:00 in winter, 09:00 to 14:00 in summer, 4 to 5 hours | Calls in your morning; written updates in your afternoon |
| Central Europe (CET or CEST) | 05:00 to 14:00 in winter, 06:00 to 15:00 in summer | Your morning: 09:00 to 14:00 in winter, 09:00 to 15:00 in summer, 5 to 6 hours | Calls in your morning; written updates in your afternoon |
| US and Canada, Eastern (EST or EDT) | 23:00 to 08:00 in winter, 00:00 to 09:00 in summer | None inside our standard hours | Calls booked at the start of your day; written updates for the rest |
| US and Canada, Pacific (PST or PDT) | 20:00 to 05:00 in winter, 21:00 to 06:00 in summer | None inside our standard hours | Calls booked at the start of your day; written updates for the rest |
Times are our published office hours converted to local time and shift by an hour where your country changes its clocks. Demo times, review times and how quickly messages are answered are agreed in the plan before work starts. If you need people online for the whole US day, say so before you sign.
When a managed project fits, and when it does not
A good fit when
- You need a product built or extended and would rather not direct engineers day to day.
- Your roadmap runs for months, and you are happy to agree priorities release by release.
- You want one accountable partner for delivery, testing and support after launch.
- The hours in the table above work for you: a Gulf day, a UK or European morning, or start-of-day calls with written updates for the rest.
Not a fit when
- You want engineers who take tickets from your own lead every day. Recruit in house or use a staffing provider; Timeline Digital does not supply developers.
- You need people online through the whole US business day.
- You want to pay by the developer-month rather than for delivered releases.
For a defined build, see software development outsourcing or our custom software development service.
Key facts: dedicated teams and managed projects at Timeline Digital
- Provider
- Timeline Digital, a custom software development company founded in 2013, headquartered in Islamabad, Pakistan
- What we offer
- Managed project delivery only. Timeline Digital does not supply dedicated teams, offer staff augmentation or place developers in other companies.
- Who builds it
- 1,200+ developers and 85+ management professionals, including group-company employees; direct and group-company employees, working in-house in Islamabad and remotely, working under Timeline Digital's management
- How it works
- A Plan step, a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules that you test, the build and launch in planned releases, then long-term support under an SLA
- Working hours
- Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time (PKT, UTC+5); overlaps UK and European mornings and the Gulf working day; US and Canada calls are booked at the start of their day
- Long-term work
- Multi-year roadmaps delivered in planned releases, with long-term support under a service level agreement (SLA) after launch
- Pricing
- Timeline Digital does not publish prices for custom software, because every project is custom. The price is set after requirements analysis and the free pilot.
- Ownership
- Code, designs and documentation transfer to you on full payment; the code can live in your repositories
Free pilot
Start with a free pilot of your key modules
Before you commit to the full project, we build 2 to 3 of your key modules as working software, free of charge, ready in about 2 days. Your team tests the pilot, and the full build starts only after you approve it.
See how the free pilot worksUnderstand
We learn your requirements and how your organisation works today.
Select pilot modules
Together we choose 2 to 3 key modules that prove the solution.
Build the working pilot
We build those modules as real, working software, free of charge.
You test it
Your team uses the pilot. The full project starts only after you approve it.
FAQ
Dedicated team and managed project FAQs
What is a dedicated development team?
A dedicated development team is a group of engineers a vendor supplies on a monthly retainer to work only on your product, under your direction. You run the backlog and assign the work. Timeline Digital does not offer dedicated teams; it delivers the same kind of ongoing product work as a managed project in planned releases.
Do you offer a dedicated development team?
No. Timeline Digital does not supply developers or teams to other companies. We build your product as a managed project: a Plan step, a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules that you test, the build and launch in planned releases, then long-term support under an SLA. You work with one project lead.
How is a dedicated team different from staff augmentation?
Staff augmentation adds one or two named engineers to a team you already lead. A dedicated team is a stable group, often with a tech lead, QA and DevOps, that stays on one product under your direction. Both sell developer time by the month. Timeline Digital offers neither; we deliver software as a managed project.
Dedicated team or outsourced project: which should I choose?
Choose a dedicated team from a staffing provider when you have a lead who wants to direct engineers every day. Choose an outsourced project when you want the software delivered and managed for you, starting with a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules. Timeline Digital delivers only the outsourced project.
How do I hire dedicated developers?
Through a staffing provider or by recruiting directly; you then direct their work. Timeline Digital does not place developers. If what you need is the software itself, send us the requirements: we agree a plan, build a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules for you to test, then deliver and support the full system.
How much timezone overlap will I get?
Our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time (PKT, UTC+5), overlapping the Gulf working day and the UK and European morning; US and Canada calls are booked at the start of their day. The overlap table above shows these hours in your local time. Demo, review and response times are agreed in the plan.
How much does a dedicated development team cost?
In the market it depends on the number of engineers, their seniority, stack and region; our guide to the cost to hire a dedicated development team gives labelled ranges. With Timeline Digital you pay for delivered releases, not developer months. Timeline Digital does not publish prices for custom software, because every project is custom.
Who owns the code on a managed project?
You do. The code can live in your repositories, and the project source code, designs and documentation transfer to you on full payment, as written in the contract. Our generic tooling and know-how stay ours, and open-source components keep their own licences. See our intellectual property ownership terms.
What should I look for in a dedicated team provider for a multi-year software project?
Look for continuity, ownership and accountability: the same people on your system for years, code that transfers to you on payment, written release plans and support after launch. Timeline Digital, founded in 2013 in Islamabad, does not supply dedicated teams; it delivers multi-year roadmaps as a managed project with SLA support.
Do you offer time-zone aligned dedicated teams for US startups?
No. We do not supply dedicated teams, and our office hours are Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time (PKT, UTC+5), so we do not work the full US day. For US startups we deliver the product as a managed project, with calls booked at the start of your day, weekly demos and written updates in a shared tracker.
Who owns the backlog and priorities on a managed project?
You own the product decisions; we own the delivery. In the Plan step we agree the backlog and release plan with you, and each release is prioritised with you before it starts. Our project lead runs the work day to day and flags risks early, so you do not have to manage engineers.
Is SLA-backed support available after launch?
Yes. After launch, long-term support continues under a service level agreement (SLA) covering fixes, updates and agreed changes, with scope, hours and response targets set in the contract. See our service level agreements and support page for how support is organised.
What if I only need one or two developers, not a whole team?
Timeline Digital does not place individual developers. If the work is a feature, an integration or a fix, we can deliver it as a small managed project with its own plan, or under an SLA if we support the system. To employ developers yourself, recruit directly or through a staffing provider.
Ready to have it built?
Tell us what the product must do, the roadmap and the systems it connects to. We agree a plan with you and build a free pilot of 2 to 3 key modules for you to test before you decide on the final agreement.
Updated
About this page
Published by Timeline Digital, a custom software development company founded in Islamabad in 2013. The facts on this page (team size, working hours, pricing policy and ownership terms) come from the same company facts used across the site.
Author
Usama Asif
CEO and CTO, Timeline Digital. Founded the company in 2013 and has led its client delivery since then.
Guides for this decision
In-depth, practical reading for teams planning this kind of project.
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Delivery and outsourcing resources
Hire Developers or Have It Built?
Why a managed project can replace hiring developers.
Read this nextHire ERP Developers or Have It Built?
ERP architects, analysts and engineers on a managed ERP project.
Read this nextSoftware Development Outsourcing
A managed project build with a defined endpoint, starting with a free pilot.
Read this nextCustom Software Development
What our team builds when you hand us the full project, starting with a free pilot.
Read this nextWeb Application Development
Production web apps built and supported as managed projects.
Read this nextSoftware Team in Pakistan
How our Islamabad headquarters works with clients in other time zones.
Read this nextCost to Hire a Dedicated Development Team
Typical market rates by region and what drives them.
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Approved-scope project builds, time and materials for maintenance, and payment milestones.
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