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Lever 01 · Decide

Put AI where it removes real cost.

Most AI spend starts with a tool and looks for a problem. We start with your cost base. We map where time and money go, rank the use cases that move cost down, and give you a sequenced roadmap with owners, guardrails and a baseline to measure against.

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The problem

Why most AI plans never reach the P&L

01
Pilots without a cost target.

Teams test tools because they are available, not because a cost line needs to fall. Pilots end with a demo and no change to the budget.

02
No baseline to measure against.

Nobody recorded how long the work took or what it cost before AI arrived, so nobody can prove whether anything actually improved.

03
Use cases picked by enthusiasm.

The loudest department gets the first project, while the highest-value, lowest-risk opportunities in finance, operations and customer service sit untouched.

04
Risk handled after the fact.

Data, privacy and approval questions surface late, stall projects in review and leave leaders unsure what staff are allowed to use.

How we work

From cost base to funded roadmap

Step 1

Map

We walk your core processes with the people who run them and record where hours, rework and external spend accumulate today.

Step 2

Rank

Each candidate use case is scored on cost removed, effort, data readiness and risk, so priorities rest on evidence rather than opinion.

Step 3

Sequence

We group the winners into a roadmap of quick wins, core builds and platform decisions, with owners, dependencies and decision points for each stage.

Step 4

Commit

Leadership signs off targets against a recorded baseline. From there, progress is reported monthly on one page against those agreed numbers.

What you get

What you receive at the end

01

Cost base map

A process-level view of where time and money are spent, built with your team and checked against your finance data.

02

Ranked use case register

Every AI opportunity we found, scored on value, effort, data readiness and risk, with a clear recommendation for each one.

03

Sequenced AI roadmap

A staged plan showing what to do first, what depends on what, who owns each step and when leadership needs to decide.

04

Baseline and targets

Recorded current-state measures for each priority process, with the cost and time targets each project must hit to continue.

05

Build, buy or deploy view

For each priority, a recommendation on whether to build custom, configure an existing platform or change the process without new software.

06

Board-ready summary

A short document your leadership and shareholders can read in one sitting, covering the case, the risks, the sequence and the governance.

What we measure

Judged by the numbers, not the activity.

We take a baseline in Review week, agree targets in writing and report against them every month.

Cost per process run
Hours released per month
Use cases live versus planned
Spend against roadmap budget
You are a good fit if
Your teams are already testing AI but nobody can show savings.
You run an established business with a cost base worth examining line by line.
Leadership wants one agreed AI plan rather than scattered departmental experiments.
FAQ

Questions leaders ask us.

How is this different from AI training?
Training builds skill. Strategy decides where that skill should be applied. We look at your processes and cost lines first, then recommend where AI, automation or simple process change will remove the most cost with acceptable risk. Training often follows as part of the roadmap.
No. Data readiness is one of the factors we score. Some high-value use cases need very little structured data, while others need groundwork first. The roadmap shows which is which, so you can start where your data already supports it.
Claude is our default model, delivered with Focus20 Labs, a Claude Partner Network member. Where another option suits a use case better, we say so. The recommendation is driven by the task, the data involved and your governance needs.
You can run it with your own team, or we can deliver parts of it through training, automation, custom builds or platform deployment. Either way, the baseline and targets stay in place so progress is measured the same way throughout.
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Explore

Start with a free Cost Review.

One week, no charge. We find where your cost hides and show you whether AI Strategy is the right first move, with us or without us.

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