01.01Build
Software and AI consulting
Software and AI consulting from Hot Rocket Software, a team of software, website and digital marketing specialists based in the UK, with 19 years in IT. Plain-English advice when you are unsure where to start: we review your systems, decide what to build, buy or automate, and set out a practical roadmap.
01.01.0
What is software and AI consulting?
Software and AI consulting is for businesses that know something needs to change but are not sure what to do first. We look at the systems and processes you already have, talk to the people who use them, and tell you plainly what is worth building, what is better bought off the shelf, and what can be automated. You get a practical, step-by-step roadmap, with AI brought in gradually to support your staff, not to take their place. Then, if you want, the same team helps you deliver it. We have done this for other businesses before, and you talk directly to the people who would do the work.
01.01.1
What this means for you
In everyday terms, this is what you get from a consulting chat and the work that follows.
- Someone independent looks at how your business runs today and tells you plainly what is working and what is not.
- You know what to build, what to buy and what to automate, and the order to do it in.
- You get a step-by-step roadmap you can act on, not a long report that sits in a drawer.
- AI comes in gradually, to support your staff with repetitive work, not to take their place.
- You talk to real people on our team, who can help you deliver the plan if you want them to.
01.01.2
Who is it for?
- Owners who know their systems are holding them back but are not sure where to start
- Businesses weighing up whether to build something, buy a product or fix what they have
- Teams hearing a lot about AI and wanting calm, honest advice before spending anything
- Leaders who need a clear plan to take to partners, a board or a budget holder
01.01.3
From a small business to a large organisation
The same team takes on a single tool for a small business and long-running work for large companies and the public sector. Here is what each end looks like.
For a small business
A few conversations and a short review that end with a clear answer on what to fix first, and whether to build, buy or automate it.
For large companies and the public sector
Independent reviews of systems and processes across departments, with a staged roadmap that fits your governance and budget cycles.
- Systems and process reviews
- Build, buy or automate decisions
- Staged technology roadmaps
- Introducing AI safely, team by team
01.01.4
What you get
- 01A review of your current systems, spreadsheets and processes, with the people who use them
- 02A plain-English summary of what is working, what is not and why
- 03A build, buy or automate recommendation for each problem, with rough effort and cost
- 04Where AI could support your staff, and where it should not be used
- 05A step-by-step roadmap, with a sensible first step you can start on straight away
- 06Optional help to deliver the roadmap, from the same team
01.01.5
How we approach it
Listen
A first chat about what is getting in the way, with no obligation.
Review
Walk through your systems and processes with the people who use them.
Decide
For each problem: build, buy, automate or leave alone, and why.
Roadmap
A practical plan in small steps, each one useful on its own.
Deliver
Optional: we help you carry it out, a step at a time.
01.01.6
Questions
We are not sure what we need. Is that a problem?
Not at all. That is exactly what this is for. Most businesses come to us with a feeling that things could work better rather than a specification. We help you work out the problem first, then the answer.
Will you just recommend building custom software?
No. Sometimes the right answer is an off-the-shelf product, a change to how you already use a tool, or simply a better process. We say so, even when it means there is nothing for us to build.
Does AI mean replacing our staff?
Not the way we do it. We bring AI in gradually, for the repetitive parts of a job, so your team has more time for the work that needs people. Your staff stay in control and make the decisions.
Do we have to use you to deliver the roadmap?
No. The roadmap is yours to keep and use with anyone. If you would like us to help deliver it, the same people who wrote it can carry on, so nothing gets lost between the advice and the work.
Have you done this before?
Yes. Our team has given this kind of advice to other businesses several times, and it draws on 19 years in IT building, buying and running business software.
T+99Next step
Not sure where to start?
Book a free consulting chat. Tell us how your business runs today and what is getting in the way; we will tell you honestly what we would look at first.