From evidence to developed options
Visual project development for engineering, construction & critical infrastructure
We believe every project decision should be clear, evidence based and easy to explain, long after it is made. DevelopVault connects the evidence, scope, options and decision in one visual record, so everyone can see how and why the preferred option was chosen.
Retain Knowledge.
Decision Context
Comments
3 photosStair treads and stringers corroded, recoat or replace.
2 photosBolts corroded on the inlet main.
2 photosDuty pump tripping on overload.
2 photosPonding at the gate, gully blocked.
2 photosSeal leaking onto the plinth.
4 photosPosts corroded along the river boundary.
The data is there. Using it is the hard part.
Most organisations already collect surveys, inspections, imagery and reports. The challenge is turning that information into a clear decision and being able to show, years later, how it was made. DevelopVault turns it into one connected record, from evidence to decision.
- 01Evidence
- 02Scope
- 03Options
- 04Evaluation
- 05Decision
A connected development record from evidence through to the preferred solution.
Built from real project experience
Every project follows the same structured path: Evidence → Scope → Options → Evaluation → Decision. Each option is assessed against the evidence using consistent criteria, so decisions are standardised and driven by data rather than by individual opinion. The tour shows DevelopVault Enterprise. Pro shares the same visual record and option comparison.
Connect project information to the place it matters
Bring drone imagery, site photos and diagrams together in a visual workspace. Link everything with visual markers for rapid retrieval of data and context, so the evidence behind any comment, issue, scope item or action is always a click away.
- Mark up visually with measurements, text, arrows, shapes, polygons and revision clouds
- Control the view with layers for comments, issues, scope and mark up
3 photosStair treads and stringers corroded, recoat or replace.
2 photosBolts corroded on the inlet main.
2 photosDuty pump tripping on overload.
2 photosPonding at the gate, gully blocked.
2 photosSeal leaking onto the plinth.
4 photosPosts corroded along the river boundary.
Connect evidence to what it supports
Keep every survey photo and report in one evidence library, so the reasoning behind each decision can always be traced back to its source.
- Organise evidence by visit, discipline and project area
- Link evidence directly to comments, reports, defects, scope items and actions
- Find any photo or report fast by searching across the whole evidence library
Compare options and show how you got there
Develop options from scope items or as complete alternatives, then compare cost, benefits and risk side by side. Weight the criteria that matter to your project and capture trade offs and stakeholder views alongside the numbers, with a clear record of how the preferred option was reached.
- Build options your way from defined scope items, or as whole alternatives such as different designs or locations
- Score against weighted criteria such as cost, benefit, risk and programme
- See which option delivers best with a weighted score for every option
- Capture the decision with stakeholder votes, benefits, trade offs and recorded approval
| Option Comparison | Option 1 72 | Option 2 81 ★ SELECTED | Option 3 55 | Do Nothing 45 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary | Upgrade existing unitRefurbish the current pumps and controls in the existing building. | New unit, relocatedNew packaged pump unit on a fresh plinth beside the access road. | New unit plus site expansionAs Option 2, plus a larger compound for future capacity. | BaselineCarry on as now. No planned intervention. |
| Weighted criteria | ||||
| Cost (whole life) 25% | £180k£20k under target | £310k£10k under target | £520k£70k over target | £0 |
| Resultant risk 25% | 9 · Medium3 over target | 4 · Low2 under target | 3 · Very low3 under target | 20 · Very high14 over target |
| Strategic alignment 15% | Partial | Strong | Strong | None |
| Deliverability & programme 15% | 6 months | 12 months | 20 months | 0 months |
| Safety & environment 10% | Some impact | Minimal | Minimal | Ongoing risk |
| Operability & maintenance 10% | Ageing kit | Easy to maintain | More kit to run | Failing kit |
| Weighted score | 72 | 81 | 55 | 45 |
| Benefits and trade offs | ||||
| Benefits |
|
|
|
|
| Trade offs |
|
|
|
|
| Stakeholder review | ||||
| Operations | Neutral | For | Against | Against |
| Engineering | Against | For | Neutral | Against |
| Asset Management | Neutral | For | Neutral | Against |
| Groups backing | None of 3 | 3 of 3 groups | None of 3 | None of 3 |
| Final decision | ||||
| Why this option | Option 2 Lowest remaining risk for the money and backed by all three groups. Option 3 adds capacity we don’t need yet, at £210k more. | |||
See what is stopping the decision
Turn open questions into owned actions and identify the issues preventing approval. Keep every blocker visible against the decision and the options it affects until it is resolved.
- See blockers instantly with approval blockers counted on every decision
- Connect actions to context by linking them to comments, issues, scope items and photos
- Track progress with owners, due dates and a time stamped activity history
Turn the whole decision into a ready-to-issue pack
Export the complete decision, including the overview, marked up diagrams, options, images and supporting evidence. Create structured outputs ready for clients, boards, reviewers and project teams.
- Export to PDF or PowerPoint with the overview, every marked up diagram, each option and the evidence in one pack, or send it straight to a printer
- Export actions as one PDF per action, or as a summary with a blank column for writing answers on a printed copy
- Export to Excel or copy into an email from any table, with your filters kept and dates and numbers intact
- Keep outputs clean with hidden options, hidden photos and empty sections left out automatically
Decision 0001 Example Site
The same structured approach, delivered for you
Not every organisation has the time or people to do this in house. We work alongside your team from the first site evidence to the approved decision. Everything we produce stays with you as a complete record.
Optioneering and feasibility studies
We gather the evidence, test what is feasible and develop the options, then compare cost, benefit and risk so the preferred option is clear and easy to explain.
Investment planning and investment cases
We help you plan where funding should go and write the investment case for each choice, with the evidence to stand up to challenge.
Asset management strategy
We turn condition data, defects and risk into a plan for what to intervene on, when and why, with priorities your organisation can fund and deliver.
Regulatory submissions and justification papers
We prepare submissions and justification papers for regulated funding, with a clear line from evidence to the decision you are asking a regulator to support.
Programme and project management
We keep scope, actions and approvals moving across a single project or many sites, with one view of what is decided and what is holding each decision up.
Generic where you need it. Configured where you need it.
DevelopVault Pro gives any project team a structured way to develop and compare options. DevelopVault Enterprise configures DevelopVault around your organisation, inside your own environment. DevelopVault Consultancy gives you hands on support when you need it.
DevelopVault Pro
For project development and optioneering
Bring project information together, develop options and build a clear evidence based decision.
- Pin issues, comments and scope straight onto site photos and drawings
- Every score backed by the photo or document that proves it
- See the risk each option leaves behind before you choose
- Test the weights and see exactly where the answer would change
- Approvals that flag anything changed since sign off
- A finished decision pack as PDF, straight from your record
- Works in your browser, ready to use without lengthy implementation
- Simple monthly subscription per user
DevelopVault Enterprise
For organisations developing projects at scale
Configure DevelopVault around your organisation's data, processes, metrics and governance.
- Everything in Pro, configured for your organisation
- Your datasets and terminology built into the system
- Custom metrics and assessment methods for your projects
- Your workflows, templates and approval processes
- Funding and programme level decisions
- Organisation specific reporting and decision outputs
- Deployed inside your own environment
- Training, implementation and ongoing development around your requirements
- Per user or organisation licence
DevelopVault Consultancy
For organisations that need extra capacity or expertise
We develop options, build investment cases and manage programmes, using DevelopVault to keep every decision clear and traceable.
- Optioneering and feasibility studies
- Investment planning and investment cases
- Asset management strategy
- Regulatory submissions and justification papers
- Programme and project management
Built for critical infrastructure
Enterprise can be configured around your own defect registers, intervention catalogues, asset risk models, stakeholder scoring, funding and programme level decision making.
See Enterprise capabilities →Secure by design
Deployed inside your own environment, so your data stays where your policies say it should.
Wherever there is more than one way to deliver a project
Proven on live UK energy network programmes and built for any engineering or construction project where options need developing, comparing and justifying. Use it yourself, or have us work alongside your team.
Frequently asked questions
What is DevelopVault?
DevelopVault is visual project development and optioneering software. It connects evidence, scope, options and decisions in one visual development record, so every decision is based on evidence and data, not opinion. The record shows how and why each decision was made, so decisions stay defensible and knowledge is retained.
Who is DevelopVault for?
DevelopVault Pro is for anyone who develops and compares options, from project managers, engineers and designers to consultants, contractors and client teams. DevelopVault Enterprise is for organisations developing projects at scale that want DevelopVault configured around their own data, processes and governance, running inside their own environment.
What is the difference between Pro and Enterprise?
DevelopVault Pro is the generic product, launching soon as a simple subscription that is ready to use without lengthy implementation. DevelopVault Enterprise is DevelopVault configured for your organisation, with your datasets, terminology, metrics, workflows and reporting built in. It runs inside your own environment, so DevelopVault never hosts, stores or copies your data.
Do I need defect or condition data to use DevelopVault?
No. DevelopVault Pro works for any project with more than one way forward, from asset upgrades and capacity increases to compliance, replacement and decarbonisation projects. Options can be scored on weighted criteria such as cost, benefit, risk and programme.
What is optioneering?
Optioneering is a blend of the words options and engineering. It is the process of developing and comparing alternative solutions to a problem, for example refurbish, replace or do nothing, against cost, risk, programme and stakeholder needs, then recording why the preferred option was chosen. The term is most widely used in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. In the US the closest equivalent is analysis of alternatives. DevelopVault gives that process a structured, visual home. Read our practical guide to optioneering.
What's the difference between optioneering and options appraisal?
They describe the same discipline. Options appraisal is the formal term used in business cases and the HM Treasury Green Book: identify the options, then assess them objectively. Optioneering is the engineering term and it usually means developing the options as well as appraising them, continuing throughout the project life cycle rather than as a one-off exercise.
What is a do-minimum option?
The least you could do to stay safe and compliant: the lowest-cost option that still meets the essential requirements. It sits between Do Nothing (continue as you are, the baseline every option is measured against) and fuller interventions. Regulators such as Ofgem, the UK energy regulator, expect both to be considered.
Does DevelopVault replace our asset register or planning tools?
No. Asset registers and inspection data tell you what you have and what condition it is in. Portfolio and investment planning tools decide what gets funded and when. DevelopVault sits in between at site level, using the evidence you already have to work out what is actually required and why.
How does DevelopVault show what is blocking a decision?
Any action can be flagged as preventing approval. DevelopVault shows those blockers against the decision and the options they affect, so you can see at a glance whether a decision is ready to approve and what is still outstanding.
See DevelopVault in action
A walkthrough using example projects, from first evidence to preferred option. Tell us what types of projects or assets you manage and we'll show how DevelopVault could help.