"I don't know what to even ask for." "I'm not sure this is the right way to frame it." That is exactly the stage where we step in as your FDE, on the front line with you.
The Four FDE Actions
We work alongside you, on the front line, to pin down "what hasn't been decided yet"
SYSTEMI's FDEs (Forward Deployed Engineers) embed directly in your team to do this work. The more AI becomes a given, the more a project's success hinges on looking ahead together—covering the current-state analysis, technology selection, concept framing, and the path into implementation—before requirements are ever defined.
1
Current-state analysis & problem framing
We map your workflows, pain points, and ideal state to make clear "what actually needs solving." This is where we line up the prerequisites you should have in place before placing an order.
2
Technology selection & feasibility study
We compare candidate technologies, weighing whether existing assets can be reused and where AI can realistically be applied. Rather than the safe, generic recommendation, we lay out options that are both workable and genuinely advantageous.
3
Making the concept, team, and estimate visible
We pull the architecture proposal, required skills, rough effort, a realistic timeline, and a project-execution approach together into a single, coherent plan. This is also where we set the criteria for comparing proposals across multiple vendors.
4
Carrying it into requirements, design, and implementation
We hand everything we've organized straight into the next phase and, as your FDE, take it all the way from design to implementation. We don't stop at "the concept"—we stay on the front line until it's real.
Success Stories from Other Companies
In their words: companies that ran this exact process
"There aren't many partner companies that think it through with you from research all the way to the proposal."
— Mr. Ketsuzuka, G-gen | Cloud integrator, 120 employees
"SYSTEMI's appeal is the breadth of their technical capability and the flexibility of how they staff a project."
— Mr. Horie, Ambish | Service industry, 200 employees
COMPARISON
"Waterfall procurement" vs. "FDE-style partnership"
The question isn't which is better—it's which one fits where your project stands right now.
| Dimension | Typical waterfall procurement | FDE-style partnership (SYSTEMI) |
|---|---|---|
| When it starts | Only after the requirements document is complete | From the stage where "what to build" isn't decided yet |
| Spec changes | Costly to change, with extra estimates required | Handled flexibly within the sprint; designed for change from the start |
| Scope of responsibility | Limited to the requirements doc; anything "out of spec" is handled separately | We own it "until the problem is solved" |
| Knowledge transfer | Ends at delivery; sometimes no know-how stays behind | We pass knowledge to your team and support bringing it in-house |
| Where it fits | Standard, well-defined business systems with fixed requirements | Projects with high uncertainty that call for exploration |
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about this approach
Q. How long does it take to untangle fuzzy requirements?
A. It depends on the project's scale and complexity, but as a rough guide: one to two weeks for interviews and initial framing, and two to four weeks once you include the architecture proposal and a ballpark estimate. We adapt as new questions surface during the process.
Q. Can I commission just the framing phase and have a different company handle development?
A. Yes, absolutely. You're welcome to use the results of our framing as a brief for ordering from another company. That said, when SYSTEMI handles everything from framing through implementation, carrying the context across tends to improve both quality and speed.
Q. What kinds of industries and company sizes is this approach suited to?
A. It works across industries, and it's especially well suited to companies that "haven't sorted out the technical picture," are "about to place an order with requirements still vague," or "have few or no engineers in-house." In terms of headcount, much of our track record is with companies of roughly 30 to 500 employees that are in the middle of a DX initiative.
Why not let us step onto the front line first, as your FDE?
"I don't know what to ask for." "I'm not sure this framing is right." That's perfectly fine. Tell us where things stand, and let's figure out together how far we can dig in alongside you.
Talk to us about FDE