LESSON 2 OF 5 · DEPLOYMENT ARCHITECTURE

Flag the gaps before the contract

By the end of this lesson you can name the capability gaps of each deployment path and put them in front of the client without losing the deal.

Why timing determines the outcome

Every gap gets discovered. The only question is by whom, and when

In Lesson 3.1 you recommended a path. The same CLI runs on all of them, but the surface around it differs, and those differences surface mid-activation if you let them.

On a 30-day activation the pattern is predictable:

Week one: a champion asks where a feature went
Week two: the CoE asks why the metrics dashboard is empty
Day 30: the biggest-gaps report either contains items the client has known about since contract time, or items they're hearing for the first time with your name attached

A one-page gap memo, delivered with the path recommendation before signature, is the cheapest insurance in this course. It's the same discipline as flagging scope exclusions in an SOW: nobody disputes a line they agreed to.

Working rule

A gap flagged at contract time is consulting. The same gap discovered in week three is a defect with your name on it.

Next: The gap map

Back: Why timing determines the outcome

The gap map

Six gaps that belong in your memo

These are the differences between the cloud paths and Enterprise direct that clients actually hit. Match them to the path you recommended in 3.1.

Bedrock · Capability

WebSearch is unavailable

The built-in WebSearch tool does not work on Bedrock. Teams that lean on live documentation lookups need an approved MCP alternative, scoped during pre-kickoff, not improvised in week two.

All cloud paths · Product surface

No bundled Claude on the web

Only Teams and Enterprise direct include the web surface. On Bedrock, Vertex, or Foundry, business stakeholders have no chat surface unless the client buys one separately. This surfaces the first time an executive asks for a demo.

All cloud paths · Compliance

Anthropic ZDR does not apply

Zero data retention is an Enterprise-direct capability. On the cloud paths, retention follows the provider policies the client already governs. Accurate framing, as you practiced in 3.1: different control, not absent control.

All cloud paths · Operations

Model versions are the client's job

Aliases like sonnet resolve to defaults that can lag releases or point at models the account hasn't enabled. Background tasks also default to the primary model rather than a cheaper Haiku-class one. Pin versions in shared settings before rollout.

All cloud paths · Measurement

Telemetry defaults to off

Anthropic metrics, error reporting, and /feedback submission are disabled by default on third-party paths; feedback writes a local bundle instead. The adoption metrics the CoE reviews weekly need OTel or a gateway, which Lesson 3.4 covers.

Vertex · Lead times and defaults

Vertex has its own fine print

Allow 24 to 48 hours for Model Garden access approval
Enable MCP tool search explicitly: off by default, so large tool catalogs load upfront if left unconfigured
Verify prompt caching by region: availability varies on both Vertex and Bedrock; if cache counts sit at zero, check the region

The conversation

A gap memo is one page, not a risk register

Structure each line the same way:

Name the gap: which capability is absent or reduced on this path
Place the moment: which week, which person, which meeting the client would have hit it
Lead with the mitigation: the plan already in place, stated before the limitation

"WebSearch is unavailable on Bedrock; your platform docs team would hit this in week one; we'll scope an approved MCP alternative in pre-kickoff" reads as preparation. A bare feature comparison table reads as a reason to stall the deal. Lead with the mitigation, and the memo becomes evidence you've done this before.

Next: Scenario · Hold the line

Back: The gap map

Scenario · Hold the line

Northgate Logistics signed Bedrock. The gaps start arriving

You wrote the gap memo at contract time. Now the activation is live and the gaps surface one by one. Three decisions, six points.

Simulation

Northgate Logistics · Weeks 0 to 4

Same rules as Meridian. Click a card to commit. Green is a strong call, orange is defensible, grey costs you the room.

Credibility · 0 / 6

Decision 1 of 3 · Contract week

The CTO reads your gap memo and frowns: "If I show security this list, they'll stall the whole deal. Can we trim it?"

Choose your move

Keep every line, reframe each as a mitigation

Each gap stays, paired with the moment it would surface and the plan already in place. Offer to walk security through it yourself.

Select

Trim it to the two gaps security would care about

Keep ZDR and telemetry, drop the product-surface items. The CTO knows their security team best.

Select

Move the memo to the kickoff deck instead

Take it out of the contract conversation entirely and present it at kickoff once the deal is safe.

Select

Decision 2 of 3 · Week two

A champion posts in the activation channel: "WebSearch just doesn't work for anyone. Is our install broken?" Twenty developers are watching the thread.

Choose your move

File a support ticket and post that it's under investigation

Treat it as a possible defect until confirmed. Better safe than wrong in front of twenty people.

Select

Reply with the memo line and the planned alternative

WebSearch is unavailable on Bedrock, it was flagged at contract, and the approved MCP alternative is in the catalog. Link both.

Select

Suggest developers use claude.ai in the browser for lookups

Quick unblock: personal Claude accounts can search the web while you sort out a longer-term answer.

Select

Decision 3 of 3 · CoE metrics review

The CoE lead pulls up the weekly review: "Where's our usage data? The plan says we track DAU and cost per developer, and I see nothing."

Choose your move

Explain the default and propose the fix

Telemetry to Anthropic is off by default on Bedrock. The data lives in their own stack: OTel for usage events, Cost Explorer for spend, or centralized via the gateway you'll design next lesson.

Select

Tell them the Anthropic dashboard should have it

The Console has usage views; promise to find the right link after the meeting.

Select

Run a developer survey to cover this week

Self-reported usage and hours saved keep the review alive while the instrumentation question gets sorted later.

Select

Engagement debrief

0 / 6

The path you took