LOCKEDIN / FORWARD-DEPLOYED ENGINEERING 101
Understand it.
Then build it.
You can be an experienced engineer and still be new to agents. Start with what each thing is and how it helps a person do useful work. Explore 48 original introductions across software, agents, cloud, security and delivery. Start here without a model key; each topic connects to deeper instruction and practice.
- 101UnderstandPlain language, visual walkthrough, vocabulary
- 102Build with guidanceOriginal lessons, examples and knowledge checks
- 103Practise and explainRunnable labs, failure cases and handover
Value, unit economics and commercial delivery
How do you turn an AI capability into a viable service?
An AI commercial playbook connects a useful customer outcome to a deliverable service and a sustainable cost model. For an application using Claude or another provider, costs include inference, tools, hosting, review, support and failed work. Pricing is a business decision, not a model feature or a guaranteed margin.
An FDE should explain why the deployment is worth operating and where its economics can fail.
UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM
Value needs a baseline, a cost model and observed use
An AI value case compares a measured baseline with a bounded change and its full operating cost. A modeled saving is an assumption until representative use supports it.
Read the connections in plain English
- 01Current workflow → Proposed change
Use observed work rather than invented savings.
- 02Proposed change → Full cost model
Keep assumptions explicit and update them with usage.
- 03Full cost model → Measured trial
Compare representative task cost and quality.
- 04Measured trial → Investment decision
A pilot result informs a decision; it is not a universal outcome claim.
Check your understanding: Is a lower token bill always better value?
No. A system that costs less per call but creates more errors or review work may cost more per accepted task.
CONNECT IT TO WHAT YOU KNOW
Start with something familiar.
A restaurant does not price a meal using only the cost of flour. An AI service cannot be understood using only the price of input tokens.
This is an original planning exercise, not an Anthropic partner program or promised revenue. Use current provider terms and rates, and validate willingness to pay with the intended buyer.
Words worth knowing
- Unit economics
- Revenue and cost associated with one defined unit of service.
- Cost per accepted task
- Total relevant cost divided by accepted useful tasks.
- Sensitivity analysis
- Changing assumptions to see how the result changes.
ONE EXAMPLE / FICTIONAL CASE
Follow the connections.
A draft service handles 100 synthetic requests; 80 are accepted. The run costs 12 illustrative currency units for inference and 28 for review and support.
UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM
Value needs a baseline, a cost model and observed use
An AI value case compares a measured baseline with a bounded change and its full operating cost. A modeled saving is an assumption until representative use supports it.
See what moves and why.
Read the connections in plain English
- 01Current workflow → Proposed change
Use observed work rather than invented savings.
- 02Proposed change → Full cost model
Keep assumptions explicit and update them with usage.
- 03Full cost model → Measured trial
Compare representative task cost and quality.
- 04Measured trial → Investment decision
A pilot result informs a decision; it is not a universal outcome claim.
Check your understanding: Is a lower token bill always better value?
No. A system that costs less per call but creates more errors or review work may cost more per accepted task.
FROM RECOGNITION TO REASONING
Calculate the synthetic service's cost per accepted task.
- 01
Use (12 + 28) / 80.
- 02
Repeat if only 40 requests are accepted.
- 03
List missing costs and the evidence needed before quoting a customer.
Two calculations and a list of unverified assumptions.
Compare your reasoning when you are ready
The illustrative costs are 0.50 and 1.00 per accepted task. Lower acceptance doubles that unit cost even with unchanged spend. These invented numbers are a teaching case, not vendor pricing or revenue evidence.
Keep notes in your own working copy. Moving through these cards does not record completion.
TURN THE IDEA INTO USEFUL WORK
You can now go deeper.
This is an original planning exercise, not an Anthropic partner program or promised revenue. Use current provider terms and rates, and validate willingness to pay with the intended buyer.
Academy lessons use your existing training access. Free guides stay open.