AI consulting: process first, tools second, and the report is yours
AI consulting is the work of deciding, in writing and before any tool is chosen, which of your processes are worth automating. It starts with a 30-minute call, continues with a one-week discovery and ends with a six-part report. The call and the one-week discovery are both free. The scope of the discovery is agreed on the call. The report is always yours. A build is a separate decision. The report proposes a single process for the first flow, and a process that fails the tests is reported as such.
AI consulting is the work of deciding, in writing, which jobs in a business will be automated. Choosing a tool is easy. The hard part is knowing which process is worth putting into a system. If a tool is bought first, a job has to be found for it. ALTAI Digital reverses that order. The process is mapped, measured and written down first. The tool is chosen only once the process is clear. The six parts of the report are described below in order.
It starts with a free 30-minute discovery call. The call covers the business, the team and the processes as they run today. A free one-week discovery follows. Its scope is agreed on that call. The result is a written report in six parts. It is written in the business's own words and can be read without technical knowledge. The report is always yours. Whether to have ALTAI Digital build anything is entirely your choice.
Three tests decide whether a process is worth automating. The first is repetition and duration: how often the step is done each week and how long it takes each time. The second is whether the rule can be written down. The third is turnaround. A process that fails the tests is written into the report with the reasons. Not every process suits automation, and the report does not hide that.
The advice does not replace your team; steps that need judgement stay with the team. Your team uses the flow that is built and sets its limits. The first flow is a single process that is repetitive, rule-based and fed by digital input. The scope of the first flow is written in the fourth part of the report, together with the systems it connects. If a build is agreed, the first live flow opens within 4 to 8 weeks. Your own timing is written into the report. The report leaves you a concrete document for that decision. It shows why each process was chosen or left out, and how any gain will be measured.
What goes wrong today
- 01
The tool is chosen before the job
When a tool is bought first, teams look for a job that fits it. That often means starting with the wrong process. In this advice the order is reversed: the process is written down first and the tool is chosen afterwards.
- 02
Nobody has timed the steps
Everyone feels a process is slow, but nobody has written down how long each step takes. Without measurement, priorities rest on opinion. In discovery, the duration and weekly repetition of every step are recorded.
- 03
Every process is assumed to suit automation
A job whose rule cannot be written down, or that is done rarely, may not be worth automating. A report that never says so is incomplete. A process that fails the three tests is reported as such, with the reasons.
- 04
The scope is wide and nothing finishes
One working flow is worth more than five unfinished ones. The first scope stays at a single process, and growth follows the measurements.
- 05
Advice becomes a precondition for a build
A report written only to sell a build is not impartial. Here the advice can end with the report. The report is always yours, and a build is a separate decision.
- 06
The gain is never measured
The result of a flow that was never measured beforehand is open to dispute. The measurement plan is written before any build. After the flow opens, the same two figures are taken again and compared.
Scope of the build
A six-part discovery report
The output of the one-week discovery is a written report in six parts. They are a map of the process, the time and repetition of each step, and the priority order of candidates. The rest are the scope of the first flow, a measurement plan and the reasons for steps ruled out. Each part states the reasons for what was chosen.
A step-by-step map of today's process
The first part shows how the work runs today. It records which team does which step, where the work waits and what is carried over by hand. The map is the basis for every later part. A step missing from it cannot be measured.
The time and weekly repetition of each step
The second part records how long each step takes and how many times a week it is done. Automation candidates come from these two figures. No candidate enters the list on opinion alone, and the later parts rest on these figures.
The priority order of candidates
The third part ranks the candidates. Automation candidates are steps that are repetitive, rule-based and fed by digital input; priority goes to those whose effect can be measured and that can be built quickly. The order shows which process should come first.
The scope of the first flow and the systems it connects
The fourth part states where the chosen first flow starts and ends. The systems it will connect to are listed here too. The scope stays narrow and limited to a single process.
A measurement plan
The fifth part writes down, before any build, how the gain will be measured. The time spent per step and the weekly repetition are taken before and after the flow. The result is then not open to dispute.
The reasons for steps ruled out
The sixth part lists the steps that were not taken into automation, and why. Steps that need judgement stay with the team. A process that fails the tests also appears here, with its reasons.
How the build runs
- 01
A free 30-minute call
The discovery call is free and lasts 30 minutes. The business and today's processes are discussed. The one-week discovery is free too, and its scope is agreed on this call.
- 02
A one-week discovery
For one week the process is mapped step by step. The duration and weekly repetition of each step are measured. Automation candidates come from those two figures.
- 03
A six-part report
Discovery ends with a written report in six parts. They cover the process map, time and repetition, priority order, scope of the first flow, measurement plan and reasons. Choosing the first flow is part of the report: the fourth part states the scope of the chosen flow and the systems it connects. The report is always yours.
- 04
The build decision
A build is a separate decision and is not required. The tool is decided after the process is chosen. The advice can end with the report. If a build is wanted, it is decided separately and the first live flow opens within 4 to 8 weeks. You make that decision after reading the report.
Products used in this build
Agent deployment
The written method for moving a job into a system: discovery, priority order, first live workflow, measurement and an audit log.
Workflow automation
Repeating processes run in the background; the process picks the tool, and a failure does not stay quiet.
Integrations
Your existing systems get connected; data is not carried by hand and not kept in two places.
Terms used on this page
- AI consulting
- AI consulting is the work that decides, in writing and before any tool is chosen, which of a business's processes are worth automating.
- Discovery report
- A discovery report is a document of six parts, written at the end of a one-week discovery, that always belongs to the client.
- Automation candidate
- An automation candidate is a process step that is repetitive, rule-based and fed by digital input; priority goes to steps whose effect can be measured and that can be built quickly.
- First flow
- The first flow is the single repetitive, rule-based process with digital input that is opened first in a build.
AI consultingFrequently asked questions
AI consulting covers the work of deciding which jobs are worth automating. It consists of a 30-minute call, a one-week discovery and a six-part written report. The call and the discovery are both free. A build sits outside this scope and is a separate decision.
No. The call and the one-week discovery are both free. The scope of the discovery is agreed on the call. The call lasts 30 minutes. You are not obliged to start the discovery when the call ends.
The discovery report is always the client's. It stays with you even if you do not have ALTAI Digital build anything.
The report has six parts. The first is a step-by-step map of today's process. The second gives the time and weekly repetition of each step. Next come the priority order of candidates and the scope of the first flow with the systems it connects. The last two parts are a measurement plan and the reasons for steps ruled out.
No. The advice can end with the report, and a build is a separate decision. If you want one, the first live flow opens within 4 to 8 weeks. The time depends on scope and the systems to connect, and your own timing is written in the report.
Start with a single process that is repetitive, rule-based and fed by digital input. A wide scope delays the first live flow. Growth follows the measurements.
If a process fails the three tests, the report says so, with the reasons. The tests are repetition and duration, whether the rule can be written, and turnaround. That process does not enter the candidate list; the reasons are written in the sixth part of the report, which shows which jobs were left out and why.
The tool is chosen after the process is clear. The map, the duration and the rule of each step are written first. The systems to connect are listed in the fourth part of the report. The tool is chosen by looking at that list.
The process first, the proposal after
In a short discovery call we map the process together and tell you plainly whether it is worth automating. If it is not, we say that too.
30 minutes · no preparation needed
