Software Development Consultancy

Accelerate delivery with
AI-powered engineering

We help software teams ship faster, with greater confidence — by embedding AI tooling directly into your development lifecycle. Less friction. More flow.

Start a conversation See how it works
◆ AI-augmented development teams
◆ End-to-end SDLC integration
◆ Measurable velocity gains
◆ Practical, not theoretical

What we do

Services designed to move teams forward

We work alongside your engineers to identify where AI can create the greatest leverage across your delivery pipeline — then we make it happen.

AI Tooling Integration

We evaluate, select, and embed AI coding assistants, review tools, and automation agents into your existing workflows — from IDE to CI/CD pipeline.

SDLC Transformation

We map your software delivery lifecycle and identify high-impact automation opportunities — from requirements gathering through to deployment and monitoring.

Team Enablement

Hands-on workshops and embedded coaching to get your developers comfortable with AI-assisted workflows — driving adoption that actually sticks.

Quality & Testing Automation

Leverage AI to generate smarter test suites, surface regressions earlier, and increase coverage without proportionally increasing effort.

Architecture & Strategy

We assess your current tech landscape and help you make informed decisions about AI investments — ensuring alignment with your business goals and team capabilities.

Metrics & Continuous Improvement

We define and track the right KPIs to show the impact of AI-driven changes on your velocity, quality, and developer experience — and keep improving from there.

How we work

Embedding AI across your entire delivery lifecycle

We don't drop tools on your team and disappear. We work collaboratively to embed lasting change across every stage of how software gets built and shipped.

01

Discover

We audit your current SDLC — tools, processes, team dynamics, and bottlenecks. We identify where AI can create real leverage, not just novelty.

02

Design

We design a targeted integration plan: which tools, where in the pipeline, and how to measure success. Practical plans, not slide decks.

03

Deliver

We implement alongside your team — pairing, coaching, and configuring so every change is understood and owned by your engineers.

04

Evolve

We measure impact, iterate, and ensure the improvements compound over time. AI tooling is not a one-time project — it's an ongoing capability.

Why Automation Associates

We've been engineers.
We know what works.

AI in software development is moving fast — and the noise-to-signal ratio is high. We cut through it. Our consultants have deep hands-on experience in software engineering, DevOps, and AI tooling, so our advice is grounded in what actually ships in production.

We don't sell platforms or lock you into specific vendors. We find the right tools for your team, your stack, and your goals — then we make sure your people know how to get the most out of them.

  • ✓ Vendor-neutral recommendations
  • ✓ Embedded, hands-on engagement — not just advice
  • ✓ Outcome-focused from day one
  • ✓ Knowledge transfer built in — your team grows too
Peter Cresswell, Founder of Automation Associates

Meet the founder

Peter Cresswell

Founder & Principal Consultant

Peter founded Automation Associates after more than 15 years leading engineering teams through the kind of problems most consultants only advise on from a distance. He's been embedded inside engineering organisations at McLaren Automotive, Barclays, AICPA & CIMA, Smart Pension, and Eurostar — working directly with teams to adopt AI tooling, sharpen delivery practices, and build the habits that make improvement stick.

The results speak for themselves: a 50% improvement in team velocity and 25% cost reduction at AICPA & CIMA, a department scaled from 100 to 380 engineers at Smart Pension, and VP-level transformation work across a 600-person engineering function at Barclays.

Automation Associates exists because Peter got tired of watching organisations spend money on frameworks and slide decks that nobody implemented. Every engagement is built around real change — the kind you can measure.

Get in touch

Ready to accelerate your team?

Tell us where you are and where you want to get to. We'll come back with an honest assessment of how we can help.