Architecture Sprint
$5,000 – $8,000 · 1–2 weeks. An architecture document, tech stack recommendation, build plan, and cost projection. The foundation for everything that follows.
Most AI projects fail before the first deployment. Not because the technology doesn’t work — but because no one mapped the system before writing code. The team picked a model, wired up an API, and started building. Six weeks later, they discover the architecture can’t handle their data volume, their compliance requirements, or their integration constraints. They start over. Or worse — they ship something fragile and spend the next year patching it.
An architecture sprint eliminates that risk. In one to two weeks, we evaluate your data, your infrastructure, your constraints, and your goals. We design the system before building it. You get a document that answers every technical question your team will face during implementation — and a clear-eyed assessment of what’s possible, what’s hard, and what’s not worth doing.
This isn’t a slide deck with boxes and arrows. It’s a technical specification written by engineers who will be accountable for the build. Every recommendation comes with a rationale. Every tradeoff is documented. Every cost is projected. When you hand this document to your team — or to us — everyone knows exactly what they’re building and why.
If you’re evaluating whether AI can solve a specific problem, this is where you start. If you’ve already tried and it didn’t work, this is how you figure out why. If you’re ready to build but want to derisk before committing budget, this is the lowest-cost way to get there.
Six deliverables. No ambiguity. Everything documented.
Complete technical specification: data flow, component design, integration points, failure modes, and scaling strategy. Not slides — a working reference your team will use throughout the build.
Model selection, infrastructure choices, framework decisions — each with rationale, alternatives considered, and tradeoff analysis. No vendor loyalty. Best tool for the job.
Week-by-week implementation roadmap. Dependencies mapped. Critical path identified. You know what gets built first, what can parallel, and where the risks concentrate.
Infrastructure costs, API costs, development effort, ongoing maintenance — all estimated with ranges and assumptions documented. No surprise invoices.
What could go wrong and how we prevent it. Data quality risks, integration complexity, vendor lock-in, compliance gaps — identified before they become expensive problems.
An honest assessment of whether this project should proceed as designed, be restructured, or be shelved. We tell you the truth — even when the truth is “don’t build this.”
Days 1–5
Stakeholder interviews, data audit, infrastructure review, constraint mapping. We talk to the people who will use the system, the people who will maintain it, and the people who will pay for it. We review your existing data sources, evaluate quality and volume, and identify the integration points that will define the architecture. By Friday, we know what we’re solving.
Days 6–10
We design the system, write the specification, build the cost model, and present everything in a working session with your team. Not a presentation — a conversation. We walk through every decision, answer every question, and revise in real time. You leave with a document you trust and a plan you can execute.
You have a problem that might benefit from AI but aren’t sure what it would take to build. You want a clear-eyed assessment before committing budget.
A previous attempt didn’t deliver. You need someone to diagnose what went wrong and design an approach that addresses the root cause — not just the symptoms.
You know what you need. You want to derisk the build by having the architecture validated by engineers who have shipped production AI systems.
Timeline: 1–2 weeks
The sprint pays for itself if it prevents even one week of wasted development effort.
Every engagement begins with an architecture sprint. It’s how we ensure we’re building the right thing — and how you evaluate us with minimal risk. If we’re not the right fit, you still walk away with a document your team can use.
30-minute discovery call · No pitch deck