Put AI to work in your business. Know what to keep human.
We set up Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Gemini for your team, write the rules for using it safely, and train your people until it sticks. One fixed fee. Based in Des Moines, serving all of Iowa.
Your team is already using AI. Just not on purpose.
Most small businesses we meet are in one of these spots. Each one is fixable in about a month.
The AI Workspace Launch.
A fixed-fee package that takes your team from scattered experiments to using AI safely every day. Done in about 30 days.
Up to 25 users. Larger teams quoted after a free call. Platform licenses are billed by the vendor, and we help you buy only what you need.
Full details →- Platform recommendation. The right tool for how your business already runs, and the right plan so you do not overbuy.
- Secure admin setup. Accounts, sign-in, data and privacy settings, and connections to your email and files.
- AI use policy. A plain-English policy on what data can and cannot go into AI, ready for your handbook.
- Your team guidebook. A rollout guide tailored to your business, with prompts for your real work.
- Two live training sessions. One for the whole team, one for your power users.
- Three starter use cases. We pick three tasks that eat hours today and build them out with your team.
- 30 days of support. Questions answered by phone and email while the habits form.
Three steps. No long contracts.
Free 30-minute call
We learn how your team works and what you want to fix. You get an honest answer on whether AI fits and which platform makes sense. No pitch.
Launch in 30 days
Setup and policy in week one. Training and starter use cases in weeks two and three. Follow-up and cleanup in week four.
Grow, or stop there
Many teams are set after the launch. Others go deeper with 3LM mapping or custom builds. Your call, never a requirement.
We recommend the tool that fits. Not the one we resell.
We are independent. We do not take a cut of your licenses, so the recommendation is about your business, not our margin.
Claude
Excellent for writing, analysis, and long documents. Connects to Google and Microsoft files. Business plans do not train on your data by default.
ChatGPT
The tool most of your staff already know. Broad features and easy adoption. Business plans do not train on your data.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
The natural fit if your business lives in Outlook, Teams, Word, and Excel. Works inside the apps your team already opens every day.
Gemini
Already included in most Google Workspace business plans. Often the fastest, lowest-cost start for Gmail and Drive shops.
AI is an ally, not an answer.
Some work should be automated. Some work should stay human. The advantage is knowing which is which before you spend a dollar.
Where AI earns its place
- Repetitive, high-volume tasks that drain hours
- First drafts of emails, proposals, and reports
- Summarizing long documents, meetings, and threads
- Analysis that is slow by hand and fast by model
Where people stay in charge
- Judgment calls that carry real consequence
- Relationships, trust, and the hard conversations
- Context and nuance no model actually holds
- Accountability for the decision at the end
How we decide where AI belongs.
3 Layer Mapping looks at your business the way it actually runs. It shapes every launch, and it is the backbone of our deeper engagements.
Process
How the work actually happens today. Every handoff, every bottleneck, every task your people quietly dread. This is where the real opportunity hides.
Technology
The systems and data underneath the work. What you run on, how clean it is, and what AI can actually stand on.
Why
The intent and judgment behind the work. The part that has to stay human. Knowing why keeps AI in service of the business.
Start with a launch. Go further when it pays.
AI Workspace Launch
Fixed fee from $3,500. Platform, setup, policy, guidebook, training, and three starter use cases in about 30 days. Details →
3LM Opportunity Mapping
We map Process, Technology, and Why across a team or department to find where AI saves real time and where it should stay out. You get a ranked list of opportunities with effort and payoff.
Custom & Private AI
Agents, automations, and integrations built for your workflows. For sensitive or regulated data, private and on-premises AI that never leaves your walls.
Ongoing Adoption Support
Monthly check-ins, new-hire training, and fresh use cases so the tools keep paying off after launch.
Founder, Known Constraints
Grimes, Iowa
Led by Chase Pals.
Chase has spent his career delivering complex programs and implementing AI, from software and product delivery to enterprise program management. He has led AI adoption for thousands of employees and knows what makes people actually use it.
He started Known Constraints on a simple conviction: Iowa businesses deserve clear-eyed AI help that fits how they actually work, without the hype and without the bloat. You work with Chase directly, start to finish.
Built to handle real growth.
Strategy is easy to talk about. These are engagements where it had to hold up under pressure.
AI consulting for Iowa businesses.
Known Constraints is based in Grimes, in the Des Moines metro, and works on-site with companies across Iowa: Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Urbandale, Johnston, Waukee, Cedar Rapids, the Quad Cities, Iowa City, Sioux City, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Ames, Council Bluffs, and Dubuque.
Iowa runs on real industries: manufacturing, agriculture, insurance, finance, healthcare, construction, and logistics. We bring practical AI to the way those businesses actually operate. Local, on the ground, and plain-spoken.
Common questions.
What does an AI consultant do for a small business?
We pick the right AI platform for how your business already runs, set it up securely, write the rules for using it, and train your team until it becomes part of daily work. Then we help you find the next places AI can save real time, and the places it should stay out of.
How much does AI consulting cost?
Our AI Workspace Launch is a fixed fee starting at $3,500 for teams up to 25 users. Larger teams are quoted after a free 30-minute call. AI platform licenses are billed separately by the vendor, and we help you pick the plan that fits so you do not overbuy.
Which AI platform should my business use: Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, or Gemini?
It depends on what you already run. If your team lives in Outlook, Teams, and Excel, Microsoft 365 Copilot is often the natural fit. If you run on Gmail and Google Drive, Gemini is already included in most Google Workspace business plans. Claude and ChatGPT are strong standalone choices for writing, analysis, and research. Read our plain-English platform guide, or ask us on a free call.
Is it safe to put company data into AI tools?
It is safer on a business plan than on a free personal account. Business plans from Anthropic, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google include commercial data protections, and Claude and ChatGPT business plans do not train on your data by default. The bigger risk is staff using free personal tools with customer data. A launch closes that gap with the right plan, the right settings, and a clear AI use policy.
How long does an AI rollout take?
About 30 days for a typical small business. Week one is setup and policy, weeks two and three are training and the first use cases, and week four is follow-up and cleanup.
Do you work with companies that are new to AI?
Yes. Most of our clients are small and mid-sized teams taking their first serious steps with AI. We start with how your business actually works, not with a tool.
Can you build private or on-premises AI?
Yes. For organizations with sensitive or regulated data, we build private, closed AI that runs on your terms and never leaves your walls.
Where are you based, and who do you work with?
Known Constraints is based in Grimes, in the Des Moines area. We work on-site with businesses across Iowa and remotely beyond it. The practice is led by founder Chase Pals. Call 319-538-4969.
What is the 3LM Method?
3 Layer Mapping is how we find where AI fits. We map three layers of your business: the Process (how work gets done), the Technology (what it runs on), and the Why (the judgment that has to stay human). AI goes only where all three say it should.
How do we get started?
Book a free 30-minute call. We learn how your team works, tell you honestly whether AI fits, and outline what a launch would look like. No pitch, no jargon.
Book a free 30-minute call.
Tell us what you are trying to solve. We will tell you honestly whether AI fits, which platform makes sense, and what a launch would look like. No pitch, no jargon.