Services
A system, not
a rollout.
Installing an agent doesn't guarantee velocity — climbing the ladder does. We work with whatever tooling you already run, and install Shipwright by default where you don't. Four phases, each one moving your team up a rung: find where you actually are, build the guardrails the next step requires, ship alongside your engineers until it's normal, then hand off.
The problem
Almost everyone has adopted AI. Almost no one has integrated it.
80–90% of developers now use AI tools regularly — but only 44% say it's actually integrated into how their team works, not just how individuals work. — industry adoption surveys
Faros AI · 10,000+ devs, 400+ orgs
+98%
PR volume in heavy-AI-adoption teams
+91–441%
Review time
+54%
Bugs per developer
+243%
Incidents per PR
— Faros AI
CloudBees
97% vs 30%
Tool adoption vs. real governance over the code AI produces
81%
Report more production issues since rolling AI out
— CloudBees
Code generation got fast. Review, testing, CI, and deploy didn't — that's a systems problem, not a model problem.
The ladder, at a glance
Gated. AI access locked down — no real infrastructure to host what it produces.
Assisted. One engineer, one agent, mostly supervised — you review almost everything before it merges.
Parallel. 5–10 agents running at once, auto mode on, review and security automated by default.
Supervised Autonomy. Claude writes nearly all the code — one engineer effectively managing managers.
AI-native. The loop closes. Agents kick off agents. You steer by intent, check in by exception.
The Model
Installed isn't the same as faster.
Ladder Placement
1–2 weeks · Fixed fee · Step 0–2
Most teams believe they've already adopted AI and are further up the ladder than they are. We find out where you actually stand — Gated, Assisted, Parallel, or beyond — and what's blocking the next rung. 1:1 engineer interviews, a full SDLC audit, and an honest placement, not a vendor pitch.
1:1 engineer interviews across the org
Full SDLC and toolchain audit
Ladder placement — where you are, not where you think you are
Tooling audit — work with what you run, or install Shipwright
You get
A clear rung, a prioritized roadmap to the next one, and a straight answer on the infrastructure to get there — your existing tooling where it fits, Shipwright where you need a default.
Guardrail Installation
4 weeks per project · Scoped per engagement · Step 1→2
Climbing from step 1 to step 2 isn't about more tokens — it's the guardrails: a self-verification loop you trust, automated review and security, worktree isolation so parallel agents don't collide. We build these directly into your systems, with engineers embedded on whatever tooling you already run — and we install Shipwright by default wherever you don't have one in place.
Self-verification loop: tests, build, lint, e2e
Automated code review and security review
Worktree isolation for parallel agents
Security and access unblocking
You get
The infrastructure the next rung actually requires — real guardrails your team runs on, not a configuration slide.
Embedded Operation
4–6 weeks · Scoped per engagement · Step 2→3
Training decks and champion programs don't move a team up the ladder — we learned that the hard way. What works is running the actual orchestration alongside your engineers: multiple agents, your real backlog, our engineers pairing in the loop until parallel work is normal, not a workshop topic.
Embedded engineers, real backlog — not workshops
Orchestrating agents in your review queue
DORA metrics instrumented and visible
Step 2 to step 3, done together, not taught
You get
Your team actually operating at the next rung — orchestrating agents daily, not attending a training that fades in a month.
Ongoing Velocity
Pricing on request · Sustaining step 3+
Teams stall mid-ladder without continuity. We stay engaged with quarterly rung check-ins, ad hoc support when new bottlenecks surface, and keep pushing until your team owns the climb completely.
Quarterly ladder reassessments
Ad hoc blocker resolution
Evolving guardrails as the tools change
Sustained gains, permanently owned by your team
You get
Sustained velocity gains and permanent ownership by your team. We're the safety net until you don't need one.
Why Us
Not your typical AI consultancy.
Senior founders, not junior consultants
Dan and Dave do the work. You're not paying for a brand name and getting a rotating cast of associates. Two engineers with decades of combined depth — in every meeting, on every project.
Phased, not open-ended
Every engagement has a defined scope, timeline, and exit criteria. We're building toward your team's independence — not a perpetual billing relationship.
Measurable outcomes, not vague promises
DORA metrics, cycle time, deployment frequency, and which rung you're actually on — we instrument what matters and track it. If you're not climbing, we adjust. No hand-waving.
Small team + AI
We practice what we preach. Two founders leveraging AI tools daily means startup velocity with enterprise quality. No overhead, no layers — just results.
Shipwright is our default install, not a mandate
If you already run an agent, we build guardrails around it. Where you don't, we install Shipwright — open-source, self-hosted, your code never leaves your infrastructure, no vendor lock-in.
See which rung you're actually on.
30 minutes to find your place on the ladder, identify what's blocking the next step, and map the path up.
Book a Discovery Call