How we built silentmonkey.io — from zero to a fully operational boutique consulting presence — using the same Scrum framework, tool stack, and Definition of Done we bring to every client project.
ClientSilent Monkey Solution
DurationNov 2025 – Apr 2026
MethodScrum · Agile
StatusLive · Ongoing
Last updated: 2026-07-03 · 21:45 CET — this page reflects on itself and keeps improving. Living document, not a finished one.
01 · Sprint History
HOW IT HAPPENED.
Eight Sprints, one pivot to Scrum mid-flight, and the honest reasoning behind every turn.
November 2025 · Sprint 1
Concept & First Increment
Sprint Goal: Establish a live presence. silentmonkey.io v1 shipped on Squarespace — animated timeline, countdown timers, British English copy, positioned toward artists and coaches. Increment delivered. Retrospective outcome: wrong direction, pivot required. Backlog reprioritised.
January 2026 · Sprint 2
Repositioning Sprint
Sprint Goal: Define the brand foundation. Three-pillar model accepted into Backlog: Consulting · Solutions · Creation. "Eye of the Storm" philosophy developed as Product Vision. Legal contract templates, welcome flows. The brand voice found its register. Definition of Done: signed off in Sprint Review.
February 2026 · Sprint 3
Infrastructure Migration
Sprint Goal: Replace Squarespace with a scalable, open architecture. Initial Product Owner decision: Ghost CMS — open-source, built-in SEO, newsletter infrastructure. Mid-sprint Retrospective outcome: for the current scope, Ghost was overengineered. The Product Owner revised the decision in favour of a leaner custom stack — more control, fewer dependencies, €29/mo saved. Tool stack locked as Epic: Proyex.io + Proton Mail + Vercel. Acceptance Criteria: DNS propagated, deploy pipeline active. Ghost remains in the Backlog as a future option — not discarded, deferred.
March 2026 · Sprint 4–5
Audit Tool — Two-Sprint Epic
Sprint Goal: Ship a working audit tool as a lead generation asset. Eight releases across two Sprints — PageSpeed Insights, Core Web Vitals timeline, hover info panels, trilingual UI. Each Sprint Review included a live demo. Deployed as a standalone Increment on audit.silentmonkey.io. Velocity: 4 major Stories per Sprint.
March → April 2026 · The Turning Point
Scrum Adopted — Mid-Flight
We didn't start with Scrum. We started with momentum — a fast, iterative build driven by instinct, Claude as a development partner, and a clear product vision. It worked. Until it didn't. As the Audit Tool grew in complexity — multiple API integrations, trilingual UI, 8 versions, cross-session continuity issues — the absence of structure became visible. Conversations had to be summarised. Context had to be re-uploaded. It was impossible to precisely say: "This is where it went wrong." That's a textbook case for Scrum. So we introduced it — not from the start, but from the moment it was needed. That decision is part of the story. Because that's exactly what we bring to client projects: the ability to recognise when a methodology is missing, and the discipline to implement it without losing velocity. Not every project starts with Scrum. But every complex project eventually needs it.
April 2026 · Week 1 · Sprint 6
Strategy & Style Guide Sprint
Sprint Goal: Establish design system and go-to-market strategy as shippable artifacts. Style Guide v1 completed — four pillars, colour system, typography. Two-pillar consulting strategy defined as Product Backlog Epic: Audit (leads) → cal.eu → Proyex (delivery). Domain architecture accepted into Done column.
April 2026 · Week 2 · Sprint 6
Homepage v17 — First Public Release
Sprint Goal: Ship a reviewable homepage Increment. 17 releases in one Sprint cycle. Dot-navigation, onboarding timeline with Scrum badges, two-pillar intake, three contact blocks. Sprint Review: first version validated on iPad — fast, clean, no agency overhead. Stakeholder sign-off: approved for continued iteration.
April 2026 · Week 3 · Sprint 7
v21 · Pipeline · Strategic Refinement
Sprint Goal: Production-grade deployment pipeline and strategic scope alignment. Migrated from Netlify to Vercel with GitHub auto-deploy — every commit triggers a Release. Homepage reached v21: fully English, trilingual language switcher shipped as a User Story, Claude API integrated. Backlog decision: Solution pillar dropped, Two-Pillar model accepted as new Product Vision. audit.silentmonkey.io serves both Consulting and Audit Tool.
07.07.2026 · Design · Detail
404-Seite als Miniatur-Erlebnis
Eine 404-Seite ist die Seite, auf der man nie landen soll — und deshalb die perfekte Gelegenheit für einen Moment Charme. Statt einer nüchternen Fehlermeldung: ein Miniatur-Labyrinth, algorithmisch neu gewürfelt bei jedem Aufruf, ein goldener Punkt, der Wege sucht und in einem ONE-WAY-Schild stecken bleibt. Dann die eigentliche Botschaft: The trail ends here. Auffällig auch, was fehlt: og:url bleibt weg, weil eine 404-Seite keinen kanonischen Ort teilen kann. Auslassungen sind Entscheidungen. Wer sich diese Seite bewusst ansehen will, findet sie unter /404.html — traditionell ein Ort, an dem Entwickler ihren Besuchern eine kleine Entschädigung für die Fehlleitung schenken.
02 · Product Backlog
WHAT'S NEXT.
The live backlog — 32 items, filterable by status.
Imprint and Privacy — audit.silentmonkey.io and Ghost
Waiting: Ibiza address + NIF
Legal
Blocked
Stripe ES setup
Waiting: Autónomo registration
Legal
Backlog
info@ to andreas@silentmonkey.io Proton Mail migration
Infrastructure
Backlog
Apple Calendar — reconnect Claude access
Infrastructure
Blocked
Ibiza Voices Stripe — activate tax setup
Waiting: Asociación + Spanish bank account
Ibiza Voices
Blocked
Ibiza Voices legal pages — imprint, privacy
Waiting: NIF + Ibiza address
Ibiza Voices
Backlog
Squarespace to self-built migration
Planned Q3 2026
Infrastructure
Backlog
mlx-whisper local transcription — resume setup
Infrastructure
Next
Guardián de Eivissa — Consell pitch
Guardián de Eivissa
03 · Security Log
WHAT WE WATCH FOR.
Issues found while building this site, documented and fixed in the open. No marketing, no excuses.
High
API Key ExposureR-01 · audit/index.html · Discovered Jun 2026
Fixedv
Problem
The Google PageSpeed API key was hardcoded in plain text in the client-side audit/index.html — publicly visible in the browser source. Any visitor could read and abuse the key.
Fix
Introduced a Vercel Serverless Function (/api/pagespeed) as a proxy. The key now lives in a Vercel Environment Variable — server-side, never in the browser.
ISO 27001 Reference
A.8.24 — Use of cryptography / credential management. A.8.28 — Secure coding.
Why it happened
Static site, no build step, no .env concept in the original design. Key was hardcoded because it was meant to be "quick".
Learning
An API key in client code is not a configuration error — it is a data breach. An information security consultant whose own key sits in the source code has a credibility problem.
Medium
Vercel Rewrite OrderR-02 · vercel.json · Discovered Jun 2026
Fixedv
Problem
The catch-all rewrite for audit.silentmonkey.io intercepted all requests, including /api/pagespeed, which was never reached. Result: HTTP 500.
Fix
Added an explicit /api/(.*) rule before the catch-all in vercel.json. Vercel processes rewrites in order — first match wins.
ISO 27001 Reference
A.8.28 — Secure coding. A.8.21 — Security of network services.
Diagnosis path
A minimal ping test isolated the function from the API call — the function worked, the problem was routing. vercel.json analysis found the cause in two steps.
Learning
Routing rules are security-relevant. A wrong order can cause security functions (auth, rate limiting, proxy) to never apply. Order is architecture.
Governance
ISO 27001 Clause 7.2 — Self-ApplicationR-03 · Governance · Identified Jun 2026
In Progressv
Insight
ISO 27001 clause 7.2 requires demonstrable competence of all persons in the ISMS scope. Advising clients on ISO 27001 without being certified risks a non-conformity in the client's own organisation.
Consequence
The standard applied to oneself: ISO 27001 Lead Auditor and Lead Implementer qualification (ongoing). No advisory activity until certification.
Qualification ongoing. Certification pending. Until then: showcase, not an advisory offering.
Learning
Knowing a standard without applying it to yourself means you haven't truly understood it. Clause 7.2 is not a checklist for others — it is a mirror.
04 · Design Decisions
WHY IT LOOKS THIS WAY.
Every ADR behind this site's structure, palette, and language rules.
ADR-001 · Closed
One Domain
silentmonkey.io as the single root, every service on a subdomain. Evaluated against ~12 criteria over six months of recurring discussion — single-domain won on nearly every axis.
ADR-002 · Closed
Vercel over Ghost
Ghost was the original choice — reversed mid-build as overengineered for the actual scope. Leaner stack, ~€29/mo saved. Ghost later reinstated, but scoped narrowly to blog.silentmonkey.io.
ADR-003 · Closed
Two Pillars
Collapsed from three pillars to two — Digital Solutions and Digital Governance — after the original three-pillar model diluted the pitch.
ADR-004 · Closed
Netlify → Vercel
Migrated for GitHub auto-deploy — every push to main becomes a shippable Increment, matching the Scrum rhythm.
ADR-005 · Closed · 2026-05-07
English Is Canonical
EN is canonical for routes and filenames. DE/ES delivered as static overlay spans, not translated pages or a runtime translation API.
ADR-006 · Closed
Project Color System
Gold = brand/action, reserved for the main site. Blue = status/information, shared by the Audit Tool and Polyglot Engine. Each case study carries its own distinct accent, never reused.
ADR-007 · Accepted · 2026-07-03
Silence Is Also a Color
This hub carries no accent color. Blue was already claimed twice before Making-Of reached for it. The brand's own name gave the real answer: grayscale, for the one section built to hold still.
Full ADR log — including reconstructed context for 001–004 and 006 — lives in ADR-LOG.md in the repo.
00 · Overview
BY THE NUMBERS.
7Sprints Completed
21Releases Shipped
3Languages
€84Monthly Running Cost
€29Saved / mo — PO Decision
200+Increments Delivered
3×Projected ROI
0Agency Budget
5moVelocity Window
01 · Process
THE BOARD.
Every feature, every page, every integration ran through a proper Product Backlog — prioritised, estimated, and refined before a single line was written. No ad-hoc decisions. No scope creep without an explicit change to the Sprint Goal. Product Owner and Developer were the same person — which is either elegant or insane. Probably both.
Full-stack digital competence — DNS to AI integration
EU-compliant tool stack — DSGVO by design
Own audit tool — unique lead generation Increment
No agency overhead — lean, fast, direct
W
Weaknesses
Solo operation — capacity limits per project
DNS migration still pending
Legal setup in transition — German market only for now
No case studies published yet
Squarespace migration still pending
Brand recognition still early stage
O
Opportunities
AI consulting market growing rapidly
Custom-built stack — full control, no platform lock-in
Audit tool as scalable lead engine
Proyex — client transparency as differentiator
Automation (n8n) reduces manual overhead
Boutique positioning in underserved markets
T
Threats
Agencies with larger budgets & teams
Squarespace/Wix self-service trend
AI tools reducing perceived need for consultants
Slow client decision cycles
Platform dependency (Vercel, cal.eu, Stripe)
03 · Methodology
WHY SCRUM?
Scrum is an agile framework for delivering complex projects in short, focused cycles called Sprints. Every Sprint starts with Planning, ends with a Review and Retrospective, and ships a working Increment. We apply it to every client project — and to ourselves. Here's what it means in practice.
📋
PRODUCT BACKLOG
The single source of truth for everything that needs to be built. Prioritised by value, estimated by effort, owned by the Product Owner. Nothing enters a Sprint without being groomed in the Backlog first. No surprises. No scope creep.
🎯
USER STORY
Every task is framed from the user's perspective: "As a [user], I want [feature], so that [outcome]."Acceptance Criteria define exactly when a Story is done. No ambiguity. No moving goalposts.
⚡
SPRINT
A fixed time-box — typically 1–2 weeks — with a clear Sprint Goal. The team commits to a scope and delivers. Each Sprint produces a working, shippable Increment. You don't wait for "done" — you see progress every cycle.
✅
DEFINITION OF DONE
A shared, explicit checklist that every Increment must pass before it's considered complete. Tested. Deployed. Reviewed. Done means done — not "almost done" or "done on my machine." Quality is non-negotiable.
🔍
REVIEW & RETRO
After each Sprint: the Review inspects what was delivered. The Retrospective asks what can improve. Continuous improvement is built into the process. Not a post-mortem — a living habit that makes every Sprint better than the last.
🔮
TRANSPARENCY
Every User Story, every blocker, every Sprint Board is visible. Scrum's three pillars — Transparency, Inspection, Adaptation — are not theory here. Clients see the board in real time, via Proyex. No curated highlight reels.
05 · Infrastructure
THE STACK.
Every tool chosen for a reason. EU-compliant where possible. Open-source preferred. No vendor lock-in without justification.
Code versioning and auto-deploy pipeline. Connected to Vercel — every push goes live automatically. Full version history.
06 · What's Next
SOMETHING IS COMING.
We built a tool to analyse websites. Then we used it on ourselves. What we found changed the scope of what we're building next.
The Audit Tool was supposed to be the product. It turned out to be the research.
During development, our own analysis surfaced a pattern — a gap in how small businesses establish digital visibility — that we couldn't ignore. What started as a lead generation tool became the foundation for something with significantly more impact than originally scoped.
We're not ready to name it yet. But we're building it. And when it ships — Late Summer 2026 — it will be available to every client who has ever wondered why their website exists but nobody finds it.
Andreas · Founder, Silent Monkey Solution
Q3Target Release
3×Scope vs. Original Plan
0Details Released So Far
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW.
No newsletter. No hype. Just a direct message when we're ready to show what we've been building. Book a call — and we'll tell you more than we've written here.
"We built this the way we build everything — one Sprint at a time, until the Increment speaks for itself. The project took longer than the initial velocity suggested. It always does. That's not failure. That's how real things get made."
Andreas · Founder, Silent Monkey Solution
THIS COULD BE YOUR PROJECT.
You've seen how we work. You know what we build. If you have a project that needs clarity, structure, and someone who hasn't said no yet — let's talk.