Notes from the build floor.
Long-form posts on scoping, pricing, and the AI-accelerated stack. Honest framing over marketing fluff.
When to pick ACM and when to pick a big consultancy.
Slalom, Accenture, Avanade, ICF — all excellent at what they're built for. So are we. Here's the honest decision frame for which shape fits your engagement.
When to pick ACM and when to pick an autonomous AI platform.
Devin, Factory, Blitzy — the autonomous coding agents are getting good. So are we. Here's the honest frame for when each shape ships better software.
Where senior-engineer-plus-AI sits.
Big consultancies are too slow. Autonomous AI agents are too unaccountable. There's a shape in the middle that actually ships. Almost nobody is naming it.
M365 for the mid-market.
Enterprise SIs price Microsoft 365 work for Fortune-500 budgets. Small-biz tutorials assume you'll figure it out yourself. The 50–500 employee company sits in between, underserved on both sides.
Microsoft shop that ships with Claude.
Most Microsoft consultancies skip the AI conversation. Most AI shops skip Microsoft. ACM is the firm that runs both stacks on every engagement.
Fractional product team vs fractional product manager.
One sells you leadership two days a week. The other sells you a shipped product on Friday. The phrases sound alike. The deliverables don't.
Why we publish our pricing.
Most agencies hide their rates. We publish ours. Here's the reason, and what it changes about how a first call goes.
How we use AI without shipping AI slop.
Every line of code at ACM is reviewed and owned by a senior engineer. AI is the power tool. The carpenter is still in the room.