A five-stage path,
priced and reversible at every step
No giant upfront contract and no open-ended retainer. We start with two free conversations, then price each stage in writing before the next begins, so you stay in control of the spend and free to stop at any boundary.
Big decisions, broken into small, reversible steps
A single large contract asks you to fund uncertainty up front. AI work carries enough of it that betting the whole budget before anything is proven is the wrong move, for you and for us.
So the engagement comes in five stages. Each is small, priced before it starts, and ends at a natural exit. You only ever fund the next step once the last one has earned it.
The five stages
- 1Intro callFree
- 2Pre-discoveryFree
- 3DiscoveryFrom a fixed fee
- 4StrategyPriced upfront
- 5Implementation12-week blocks
Each one priced, each one optional
Intro call
A conversation, not a pitch. We learn your business and what is slowing it down; you learn how we think. If we are not a fit, we say so.
Pre-discovery
We dig a level deeper, then size and quote Discovery in writing. You never get a number invented on the spot, and you decide whether to proceed.
Discovery
We map where AI pays off across your operation, scored by impact, effort and risk. You leave with a prioritised use-case map that is yours to keep, with or without us.
Strategy
We turn the map into an implementation plan a board can vote on: what to build, in what order, at what cost and return. Confirmed in writing before any build.
Implementation
We build and ship in 12-week blocks. Working software in your hands every couple of weeks, with the IP yours from day one. The same senior team that does the work handles the AI engineering, the custom software development and the cloud work, so nothing is handed between vendors.
Why this beats the usual way
The usual way
The conventional shape.
- One big contract signed before anyone knows what works
- Open-ended retainers with no clear finish line
- A platform you rent forever and cannot take with you
- Months of build before you see anything real
- Strategy bolted on afterwards to justify the spend
The ComplxAI way
How we run every engagement.
- Two free conversations before any money moves
- Each stage scoped, priced and agreed on its own
- Software you own outright, IP from day one
- Working software in your hands every couple of weeks
- Strategy first, so a project that does not stack up is stopped before it is funded
Principles, not promises
Every stage prices the next
You are never asked to commit to a number you have not seen in writing. Each stage scopes and quotes the one after it.
Exit at every boundary
Stop at the end of any stage or any 12-week block, no penalty. We earn the next block by delivering this one.
Your IP from day one
Everything we build for you is yours from the first paid stage, with the option to take it in-house whenever you choose.
Strategy before spend
Discovery and Strategy come before any build. If a project does not stack up, you hear that before you fund it.
What you walk away with, even if you stop
A use-case map
After Discovery: a prioritised, scored map of where AI pays off in your business, yours to act on however you like.
An implementation plan
After Strategy: a costed, sequenced plan a board can vote on: what to build, in what order, at what return.
Working software
After each build block: production software your team uses, documented and fully owned, ready to take in-house.
Common questions
about the process
Anything we have not covered? The intro call is free.
Ask us directlyDo the first two stages really cost nothing?
Yes. The intro call and pre-discovery are free. They exist so we both know there is a real fit before any money changes hands.
How do you decide the price of each stage?
Pre-discovery sizes and quotes Discovery; Discovery and Strategy size Implementation. Every number is put in writing before that stage begins, so you approve the price before any work starts and before any money changes hands.
What if we want to stop halfway?
You can. There is an exit at every stage boundary and every 12-week build block, with no penalty. You keep everything delivered up to that point.
How long does the whole thing take?
The two free conversations are booked at a time that suits you. Discovery and Strategy are 2–4 weeks each, and Implementation runs in 12-week blocks, with working software in your hands every couple of weeks.
Can we use the roadmap without you building it?
Yes. The Discovery map and Strategy plan are yours to keep and act on: in-house, with another partner, or with us.
The services that run through these stages
Discovery and Strategy are consulting work. Implementation is engineering. The same team carries the plan from the first call to the software your staff use.
AI consulting
Stages three and four on their own: a scored use-case map and a board-ready plan, whether or not we go on to build it.
AI consulting in AustraliaAI development
LLM applications, retrieval pipelines and agentic workflows built and operated in production.
AI development servicesAI product development
New AI-native products and SaaS platforms taken from first release to a system customers rely on.
AI SaaS product developmentStart with the first conversation
The first conversation is free and takes 30 minutes. You leave knowing whether we can help.