Phase 01 of the Archie Labs journey
Explore the possibilities and define the solution. Before a line of code, Archie Labs turns your idea into a clear, validated plan — who it's for, what it must do, and how AI changes what's possible.
Where this fits
This is where it starts. A complete engagement on its own — many teams come to us only for the clarity and a roadmap — and the first phase of an end-to-end partnership, with the same team carrying you all the way through. Engage any phase on its own, or go end-to-end with us.
Who it's for
Whether you are starting from a vision or modernizing what you already run, you leave with a plan grounded in your users, your data, and what AI now makes possible.
You have a vision and momentum, but the product isn't yet specified. We define your users and their needs, the jobs the product must do, and the look and feel — so the team that builds it starts from a clear, validated brief instead of assumptions.
Your business runs on software that's falling behind, or you know AI should be part of your future and aren't sure where. We run a deep-dive on your workflows, data, and systems, then deliver a roadmap of exactly what to build, re-platform, or automate — sequenced by impact.
Capabilities
Three disciplines, run together, that take you from an idea or a legacy system to a plan you can build with confidence.
01 — Capability
AI strategy is a structured assessment of where artificial intelligence can create real leverage in your business — and a prioritized plan to capture it. Archie Labs maps your workflows, data, and goals to concrete AI opportunities, then ranks them by impact and feasibility.
We separate genuine advantage from hype. Rather than bolting a chatbot onto an old process, we identify where agentic AI changes the economics of your product — and where it doesn’t yet make sense — so you invest in the right things first.
02 — Capability
Product discovery is the research-and-definition work that turns an idea into a buildable product specification. Archie Labs defines your users, their needs, the core jobs the product must do, and the intended look and feel — so Build starts with clarity, not guesswork.
Discovery is where definition happens; the detailed design and UI work then happens in Build. We pressure-test the idea against real user needs and the market, narrowing scope to the product that’s worth shipping first.
03 — Capability
Technical architecture is the blueprint for how your software will be built — the systems, data models, integrations, and infrastructure chosen before development begins. Archie Labs designs an architecture that’s scalable, secure, and ready for AI from day one.
Getting architecture right early is the difference between software that compounds and software that has to be rebuilt. We make the foundational decisions deliberately, and document them so the Build team moves fast without guessing.
How it works
A focused, time-boxed engagement — a few weeks for a product discovery, up to roughly 12 to 16 weeks for a full enterprise data and AI strategy — that ends with a plan you can act on.
We start with your goals, constraints, and context — the business outcome you’re really after.
We research users, market, data, and systems, and map where AI creates genuine leverage.
We specify the product, key flows, look-and-feel intent, and the technical architecture.
You leave with the Executive Strategy Readout and Decision Package — a prioritized, estimated roadmap of what to build or re-platform, ready for Build.
The deliverable
This phase concludes with an executive readout and a decision package built to act on — not a research report that sits on a shelf.
You own every deliverable.
FAQ
This is a focused discovery and definition phase. Archie Labs aligns on your goals, researches your users and market, identifies where AI creates leverage, and produces a product specification, technical architecture, and a phased roadmap of what to build or re-platform.
It scales with scope — from a few weeks for a focused product discovery to roughly 12 to 16 weeks for a comprehensive enterprise data and AI strategy. Either way it is time-boxed: you leave with a validated plan, not an open-ended research project.
This is a fixed-fee engagement, billed in scheduled installments, so the cost is known up front regardless of the hours spent.
No. Many clients come to us with only an idea or a business problem. We supply the product and engineering thinking so you start with clarity.
You receive an Executive Strategy Readout and Decision Package: a defined product specification covering users, needs, and look and feel, a technical architecture blueprint, an AI opportunity assessment, and a prioritized roadmap with estimates. You own these deliverables.
Yes. For established businesses we run a deep-dive on your current platform and data, then deliver a roadmap of what to modernize, re-platform, or build new to adopt AI.
