Adapter Labs vs Big 4 Consulting
You don't need consultants to tell you what to build. You need developers who can build intelligent web products. Skip the analysis paralysis and start shipping.
The Big 4 Playbook
Month 1-3
Discovery & Analysis
Major investment
Month 4-6
Strategy & Roadmap
Growing investment
Month 7-9
Vendor Selection
Significant investment
Month 10+
Find someone to build it
Starting over
Builders vs Advisors
| Factor | Adapter Labs | Big 4 Consulting |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Build and deliver intelligent web products | Analyze and recommend strategies |
| Team Composition | Senior developers (7+ years) | Junior consultants, senior advisors |
| Deliverables | Working code, deployed systems | PowerPoints, roadmaps, recommendations |
| Timeline | 2-4 weeks to working software | 3-6 months for recommendations |
| Engagement Model | Project-based, clear scope | Time-intensive consulting engagements |
| Implementation | We build it ourselves | You implement their recommendations |
| Enterprise Politics | Focus on delivery | Navigate organizational dynamics |
| C-Suite Access | Work with technical teams | Direct executive relationships |
Approach
Team Composition
Deliverables
Timeline
Engagement Model
Implementation
Enterprise Politics
C-Suite Access
Consulting Reality Check
The PowerPoint Factory
Reality: 6 months, major investment, 500 slides delivered, zero code written
✓ Our way: We deliver working software in weeks
The Junior Army
Reality: Fresh graduates with limited experience leading projects
✓ Our way: Senior developers who've built this before
The Recommendation Gap
Reality: Beautiful strategy deck, but who's going to build it?
✓ Our way: We recommend by building
The Steering Committee
Reality: Weekly meetings about meetings, no actual progress
✓ Our way: Daily commits, weekly demos of working features
The Vendor Parade
Reality: They recommend their partners, creating vendor dependencies
✓ Our way: We build everything ourselves
The Transformation Theater
Reality: Digital transformation becomes a 3-year initiative
✓ Our way: Transform by shipping, not planning
What You Actually Get
Big 4 Consulting Deliverables
- 📊 Market analysis reports
- 📈 Maturity assessments
- 🗺️ Transformation roadmaps
- 📋 Vendor evaluation matrices
- 💼 Operating model designs
- 📑 Best practice frameworks
- 🎯 Strategic recommendations
Result: Lots of documents, no working software
Adapter Labs Deliverables
- ✅ Deployed, working applications
- ✅ Integrated systems
- ✅ API endpoints live
- ✅ Data flowing between systems
- ✅ User interfaces people can use
- ✅ Automated workflows running
- ✅ Problems actually solved
Result: Working software solving real problems
Right Tool for the Job
Choose Big 4 When:
- You need board-level credibility
- M&A due diligence is required
- Organizational change management
- You genuinely don't know what to build
Choose Adapter Labs When:
- You know what needs to be built
- You want working software, not reports
- Speed to market matters
- You prefer building to planning
- Investment needs to produce results