Traditional operations consultants audit your processes, deliver a report with recommendations, and leave you to implement them. Ironback audits your operations AND implements the solution — an embedded AI specialist that handles the operational execution itself. The question is whether you need someone to tell you what to fix or something that actually fixes it.
Trade businesses that have already received consulting advice and know what needs to change but lack the bandwidth to implement it — or businesses that want the diagnosis and the cure in one engagement.
Companies facing complex organizational challenges — restructuring, culture change, leadership development, M&A integration — where the problem is people and strategy, not process execution.
Real Cost Comparison
Year-one total cost of ownership — including setup, ongoing fees, and hidden management costs.
$7,500 assessment + $3,500–5,500/month build + $2,500–3,500/month ongoing. Includes both strategy and implementation.
Operations consultants: $200–$400/hour or $10,000–$30,000/month for a 3–6 month engagement. Typical project: $30,000–$120,000. Implementation support (if offered): separate SOW at additional cost.
Operations consultant: $30,000–$120,000 for the engagement + $20,000–$60,000 for implementation support + your team's time implementing recommendations (200–500 hours at $50–100/hour = $10,000–$50,000). Total: $60,000–$230,000 with no guarantee of completion. Ironback: $49,500–$85,500/year with implementation included and ongoing management.
Common Questions
Bring us the report. Ironback's assessment will evaluate which recommendations are automatable and build the systems to execute them. Most consulting recommendations fail not because they're wrong, but because the business doesn't have the capacity to implement them. That's exactly what Ironback provides — the execution capacity.
Some do — at $200–$400/hour for their team to manage the implementation. That typically doubles the engagement cost. And once the consultant leaves, you're managing the systems they built. Ironback's model includes permanent ongoing management, so the implementation doesn't degrade after the engagement ends.
Not at all — Ironback complements process improvement methodologies. Lean identifies waste. Six Sigma reduces variation. Ironback automates the improved processes so they run consistently without human execution. Think of it as the automation layer that makes your process improvements permanent and self-sustaining.
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