Workshop
Working sessions with the people who'll have to live with the answer. We map your operating reality, surface the bets worth making, and rule out the ones that aren't.
You leave with
a ranked shortlist of AI bets and an explicit no-list.
AI strategy & implementation
AI that
earns its keep.
groundwork ai helps small and mid-market companies move from "we should do something with AI" to working systems in production. Without the theater.
No deck, no pitch.
Most AI projects don't fail at the model. They fail at the seam between strategy and shipping.
Boards approve a vision. Vendors demo a tool. A pilot kicks off. Six months later the pilot is still a pilot, the team is exhausted, and the board is wondering why ROI is a slide deck instead of a number. We exist to close that gap. Short, opinionated engagements that move from "we should" to "it's running" in months, not years.
Three engagements, in order.
Each one ships a concrete artifact you can take to your team. Designed to stack, but you can stop after any of them.
Roadmap
We take the chosen bet and break it into shippable milestones with effort estimates, integration points, and a measurable success target. A written plan, not a slide deck.
You leave with
a build plan your team or ours can execute.
Build
We pair with your team to ship the first milestone end-to-end. You own the code, the data, and the relationship the day we leave. No vendor lock-in, no subscription dependency.
You leave with
something running in production and a team that knows how to extend it.
A short list of unfashionable beliefs.
We measure in shipped value, not slide count.
Most consulting work is graded on how the deck looks. We grade on whether something is in production making or saving real money.
Smaller bets, sooner.
Big-bang AI transformations stall. We'd rather get one boring thing into production in 90 days than a glamorous one in 18 months.
Your team has to own it.
If we leave and the system breaks, we did it wrong. We work alongside your people, not around them, so when we go, capability stays.
Worth a 30-minute conversation?
If you're sizing up an AI initiative, or trying to unstall one, let's talk. We'll be honest about whether we're the right fit. If not, we'll point you somewhere good.
Tell us what you’re working on →