Who it’s for: Owners and managers of businesses with 20–200 staff and no in-house tech team
AI discovery and process map
A fixed-fee AI discovery, credited toward your retainer. We map how your work runs and rank where AI could help first.
The problem
Everyone has an AI idea, and nobody has the time to work out which ones are worth doing, which are safe, and which would only add another tool for the team to ignore. Buying software first usually means automating the wrong step, and people quietly go back to the old way within a few months.
What we build
- Interviews with the people who do the work, so we hear how things really run and not how the process document says they run
- A process map of how work flows between people and systems, with the pain points marked
- A ranked backlog of places where AI, simple automation or a change in process would help, scored on value, risk, effort and the data each one needs
How it works
Kickoff with the people who own the problem
About an hour to agree which parts of the business matter most, who does the work, what good looks like, and which systems and documents are involved. We confirm the scope and timing in writing before we start.
Interviews and side-by-side sessions
Our business analyst spends short sessions with the people who do the work, such as accounts, customer service, operations and sales. We watch real work being done, with your permission and without copying customer files.
Mapping and scoring
We map what actually happens, step by step and person by person. For each step we note where the time goes, where the data sits, and which steps follow fixed rules and which need someone’s judgement. Each idea is then scored for value, risk, effort and data.
Readout with the owners
We walk you through the map, the ranked backlog and a recommended first month. You decide whether to go ahead, change the scope or stop there.
What it looks like
Illustrative example of a process map for a fictional wholesale business, Sample Supplies Pty Ltd. Sales staff re-key orders from email, accounts match supplier invoices to purchase orders by hand, and the warehouse chases missing order details. Below it, a backlog rates three ideas for value, risk and effort.
What you receive
- A process map of how the work you chose actually runs today
- A ranked backlog, scored on value, risk, effort and data
- A recommended first month for the fractional AI team retainer
- A short note on what each idea touches and where it would run
- A readout to the owners, with time for questions
How we check accuracy
- We walk the map back through with the people who do the work before the readout, and correct anything they don’t recognise.
- Every idea names the data it would touch and where it would run.
- Value, risk and effort are shown as ratings with the reasons behind them, not invented hours or dollar savings.
What changes
- A decision you can make on evidence, not on a vendor demo
- A process map your team recognises and can keep using
- A recommended first month of work, or a clear reason not to start
What stays with you
The decision whether to go ahead, and with whom. The map and the backlog are intended to be yours either way, as set out in your client agreement.
In practice
Discovery is led by our senior business analyst, who has spent more than 12 years in digital transformation, working out how teams really work before anyone writes code. Our AI engineer joins the sessions that touch systems and data, so anything we recommend is something we know how to build, test and run.
A good discovery ends with a short list, not a long one. Most businesses leave with one process worth starting on, one or two that can wait, and a few that are better fixed without AI at all.
The fee is fixed and agreed before we start. If you go on to the retainer, it is credited toward it.
Questions
What if AI isn’t the answer?
Then we’ll say so. Some steps are better fixed with a template, a checklist or a change in who does what. The map and the backlog still show you where the time goes.
How much of our team’s time does it take?
We agree it with you at the kickoff. Sessions are short and fit around normal work, and the people involved join the kickoff and the readout.
Do you need access to our customer data?
Not at the start. We work from walkthroughs and de-identified examples. If a later step genuinely needs real documents, we agree in writing how they’re shared and where they’re processed first.
Is the discovery fee credited?
Yes. If you go ahead with the retainer, the discovery fee is credited toward it.
Can we build with someone else afterwards?
Yes. The map and the backlog are written so any capable team could act on them, and are intended to be yours, as set out in your client agreement.
Which businesses is this for?
Growing businesses with 20–200 staff and no in-house tech team, in any industry. If you’re unsure it fits, ask us.
Related
Fractional AI team
A monthly retainer that works through your AI backlog one process at a time: pick, build, test, train and measure. It runs after a discovery.
A monthly AI team, without hiring one
AI document processing
Reads supplier invoices, purchase orders, forms and contracts, checks them against your rules and flags exceptions for a person to decide.
Read, check and flag documents