how we work

from idea to deployed
product in weeks, not months.

a four-phase process built for speed without skipping the boring parts that keep production stable. same playbook every time.

the four phases

repeatable.
predictable. fast.

01 · discovery & audit

discovery & audit

duration: 1-2 weeks · deliverable: opportunity roadmap

we map your current workflows, integrations, data sources, and team. we ride along with the people who'll actually use the software, not just the executives who'll buy it. the output is a written assessment with a ranked list of where ai moves the needle and where it's a waste of money.

  • stakeholder interviews with operators, not just sponsors
  • workflow + tech-stack audit
  • data inventory: what you have, what you need
  • ranked ai opportunity roadmap with cost & impact
  • go / no-go recommendation, in writing
02 · architecture & design

architecture & design

duration: 1-2 weeks · deliverable: technical spec + ui prototype

we design the system, data model, integrations, and ui. you see the actual screens, not wireframes, before we write production code. everything we propose is grounded in the audit findings, so there are no surprises about scope or stack.

  • system architecture diagram, reviewed with your team
  • data model + api contracts
  • clickable ui prototype on real data
  • model selection: Anthropic Claude (default), local LLM, or fine-tune, chosen per task
  • hosting plan: your cloud or ours, your call
03 · build & iterate

build & iterate

duration: 4-10 weeks · deliverable: working software, every friday

weekly sprints with a working demo every friday. you and the operators who'll use the product see the real thing on real data, not a slide. we adjust based on what they say, not what we guessed in the design phase.

  • weekly demo on staging with your data
  • direct slack / whatsapp channel with the engineers
  • pen-tested before production
  • observability built in from day one: logs, traces, alerts
  • you ship to production when it's ready, not before
04 · launch & scale

launch & scale

duration: ongoing · deliverable: live product + retention retainer

we deploy, monitor, and tune. post-launch, the ai components keep learning from your data, and we keep tuning the prompts, models, and workflows so they don't drift. most clients move to a small monthly retainer for ongoing model care.

  • production deploy with rollback plan
  • 30-day post-launch hardening sprint
  • monthly model performance review
  • quarterly LLM upgrade evaluation
  • SLAs aligned to your uptime needs
what's not in our process

a few things
we will never do.

no 47-slide decks. our discovery output is a written one-pager and a working prototype. if you need a deck for your board, we'll make a clean two-pager, but it's not how we communicate progress.

no junior bench. every line of code is written or reviewed by a senior engineer. we don't have a 'delivery team' you've never met.

no vendor lock-in. code, models, prompts, infrastructure: everything we build is yours. we hand over keys, repos, and runbooks.

no 'ai for ai's sake.' if a rules engine or a sql query solves the problem better, we'll tell you and bill you less.

no mystery pricing. fixed-price engagements when scope is clear, T&M when it's not. you'll never get a surprise change order.

engagement models

three ways
to work with us.

project-based

fixed scope, fixed price, fixed timeline. best for teams with a clear problem and a defined budget. most engagements land here.

retainer

a small senior team embedded with yours, sprinting weekly. best for ongoing ai/automation roadmaps and post-launch model care.

augmentation

you have an in-house team but need senior ai engineering help on a specific project. we pair-program, mentor, and review.

say hello

ready to put ai to
work for your business?

tell us what you're trying to solve. we'll tell you exactly how we'd build it, and what it'll cost. no fluff, no 47-slide decks.

or reach us directly. hello@vegasvertical.com · +1 (702) 887-1587. replies come from federico or alex, within 48 hours.

send us a message