Frequently asked questions
Short, honest answers to what people often wonder.
What is Rabonk?
- Rabonk is a small Norwegian consultancy team based in Oslo. We deliver product management, development, test management and design together as one team. The name is an anagram of Carbon: the element that binds things together, and the metaphor for how we work.
What services does Rabonk offer?
- We're a consultancy team delivering four connected disciplines as one team: product management, development, test management and design. You can bring us in three ways: Try is a focused pilot, Build takes a solution all the way into production, and Own is a permanent product team over time. We shape the engagement around the need, not the other way round.
What is Try, the pilot service?
- Try is a focused eight-week pilot. We take a concrete idea from a blank page to a production-ready prototype and a clear basis for deciding. The point is to make it cheap to find out whether something holds: you see the direction work up close before you commit people, budget or time to a full bet.
What does the Build service involve?
- Build takes a solution from prototype to production, at a fixed price. It usually runs three months to a year, depending on scope. You get something people actually use, built to grow, with a clear scope and a price that stays put, whether it's the first delivery or the fifth in a row.
What does the Own service involve?
- Own is an ongoing product team over the longer term, from twelve months and up. We take responsibility for the product all the way: maturing, scaling and looking after it up close, like your own team. It fits when you want tomorrow's product team over time, not just a single delivery.
How does pricing work?
- We work to a fixed price and a concrete scope, so you know what you're getting before we start. We want to hit the mark, not keep your invoice running: we won't drag the work out or sell you scope you don't need. Get in touch, and we'll assess the need and give you a no-strings estimate on price and duration.
How big is the team?
- We're three consultants with over 40 years of combined experience. We deliver like a much bigger team because we work closely, use AI deliberately, and cut out overhead that doesn't add value.
Why can three people deliver like a full team?
- Because the heaviest part of the work is no longer writing the code. When a working version can be ready in hours, the bottleneck moves to understanding the problem correctly, making the right calls, and judging honestly whether what's been built actually holds. That's the work we've set ourselves up for. AI does the repeatable lifting, while the three of us own direction, architecture and quality, which is how we cover product, development, design and test without being a whole agency.
How does a collaboration start?
- It starts with an informal conversation. We hear what you're working on and see whether it's a good match. Then we find the fit, a short or long engagement, around what you actually need, and get going without lengthy onboarding. We're used to grasping context quickly.
How do you work with AI?
- AI is built into the workflow itself, not a chat on the side. It's a force multiplier, not a replacement for understanding: the human owns the architecture and the decisions. We use it daily in development, research and product work, where it actually makes a difference.
How is Rabonk different from larger consultancies?
- Most consultancies say they're hands-on, so the word means little on its own. The difference is in how we're organised: our working processes are shaped for how products are actually built now, not for filling timesheets. We work to a fixed price and an agreed time horizon, not a running invoice, so we gain by hitting the mark, not by keeping the meter going. That we actually do all the work ourselves is something we take for granted.
Where is Rabonk based?
- We're based in Oslo, Norway. We take engagements across the country and work both on-site with clients and remotely.
How do I get in touch?
- Send us a message via the contact form, or email hei@rabonk.no directly. We're always up for an informal conversation before anything else.