Consulting: analysis and advice
Consulting is useful when you need independent analysis, a strategy or help making a difficult decision. Some consulting teams also implement their recommendations, so the engagement scope matters more than the label.
ADEL’s forward-deployed model keeps advice and implementation connected. The engineers who help shape the solution stay involved as it is built and tested. If the evidence changes, they work with the customer to revise the plan.
Solutions engineering: platform expertise
Solutions engineers commonly help customers evaluate, configure and adopt a specific product or platform. They bring detailed knowledge of how that technology works and where it fits.
An FDE may also be attached to a platform, depending on the employer and role. At ADEL, the starting point is the customer’s problem. We work across approved technologies and can collaborate with a vendor’s solutions engineers when specialist product knowledge is needed.
Staff augmentation: additional delivery capacity
Staff augmentation can be a good fit when you have a defined backlog, an established architecture and a team that needs more capacity. The customer generally provides the delivery structure and directs the work.
An FDE engagement is useful when defining the work is itself part of the challenge. The FDE helps clarify requirements, resolve technical choices and coordinate the people whose decisions affect delivery.
Choose according to the work
Start by identifying the main constraint. You may need independent advice, platform expertise, more engineering capacity or a team that can work through an uncertain problem and build the solution.
Before engaging anyone, agree on deliverables, decision rights, production responsibilities and knowledge transfer. Ask who will remain involved when testing exposes a problem. A clear answer is more useful than a job title.
