01 / Fragmented work
Too many tools. No operating spine.
Email, spreadsheets, software, people, documents, and approvals all participate — but nothing governs the whole process.
Alcoden Sprint System Delivery
Bring us the business problem.
We design the machine.
Alcoden turns complicated, fragmented, manual, or owner-dependent operations into defined business machines. Start with the operating problem, then choose how far Alcoden carries the work: Sprint Spec, Sprint Build, or Sprint Implement. You do not need to arrive with a technology specification.
01 · Sprint SpecDesign the machine
02 · Sprint BuildDesign + build · client implements
03 · Sprint ImplementDesign + build + implementation
Async-firstStructured intake + written record
Where Alcoden enters
When work exists,
but the system does not.
A systems engagement begins where an important process depends on too many handoffs, disconnected tools, repetitive decisions, hidden knowledge, manual follow-up, or constant owner attention.
02 / Owner dependency
The process works only because someone keeps rescuing it.
Critical judgment and continuity live in one person's head instead of inside the operating system.
03 / Manual repetition
People keep doing work the machine should carry.
Re-entry, status chasing, routine interpretation, document handling, and repetitive coordination consume productive time.
04 / AI without architecture
Automation exists without control.
AI or automation has been added, but authority, evidence, fallback behavior, failure handling, and accountability remain unclear.
05 / Integration gaps
Systems exchange data but not responsibility.
APIs connect applications while ownership, state, validation, exception routing, and finality remain undefined.
06 / New capability
You know what the business should be able to do next.
Alcoden translates that intent into components, states, interfaces, authorities, evidence, and an executable build sequence.
Primary deliverable
ALCODEN MACHINE SPECIFICATION
Sprint Spec delivers the Machine Specification as its final product. Sprint Build includes the specification work necessary to construct the approved build. Sprint Implement includes both the specification and build work necessary to complete the agreed implementation boundary. A client does not have to purchase Sprint Spec separately before selecting Sprint Build or Sprint Implement.
Implementation-ready by design
Enough definition to
build without guessing.
- 01Current-state operating mapWhat exists now, where work moves, where control breaks.
- 02Target machine architectureComponents, responsibilities, state, boundaries, and intended operating behavior.
- 03Workflow + authority modelWho or what acts, decides, approves, escalates, and may not act.
- 04Data + integration contractsInputs, outputs, systems, interfaces, validation, and handoff requirements.
- 05Failure + exception designWhat can go wrong, containment expectations, fallback paths, and human transfer.
- 06Evidence + acceptance conditionsWhat must be observable and what objectively proves the machine is complete.
- 07Implementation sequenceRecommended order, dependencies, reuse opportunities, and build boundaries.
The engagement
Structured intake.
Durable decisions.
Alcoden engagements are designed to minimize meetings. The project record should contain the operating truth, decisions, questions, evidence, progress, and acceptance — not a memory of what somebody said on a call.
Stage 01 / Intake
Spec the problem
Complete the Machine Intake with the current process, intended result, people, systems, evidence, constraints, and known risks.
Stage 02 / Clarify
Resolve unknowns
Alcoden issues written requests for information only where the intake leaves a material architecture variable unresolved.
Stage 03 / Architect
Design the machine
We model responsibility, state, workflow, data, authority, integrations, exceptions, evidence, and implementation sequence.
Stage 04 / Accept
Freeze the specification
You review the defined architecture. Approved changes are incorporated and the final Machine Specification becomes the implementation authority.
Choose how far Alcoden carries the machine
Three service levels.
One explicit stopping point.
Architecture, build, and implementation are separate scopes of responsibility. Every engagement begins with the Machine Specification. You choose where Alcoden's responsibility ends before work begins.
Level 01 — Sprint Spec
Sprint Spec
Design the machine.
Alcoden specifies it. You build it.
Alcoden converts the operating problem into an implementation-ready Machine Specification and closes the engagement at architecture acceptance.
- Current-state operating map
- Target machine architecture
- Workflow, state, authority, data, integration, exception, control, evidence, and acceptance design
- Implementation sequence and build boundaries
- No build or implementation included
Level 02 — Sprint Build
Sprint Build
Design and build the machine.
Alcoden specifies + builds it. You put it into operation.
Alcoden completes the Machine Specification and constructs the approved system, then hands the completed build to the client or the client's technical team for implementation.
- The specification work necessary for the approved build
- Machine built against the approved specification
- Build evidence, tests, and handoff package
- Client handles production deployment, live credentials, cutover, migration, rollout, and go-live
- No ongoing production ownership included
- Client remains responsible for production credentials, live connection, deployment, migration, DNS/cutover where applicable, rollout, and operational go-live
Level 03 — Sprint Implement
Sprint Implement
Design, build, and implement the machine.
Alcoden carries the machine into operation.
Alcoden architects the system, builds it, and performs the agreed implementation work inside the client's operating environment through defined commissioning and acceptance.
- Everything in Levels 01 and 02
- Production implementation within the agreed boundary
- Integration, deployment, cutover, and live-environment configuration as scoped
- Commissioning and acceptance against the Machine Specification
- Anything beyond the agreed implementation boundary requires a new scope
Boundary rule: no service level silently expands into the next. A Sprint Spec does not include build work. A Sprint Build engagement does not include production go-live. Sprint Implement includes only the implementation boundary explicitly accepted before work begins.
Asynchronous by default
Less meeting.
More record.
Alcoden is built for clients who prefer precise written work over recurring meetings. Calls are an exception for issues that cannot be resolved responsibly in writing.
01Machine Intake establishes the operating facts.
02Written RFIs resolve material unknowns.
03Project updates preserve progress and decisions.
04Architecture review is documented against the specification.
05Acceptance freezes the final machine definition.
Scope education
What Alcoden counts.
Plainly defined.
Start with the part of your machine that feels least certain. You do not need to translate your business into technical language.
Open only the definitions you need. These measurements let you estimate Core or Expanded before requesting the next step.
Primary business machine / capability
One contained business capability or operating system being defined, built, or implemented as a coordinated whole.
Example: An accounts-payable machine may contain connected intake, approval, posting, reconciliation, and evidence functions. Unrelated payroll, inventory, or customer-onboarding systems are separate primary machines.
Material workflow
A separately testable end-to-end operating path with its own trigger, sequence of actions or decisions, and completion state.
Example: Receive invoice → validate → approve → post to accounting → archive evidence = one material workflow. An approval branch, rejection path, or error route inside it is generally a decision gate or exception path—not another workflow.
Exception path
A defined alternate route caused by failure, missing information, rejection, mismatch, timeout, invalid data, unavailable systems, or another non-happy-path condition.
Examples: an unmatched invoice, failed payment, missing required field, unavailable API, rejected request, duplicate submission, or confidence below an approved threshold.
Major interface / form
A distinct user-facing screen, portal view, structured form, or operational interface required for the machine to function.
Examples: customer intake, manager approval screen, administrator dashboard, or exception-review interface. Small variations of one interface do not automatically count separately.
Integration
One distinct external software, platform, service, system, API, or external database connection.
Examples: QuickBooks, Gmail, Stripe, Google Drive, Salesforce, Slack, HubSpot, or Shopify. QuickBooks is one integration; QuickBooks plus Google Drive is two.
Approval / decision gate
A point where the machine must evaluate a condition or receive authorization before continuing.
Examples: manager approval above $5,000; rejection when documentation is missing; finance routing above a budget threshold; or human approval before a customer-facing output.
Primary data store
A distinct authoritative place where the machine reads, writes, or maintains material operating data.
Examples: PostgreSQL, an Airtable base, a Google Sheet used as an operating register, a CRM database, or an authoritative document repository.
Reporting / output package
A materially distinct report, generated document, dashboard output, evidence package, notification package, or deliverable produced by the machine.
Examples: monthly operating report, compliance evidence package, PDF decision record, reconciliation report, or client delivery package.
Published pricing
Choose Alcoden's
stopping point.
Prices are visible before you provide project details. Review the limits for the product you are considering before choosing Core or Expanded. The protected Machine Intake is not exposed on this public page.
Sprint Spec
Alcoden architects the requested machine and delivers the implementation-ready Machine Specification necessary to build it.
Core$4,500
Expanded$8,000
Sprint Build
Alcoden completes the necessary architecture and constructs the files, artifacts, tests, and handoff package. The client or its technical provider remains responsible for production connection and go-live.
Core$9,000
Expanded$16,000
Sprint Implement
Alcoden completes the necessary architecture and build, then performs the agreed live-environment configuration, commissioning, validation, and acceptance.
Core$15,000
Expanded$27,000
Published price + published scope limits + intake-based scope verification. Education comes before commitment. After reviewing the definitions and product limits, request guidance if you remain unsure. Alcoden confirms fit before an engagement becomes binding.
Review the boundary
before choosing.
Each Sprint product below shows Core and Expanded together. Your tier is set by the highest limit your requested machine reaches—not by workflow count alone.
Sprint Spec — scope and specification limits
Sprint Spec defines one business machine and delivers the implementation-ready Machine Specification. Compare every dimension; the highest dimension reached determines the tier.
| Scope dimension | Core | Expanded |
|---|---|---|
| Primary business machine/capability | 1 | 1 |
| Material workflows | 1 | Up to 3 |
| External integrations | Up to 3 | Up to 7 |
| Authority/actor roles | Up to 4 | Up to 8 |
| Approval/decision gates | Up to 3 | Up to 7 |
| Exception/failure paths | Up to 5 | Up to 15 |
| Primary data stores | Up to 2 | Up to 4 |
| Major interfaces/forms | Up to 2 | Up to 5 |
| Reporting/output packages | Up to 2 | Up to 5 |
Sprint Build — build package and handoff limits
Sprint Build includes the specification work necessary for the build and constructs the applicable files and artifacts. It does not include production connection, deployment, cutover, or go-live.
| Scope dimension | Core | Expanded |
|---|---|---|
| Primary business machine/capability | 1 | 1 |
| Material workflows | 1 | Up to 3 |
| External integrations represented | Up to 3 | Up to 7 |
| Authority/actor roles | Up to 4 | Up to 8 |
| Approval/decision gates | Up to 3 | Up to 7 |
| Exception/failure paths | Up to 5 | Up to 15 |
| Primary data stores | Up to 2 | Up to 4 |
| Major interfaces/forms | Up to 2 | Up to 5 |
| Reporting/output packages | Up to 2 | Up to 5 |
May include within tier
Machine Specification, source or workflow files, schemas, forms, configuration templates, validation rules, testing assets, deployment instructions, build evidence, and handoff documentation—as applicable to the approved machine.
Client remains responsible
Production credentials, live connection, deployment, migration, DNS or cutover where applicable, rollout, and operational go-live.
Sprint Implement — production and acceptance limits
Sprint Implement includes the specification and build work necessary for the implementation, plus the bounded live-environment work below. Sprint Implement remains waitlist-only.
| Machine scope dimension | Core | Expanded |
|---|---|---|
| Primary business machine/capability | 1 | 1 |
| Material workflows | 1 | Up to 3 |
| External integrations | Up to 3 | Up to 7 |
| Authority/actor roles | Up to 4 | Up to 8 |
| Approval/decision gates | Up to 3 | Up to 7 |
| Exception/failure paths | Up to 5 | Up to 15 |
| Primary data stores | Up to 2 | Up to 4 |
| Major interfaces/forms | Up to 2 | Up to 5 |
| Reporting/output packages | Up to 2 | Up to 5 |
| Implementation dimension | Core | Expanded |
|---|---|---|
| Production environment | 1 | 1 |
| Optional staging/test environment | 1 | 1 |
| Production integrations connected | Up to 3 | Up to 7 |
| Structured migration sources | Up to 1 | Up to 3 |
| Planned production cutover | 1 | 1 |
| Commissioning cycles | 1 | Up to 2 |
| Acceptance/remediation rounds | Up to 1 | Up to 2 |
How your tier is determined
Your tier is determined by the highest scope dimension reached.
- 1 workflow + 6 integrations = Expanded
- 1 workflow + 7 roles = Expanded
- 3 workflows = Expanded
- 4 workflows = Above Expanded / Custom
- 8 integrations = Above Expanded / Custom
- 16 exception paths = Above Expanded / Custom
Expanded is not unlimited. Unrelated payroll, inventory, and onboarding systems are separate machines and are not silently included in one Expanded price. If one dimension exceeds Expanded, Alcoden provides a separate scope and price before work begins.
Not sure which Sprint—or larger than Expanded?
If you are unsure which Sprint fits, Alcoden can recommend Sprint Spec, Sprint Build, or Sprint Implement from the guided Machine Intake. If you already know the Sprint family but the scope appears larger than Expanded, use the Custom sizing request instead.
Controlled intakePurchased Sprint Machine Intake access remains entitlement-bound. The Recommendation Intake is available without purchase through the "I'm not sure" path or an Alcoden admin invitation. Neither path creates a purchase, entitlement, reservation, or authorization to begin work.
Preliminary Sprint sizing
Tell Alcoden what you are trying to size.
Request received.
Alcoden will review the preliminary sizing information and respond by email with the appropriate next step. Keep the request reference shown here for your records:
Sprint Recommendation
Tell Alcoden who is requesting the recommendation.
Start with the operating problem
What should your business
be able to do?
You do not need to know the technology. Tell Alcoden what exists, what is failing, what the business needs to become capable of doing, and whether you want Level 01 — Sprint Spec, Level 02 — Sprint Build, or Level 03 — Sprint Implement. If you are unsure, the intake can leave that decision open for Alcoden to recommend.