Resources
Free tools and guides from Ironbridge AI Advisory for planning AI work with real numbers: an automation ROI calculator, two fractional Chief AI Officer guides, and our most-read articles on cost, hiring and what to build first.
What is the busywork costing you?
Move the sliders to match one team. The estimate only counts time returned; it leaves out revenue gains on purpose.
How the calculator works
It multiplies the people doing the work by their weekly hours on repetitive tasks and by the share AI can take on, then prices those hours at your fully loaded hourly cost. A month is 52 weeks divided by 12, and one full-time person is 173 hours a month.
How to read the result
Treat it as a floor. It counts time handed back to your team and nothing else: no faster lead response, no extra revenue, no fewer errors. For the full method, see how to measure the ROI of AI automation.
Guides
Playbook
The Fractional Chief AI Officer Playbook
Nine chapters on running a fractional Chief AI Officer engagement: the mandate, the 90-day diagnostic, the project portfolio, governance, the executive cadence, vendor and build-or-buy decisions, measurement and the transition plan. Read it if you are hiring a fractional CAIO, scoping one, or serving as one.
Read the guideComparison guide
Fractional CAIO vs AI Consultant
A side-by-side table across ten dimensions, from accountability and execution capacity to pricing and how each engagement ends. Read it if you are deciding between an embedded AI leader and a project-based consultant.
Read the guideStart with these articles
All InsightsNine articles from our Insights library, grouped by the decision they help you make.
Budget and return
- How Much Does AI Consulting Cost in 2026?
AI consulting cost in 2026 depends on the pricing model: hourly, project, monthly retainer, fractional leadership or outcome-based. See published price ranges.
- How to Measure the ROI of AI Automation (With a Worked Example)
Measure the ROI of AI automation by capturing a baseline, then tracking time returned, throughput, speed, quality and full cost at 30 and 90 days after launch.
- Fractional CAIO Cost: Pricing Models and What Drives Price
Fractional CAIO cost depends on the pricing model, time commitment and whether a build team is included. Here is how each model works and how to budget for it.
Choosing who to work with
- Best AI Consulting Firms for Small Business: 9 Compared
Nine AI consulting firms for small business compared by who they serve, engagement model, public pricing and proof, with a plain disclosure of who wrote it.
- Best AI Consultants in Maryland, DC and Virginia: 9 Firms
Nine AI consultants serving Maryland, DC and Virginia compared by location, client size, engagement model and public pricing, with a clear author disclosure.
- How to Hire a Fractional CAIO: Timing, Questions, Red Flags
To hire a fractional CAIO, confirm the timing is right, vet candidates on shipped systems and governance, watch for red flags and agree a 90-day plan up front.
Deciding what to build
- Small Business AI Adoption: A 90-Day Playbook
Small business AI adoption works best in 90 days: set a budget, launch one use case, prove it, then expand and govern. First use cases by function inside.
- How to Automate Business Workflows with AI: A Practical Guide
To automate business workflows with AI, score your recurring work, pick one boring high-volume process, map it, ship it in suggestion mode, then scale it.
- Custom AI App vs SaaS: When to Build a Custom AI Application
Custom AI app vs SaaS: buy when the workflow is generic, build when it is your edge, the data is sensitive or SaaS forces workarounds. A practical framework.
Ready to plug in your AI team?
Thirty minutes with a senior engineer. We will map the two or three systems worth building first, whether or not you hire us.