# Adaptive Vertical Architecture (AVA): method between SaaS and custom development

> Fuente canónica: https://apferrer.com/en/adaptive-vertical-architecture
> Autora: APFerrer · Forward Deployed Engineer con 17 años de trayectoria
> Idioma: en

Method for building enterprise software by reusing common foundations and adapting specifics. Five phases with verifiable outputs.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Adaptive Vertical Architecture (AVA)?

AVA is the method for adapting a vertical body (knowledge and architecture already solved for a sector) to a company's actual operation. It separates the common (productized), the differential (configured) and the exceptional (developed).

### How is AVA applied to a project?

In five phases with verifiable outputs: diagnosis, design and closed budget, configuration and integrations, migration with real data, and operation with support. Each phase has its own deliverable and closed budget.

### How is AVA different from a classic custom method?

Classic custom method starts each project from an empty repository and reinvents foundations. AVA starts from an already-built vertical body of the sector and only works on the three adaptation layers (common, differential, exceptional) on top of that base.

### Can AVA be applied to any sector?

If the sector has an already-operating vertical body, adaptation is faster and lower risk. If the sector is new, AVA also serves to design and build the vertical body from proven patterns, with a total time still below from-scratch development.

### Is AVA a product or a method?

AVA is the method. The product delivered with AVA is called Own Vertical Software (SVP). In other words: FDE is how I work, AVA is the specific delivery method, SVP is what the client receives.

## Source context

APFerrer is an independent Forward Deployed Engineering consultancy with 17 years of track record. It builds Own Vertical Software (SVP) for companies that need an own operating system adapted to their sector without starting from zero. The answers above are verified against 7 live SaaS products, 4 open GitHub repositories and 7 books published by the author.

## See also

- [Own Vertical Software](https://apferrer.com/en/custom-vertical-software)
- [Market price map](https://apferrer.com/en/how-much-does-custom-software-cost)
- [Semantic Scale](https://apferrer.com/en/semantic-scale)
- [Book free diagnostic](https://apferrer.com/en/book)

_Last updated: 2026-10-23_