AI Strategy Lead
Senior architect who runs discovery, designs the solution architecture, and signs the fixed-price scope. The single owner of the Plan.
AI Strategy
Map the operations. Build the plan.
A six-week engagement led by senior architects. We map how your business actually runs, rank the AI work that pays back fastest, and deliver a prioritized roadmap you can scope and start.
Deliverable
AI Operating Plan
- 01 Operations Map
- 02 Use Case Inventory
- 03 Solution Architecture
- 04 Adoption Plan
- 8
- Artifacts. Each one signable and ready to build from.
- 100 %
- Senior-led discovery. No junior consultants on client work.
- 6 wks
- Discovery to signed Plan. Fixed scope, fixed duration.
- 24 mo
- Of prioritized roadmap. Sequenced quarter by quarter, sized to ship.
What you walk away with
A plan you can ship, not a deck you'll forget.
Most AI strategy work ends in a slide deck. Ours ends in a set of signable deliverables your engineers can build and your team can adopt. Produced together. Scoped together. Signed together.
- 01
The Operations Map
Every workflow, system, and data flow your business actually runs on. We map all of them, score them for AI readiness, and rank them by where AI moves the needle.
- 02
The Use Case Inventory
Five to ten AI use cases. We score each one on business impact, how hard it is to build, and how ready your team is. The top three move into architecture.
- 03
The Solution Architecture
Production-grade architecture for each prioritized use case: AI models, agent workflows, integrations, data pipelines. Designed for production from day one.
- 04
The Adoption Plan
A department-level change plan with role-based training, resistance mapping, internal champions, and 30/90/180-day adoption targets. We build it in parallel with engineering, not after.
Phase 01 Enterprise Discovery
Map how the business actually runs.
A structured deep-dive into your operations, your data, and your readiness for AI, run alongside your people and grounded in the workflows you actually operate.
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Stakeholder Mapping & Interviews
Structured sessions with executives, department heads, and frontline operators. We learn objectives, pain points, and decision dynamics directly. No second-hand summaries.
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Operational Audit
Map existing workflows, systems, and data flows. Document how work actually gets done: where the manual bottlenecks live, where the redundant processes hide, and where the integration gaps cost time.
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Data & Technology Assessment
Evaluate the technology stack for AI readiness: data quality, system connectivity, API availability, security posture, and governance gaps. The findings shape what's buildable in Phase 2.
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AI Opportunity Identification
Surface 5–10 potential AI use cases. We rank each by business impact, how hard it is to build, and how ready your team is. The top three move into Phase 2 architecture.
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Organizational Readiness Scoring
Assess leadership buy-in, team capability, change tolerance, and culture. Score readiness per department. The order of work follows adoption, not architecture.
Phase 02 AI Strategy & Design
Translate findings into an actionable plan.
Discovery surfaces the opportunities. Phase 2 turns them into something you can build: a solution architecture, a change plan, success metrics, and a fixed-price scope. Designed in parallel. Signed together.
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Strategic Roadmap Development
Translate the top use cases into a phased roadmap. Sequencing, dependencies, milestones, decision gates. Each milestone aligned to your budget windows and value creation timelines.
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Solution Architecture
Design the technical architecture for each initiative: AI models, agent workflows, system integrations, data pipelines, and platform configurations. Designed for production from day one. Not a demo.
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Change Management Planning
Build a department-level adoption plan: role-based training, resistance mapping, internal champion picks, and an executive coaching schedule. Designed in parallel with engineering, not after.
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Success Metrics & Measurement Framework
Define the success metrics: EBITDA impact, efficiency gains, adoption rates (30/90/180-day targets), time savings, error reduction, and satisfaction baselines. We set every baseline before the build begins, so the bar is real, not added later.
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Fixed-Price Scoping & Engagement Terms
Translate the roadmap into a fixed-price implementation engagement with clearly defined deliverables, timelines, and warranty terms. No hourly billing. No scope ambiguity. The Plan is signable on delivery.
Engagement shape
Two phases. One Plan.
An embedded engagement in two phases. Phase 1 ends when the Operations Map is signed; Phase 2 ends when the fixed-price implementation scope is on your desk. Scroll to follow each step in order.
- 01
Kickoff & access
Embedded team in place. Stakeholder schedule signed.
- 02
Interviews complete
Exec, lead, and operator sessions wrapped.
- 03
Audit & assessment
Workflow map and data/tech readiness scored.
- 04
Operations Map signed
Top three use cases prioritized. Phase 1 complete.
- 05
Architecture drafted
Solution architecture and roadmap in review.
- 06
Change & metrics
Adoption plan and success metrics finalized.
- 07
Plan delivered
Fixed-price scope on your desk. Decision-ready. Phase 2 complete.
Who runs the engagement
Four senior people. Inside your business.
No junior consultants on client work. No subcontracted strategy team. The four people who run discovery are the four people who'll architect the build. The same names through Phase 4.
Implementation PM
Runs the engagement: interview scheduling, decision gates, deliverable QA, and the daily stand-up that keeps Phase 1 and Phase 2 paired, not sequential.
AI Engineer
Pressure-tests the architecture against your real systems and data. Validates feasibility against your APIs, your data quality, and your integration constraints. Not against benchmarks.
Training & Change Manager
Designs the adoption plan in parallel with engineering: role-based training, resistance mapping, internal champion picks. Builds the runway before the build starts.
Deliverable inventory
What's in the Plan.
Eight artifacts. Each one has a named audience and a real job inside your business. Together they form a Plan you can ship and a Plan you can build from.
| Artifact | Audience | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Operations Map P01 | COO, Operations leads | Where AI moves the needle, ranked by $ impact. |
| Use Case Inventory P01 | Exec team, Strategy | 5–10 opportunities scored, top 3 selected. |
| AI Readiness Assessment P01 | CTO, IT, Security | Per-system score on data, APIs, governance, posture. |
| Solution Architecture P02 | Engineering, IT | Production-grade designs for the top 3 use cases. |
| Strategic Roadmap P02 | CEO, Board | Sequenced phases with budget windows and decision gates. |
| Change Management Plan P02 | CHRO, Operations | Department-level adoption plan with champion network. |
| Success Metrics Framework P02 | CFO, Operations | 30/90/180-day baselines set before build begins. |
| Fixed-Price Implementation Scope P02 | CFO, General Counsel | Signable engagement terms with warranty included. |
It looks like we're in 2035. We recently launched a project that had been discussed for years but never gained traction. Elevate partnered with our team to design and implement a solution that far surpassed our original vision.
Amy Dundon Managing Director, Digital
What happens after the Plan
If you proceed: implementation, then advisory.
The Plan ends with a fixed-price implementation scope. If you sign it, the same four names move into Phase 3 and build inside your business. Phase 4 hands the keys back to your team, with Elevate staying on as advisor.
Phase 03
Workflow Implementation
An embedded team builds, integrates, tests, and stabilizes live AI workflows inside your production systems. Each sprint ships working functionality, not demos.
Phase 04
Enablement & Optimization
Measure adoption at 30/90/180 days, optimize against real-world data, transfer knowledge to internal champions, and transition Elevate from embedded partner to strategic advisor.