Introduction

Commercial Engagement

Our commercial engagement process is the foundation of a successful partnership with our clients. We believe in establishing clear expectations from the outset to ensure a smooth and productive collaboration. When it comes to intellectual property (IP) ownership, we offer flexible options to suit your specific requirements. You can choose between client ownership or licensing of the developed AI solution, and we will work with you to draft and sign the necessary agreements to protect your IP rights.

With regards to payment terms and budgets:

• We operate on a time and materials-based payment structure, which ensures transparency and allows for flexibility as project requirements evolve.
• Our team will collaborate with you to establish a mutually agreed-upon budget that aligns with your project scope and expectations.
• We invoice on a monthly basis, providing detailed breakdowns of the work performed, hours spent, and any additional expenses incurred.
• Our standard payment terms are 14 days from the invoice date.

To ensure project success, we emphasise the importance of close collaboration and open communication throughout the engagement. We will establish regular communication channels, such as weekly status calls or progress updates, to keep you informed and gather your valuable feedback. Your commitment to providing timely input and decision-making is crucial to maintaining project momentum and achieving the desired outcomes.

Discovery Phase

The Discovery Phase is a critical step in laying the foundation for a successful custom AI solution. During this phase, our team will work closely with you to gain a deep understanding of your business objectives, challenges, and existing technology landscape.

We begin with an initial consultation, where we meet with key stakeholders from your organisation to discuss your goals, pain points, and aspirations for leveraging AI. This consultation allows us to gather the necessary context to develop a tailored solution that aligns with your vision.

To ensure a comprehensive understanding of your needs, we will collaborate with you to identify the key stakeholders and decision-makers who will be involved throughout the project lifecycle. Engaging with a diverse group of stakeholders enables us to gather a holistic view of your requirements and ensures that the AI solution addresses the needs of all relevant parties.

A critical aspect of the Discovery Phase is assessing your current technology stack and data infrastructure. Our team will review your existing systems, databases, and data sources to identify integration points and determine the feasibility of implementing the desired AI solution. We will evaluate factors such as data quality, compatibility, and potential gaps to identify any technical challenges or dependencies that need to be addressed.

Based on the insights gathered during the Discovery Phase, we will work with you to define the project scope, timeline, and budget. This involves breaking down the AI solution development into manageable phases, setting milestones, and establishing a realistic timeline for delivery. We will also collaborate with you to create a detailed project plan that outlines the key activities, dependencies, and resources required for each phase of the project.

Solution Design

With a solid foundation established during the Discovery Phase, we move into the Solution Design phase, where we collaborate closely with your team to architect a custom AI solution that addresses your specific business needs.

We kick off this phase with a series of collaborative design sessions, bringing together our AI experts and your domain specialists. These sessions serve as a platform for ideation, knowledge sharing, and iterative solution development. We will discuss and refine the problem statement, brainstorm potential AI approaches and techniques, and explore data sources that can be leveraged for training and inference.

Data lies at the heart of any successful AI solution, and during the Solution Design phase, we will work with your team to identify the relevant data sources and plan the data integration strategy. This involves mapping out data flows, defining schemas and formats, identifying data quality issues, and establishing data governance and security measures.

To measure the effectiveness and impact of the AI solution, we will collaborate with you to define clear key performance indicators (KPIs) and success metrics. These metrics will be tailored to your specific business objectives and will help track the solution's performance over time.

Based on the agreed-upon solution approach and integration plans, our team will create a detailed technical specification and architecture design. This documentation will serve as a blueprint for the development and implementation phases, outlining the AI models, algorithms, data preprocessing steps, integration workflows, and performance requirements.

Once the solution design is complete, we will present it to your team for review and feedback. We value your input and will iterate on the design based on your feedback, making necessary adjustments and refinements. Once all stakeholders are satisfied with the solution design, we will obtain formal sign-off, marking the transition to the Development and Implementation phase.

Development and Implementation

With the Solution Design phase completed and approved, we move forward into the Development and Implementation phase. This is where our team of skilled AI engineers and developers bring the designed solution to life, transforming the blueprint into a fully functional AI system that seamlessly integrates with your existing infrastructure.

We embrace an Agile development methodology, which emphasizes iterative and incremental delivery, close collaboration, and adaptability to change. Our development process is structured into short iterations, known as sprints, typically lasting 2-4 weeks. Each sprint focuses on delivering a specific set of features or functionalities, allowing for regular progress updates and opportunities for course correction.

To maintain code quality and streamline the development process, we implement Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD) practices. CI/CD automates the build, testing, and deployment processes, reducing manual errors and enabling faster delivery of updates and bug fixes.

Throughout the development process, we employ rigorous code review practices and comprehensive quality assurance testing. Each code change undergoes peer review by other members of the development team, ensuring adherence to coding standards, identifying performance bottlenecks, and suggesting improvements. Our Quality Assurance (QA) team performs extensive testing at various stages, including unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT).

We maintain close collaboration with your team throughout the Development and Implementation phase. Regular demo sessions are scheduled to showcase the progress, solicit feedback, and gather insights for further refinement. Your feedback is invaluable in shaping the final AI solution, and we encourage open communication to ensure that the solution aligns with your expectations.

As the development progresses and the AI solution passes through the various testing stages, we prepare for deployment to the production environment. We work closely with your IT team to plan the deployment strategy, considering factors such as data migration, system integrations, and user training. Once the solution is deployed and thoroughly tested, we coordinate with you to determine the appropriate go-live date and provide the necessary support and guidance to ensure a smooth transition.

Ongoing Support and Maintenance

At Mercury Labs, our commitment to your success extends beyond the initial development and deployment of your custom AI solution. We understand that the long-term effectiveness and reliability of the solution are crucial to your business operations, which is why we offer comprehensive ongoing support and maintenance services.

Upon the successful deployment of your custom AI solution, we assign a dedicated support team to assist you with any questions, issues, or requests you may have. This team consists of experienced AI engineers, developers, and support specialists who have in-depth knowledge of your specific solution and its underlying technologies. They are available through various communication channels to ensure prompt assistance whenever you need it.

To ensure a high level of service quality and responsiveness, we establish Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that define the expected standards for support and maintenance. These SLAs outline the response times, resolution targets, and escalation procedures for different levels of severity, providing you with the assurance that your AI solution will receive timely and effective support.

We implement proactive monitoring and maintenance practices to prevent potential issues and ensure the smooth operation of your AI solution. Our team continuously monitors the system's performance, resource utilisation, and error logs to identify any anomalies or potential problems before they impact your business. Regular maintenance activities, such as system health checks, data integrity checks, security patches, and capacity planning, are carried out to ensure a stable and reliable system.

As part of our ongoing support and maintenance services, we continuously assess and optimize your AI solution to leverage the latest techniques, algorithms, and best practices. Our team monitors performance metrics and gathers feedback from your users to identify areas for improvement. Through regular performance reviews and optimisation cycles, we ensure that your AI solution remains up-to-date and continues to deliver maximum value to your business.

Partnership and Collaboration

At Mercury Labs, we view our clients as long-term partners. We are committed to your success and strive to build lasting relationships based on trust, transparency, and continuous collaboration. Throughout the engagement, we maintain open communication channels and regularly engage with your team to understand your changing business needs, gather feedback, and discuss potential enhancements or new opportunities for AI-driven innovation. Our goal is to be your trusted AI partner, providing the expertise, support, and guidance you need to maximise the value of your custom AI solution and stay ahead in an ever-evolving technological landscape.