Our Process

How we put AI to work in your business.

Four stages. Clear scope at each one. You always know what is happening, what comes next, and what it costs. Start with a fixed-cost AI Workshop. Move into Deep Dive Discovery if there is something worth building. Build the workflow, app, or agent. Then run with us as your AI Technology Partner so you stay ahead in a fast-moving field.

200+
Projects Delivered
12
Industries Served
4x
Avg Client ROI
The Framework

Four stages from first conversation to ongoing partnership

Every engagement runs through the same four stages. Each one has clear deliverables, clear pricing, and clear exit points. You can stop after any stage. Most clients move through all four because each one earns the next.

Stage 1

AI Workshop

Two meetings. Fixed cost. An honest read on where AI fits.

Before we ask you to commit to anything bigger, we run a fixed-cost AI Workshop. Two sessions with your team: in the first we dig into how the work runs today and what you are trying to do with AI; in the second we walk you through a customized AI Readiness Assessment, with our honest read on where AI fits and whether Discovery makes sense as the next step. No pressure to keep going. Many clients run a workshop, take the assessment, and move forward on their own. Others use it to decide that AI is not the right priority this quarter — and we tell them so.

Meeting 1

See How You Work Today

We meet with your team, walk through how the work runs today, and ask the questions that surface where AI is actually likely to help — and where it is being oversold to you.

Meeting 2

AI Readiness Assessment

We walk you through a customized written assessment of where you stand on data, tools, team, and use cases. You leave with our honest read on where AI fits in your business and what the next step looks like.

Deliverable

Honest Read on Fit

A written AI Readiness Assessment, a recommended next step, and the option to walk away. Workshop fee is credited against Discovery if you decide to move forward.

Stage 2

Deep Dive Discovery

A detailed AI Blueprint — in two to six weeks

Discovery is where we really dig in. We go through your entire business — every workflow, every inefficiency, every tool you already pay for that nobody is using. We talk to the people doing the work, audit what has been tried, look at what has worked and what has failed, and quantify the ROI on the opportunities worth pursuing. What you walk away with is an AI Blueprint: a detailed playbook with very clearly defined workflows, prioritized opportunities, ROI projections, and a phased plan your team can execute on their own — or hand back to us to build. Two to six weeks depending on the size of your business.

Business Mapping

Map Every Workflow

We go workflow by workflow across your operations, marketing, sales, and back office. What works, what is manual, what is duplicated, what has been tried before — written down in one place for the first time.

Audit

AI Tools & Data Audit

An honest audit of the AI tools you already pay for, the data you already have, and the gaps that need closing before AI delivers real value. Most teams are using a fraction of what they have.

Opportunities

Prioritized Use Cases & ROI

The 5–15 highest-impact AI opportunities in your business, ranked by ROI, feasibility, and time-to-value. Each one with a ROI projection tied to your numbers — not a generic benchmark.

Blueprint

AI Blueprint Playbook

A detailed phased implementation plan with clearly defined workflows, milestones, tech stack recommendations, and resource requirements. Ready to hand to your team to execute — or to us, to build.

Stage 3

Build

Workflow, app, or managed agent — built on gate-based payments, owned by you

After Discovery you pick what to build first. Three product lines. Same team. Same delivery method. 10% upfront, 90% released at milestone gates. You approve each phase before the next one begins. You own all the code, the prompts, the models, and the documentation. Every build ships with a clear eval harness so accuracy is something you measure, not hope for.

Stage 4

AI Technology Partner

Your fractional Chief AI Officer — so you stay ahead in a field that moves fast

A monthly retainer. We act as your fractional Chief AI Officer: monthly strategy sessions, vendor and tool evaluation, ongoing team coaching, oversight of internal builds, and a heads-up the day something new ships that changes the math. You get senior AI leadership embedded in your organization for a fraction of what a full-time hire would cost — and you can hire us out of the role when the time comes.

Strategy

Monthly Strategy Sessions

Regular deep-dives with your leadership team to review progress, adjust priorities, and plan the next phase of AI adoption across the organization.

Evaluation

Vendor & Tool Evaluation

Independent assessment of AI tools, platforms, and vendors. We recommend what to buy, what to build, and what to skip — with no vendor kickbacks.

Coaching

Team Coaching & Upskilling

Hands-on training for your technical and non-technical teams. We build internal AI fluency so you can eventually run this without us.

Oversight

Implementation Oversight

We oversee your internal AI builds or third-party implementations to make sure they are on track, on budget, and actually solving the right problems.

Radar

New-Tech Radar

AI moves fast. When something new ships that changes the math for your business, we tell you what it is, whether it matters, and what to do about it.

Transition

Hiring & Transition Plan

When you are ready to bring AI leadership in-house, we help you write the job description, evaluate candidates, and transition knowledge.

How We Measure Success

Every workflow ships with evals — so accuracy is a number you trust

Most AI work fails quietly. The thing that worked on day one slips on day 60 and nobody notices until a customer or auditor does. We do not do that. Every workflow we build comes with a clear evaluation harness — a set of real examples scored against the answer your team would have produced. We watch the accuracy number every day. When a new model comes out, we test it against the same eval set before we migrate. When you update your workflow, we re-run the evals to make sure we did not regress. You do not need to know how the evals work under the hood. You need to know that accuracy is being measured, that you have a number you can show your board, and that the system is actually moving the needle on the work it was built to do.

Baseline

Accuracy You Can Show the Board

Every workflow has a real accuracy number measured against real examples — the kind of metric you can put in a board deck without a lawyer asking you what it means.

No Regression

No Silent Drift

When models change, prompts change, or your workflow changes, we re-run the evals first. You find out about a regression before your users do.

New Models

New Models Make You Faster, Not Riskier

When a better, cheaper, or faster model ships, we evaluate it against your eval set before we migrate. If it loses on accuracy, we roll back. If it wins, you get the upgrade without the surprise.

We've Seen It All

Wherever you are, we've helped companies like yours

Before you talk to us, you should already trust us. Here's how we handle the three most common situations we see.

Tried It In-House

"We built something, but nobody uses it."

Most internal AI projects fail because they solve a technology problem instead of a business problem. We audit what you have, figure out what's actually blocking adoption, and either fix it or replace it with something your team will use every day.

Got Burned by an Agency

"We spent six figures and got a demo."

Gate-based payments exist because of stories like yours. You pay 10% upfront and release the rest only when milestones are delivered and approved. Every deliverable is defined in advance. If we don't deliver, you don't pay.

Haven't Started Yet

"We know we need AI, but we don't know where to begin."

That's exactly what the AI Workshop is for. Two meetings, fixed cost, an honest read. You walk away with an AI Readiness Assessment and a clear next step.

How It Works

From first call to full ownership

Every engagement follows the same transparent process. You always know what is happening, what comes next, and what it costs.

Share Your Situation
Book a 30-minute call. Tell us what you've tried, what's broken, and where you want to go. No pitch deck required — just an honest conversation.
1
AI Workshop
Two meetings, fixed cost. We learn how the work runs today, give you an AI Readiness Assessment in writing, and tell you honestly whether Discovery is the right next step.
2
Deep Dive Discovery
Two to six weeks. We map every workflow, audit your tools, and deliver an AI Blueprint with clearly defined workflows, ROI projections, and a phased plan. You can stop here with the blueprint in hand.
3
Build at Gates
Work is delivered in phases with clear checkpoints. You review, approve, and release payment only when milestones are met. 10% upfront, 90% at gates. Evals shipped with every build.
4
Run With Us as Your AI Technology Partner
After build, the AI Technology Partner retainer keeps you ahead. Monthly fractional CAIO, ongoing oversight, new-tech radar. Hire us out of the role when the time comes.
5
✓ Fixed-cost AI Workshop ✓ 10% upfront, 90% at gates ✓ Evals shipped with every workflow ✓ You own all code and IP ✓ No vendor lock-in
Common Questions

FAQ

Do we have to do all four stages?
No. You can stop after any stage. Many companies stop after Discovery with the AI Blueprint in hand and build internally. Many run Discovery only once a year and stay on the AI Technology Partner retainer in between. The framework is a path, not a contract.
How long is the AI Workshop?
Two meetings. The first is about us learning how the work runs today. The second is when we walk you through a customized AI Readiness Assessment. The workshop is fixed-cost; the fee is credited against Discovery if you decide to move forward.
Why is Discovery two to six weeks instead of a fixed timeline?
It depends on the size and complexity of your business. A focused single-team Discovery is closer to two weeks. A cross-functional AI Blueprint covering ops, marketing, and engineering is closer to six. We scope it together at the end of the Workshop.
What is in the AI Blueprint we get out of Discovery?
A detailed playbook: every workflow mapped, the 5–15 highest-ROI AI opportunities ranked, ROI projections tied to your numbers, tech stack recommendations, and a phased implementation plan with milestones. Your team can execute it themselves, or hand it back to us.
What is your eval approach? How do I know the AI is actually working?
Every workflow we build ships with an evaluation harness — a set of real examples scored against the answer your team would have produced. Accuracy is a real number, measured every day. When models or workflows change, we re-run the evals first so you find out about regressions before your users do. You do not need to know how the harness works under the hood — you need to know that accuracy is being measured and that the system is moving the needle on the work it was built for.
Can you work within our existing tools and tech stack?
Yes. On the AI side we work across Claude (Anthropic), OpenAI (ChatGPT / GPT-4 / GPT-5), Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, and the major open-weight models — whichever fits your team, your data residency requirements, and your accuracy / cost frontier. On the business-systems side we integrate with Slack, Jira, GitHub, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, HubSpot, ServiceNow, Encompass, Guidewire, Procore, Epic, and dozens more. If it has an API, we can connect to it. We build on your infrastructure, not ours.
How long before we see results?
AI Workshop: an honest written read inside two weeks of the first session. Discovery: AI Blueprint in 2–6 weeks. Build: first working system deployed within 6–8 weeks of kickoff, with evals from day one. AI Technology Partner: strategic clarity within the first month, ongoing wins after.
We tried AI in-house and it didn't work. Why would this be different?
Most internal AI projects fail because they start with technology instead of business outcomes — and because there is no eval harness, so nobody knows whether what was built is actually working. We start with your workflows, identify the highest-ROI opportunities, and build only what will actually get used. Every engagement has measurable success criteria defined before we write a line of code, and an eval harness shipped alongside it.
We hired an agency before and got burned. How do we know this won't happen again?
Gate-based payments mean you never pay for work that hasn't been delivered and approved. Every milestone has clear deliverables you review before the next phase begins. If we don't deliver, you don't pay. We also transfer full ownership of everything we build — no lock-in, no hostage code.
How is the AI Technology Partner retainer different from hiring a full-time AI lead?
A strong AI hire costs $300K–$500K fully loaded and takes 3–6 months to find. The retainer gives you senior AI leadership at a fraction of the cost, starting immediately. When you're ready to bring it in-house, we help you hire and transition out of the role.

Ready to put AI to work?