How we work

A process that de-risks AI for SMEs.

We've seen what makes AI projects fail. Our engagement model is built to avoid every one of those failure modes — from the wrong problem to shelf-ware no one uses.

01

Discover

1–2 hours

We start with a conversation — not a pitch. We want to understand how your business actually operates: where the time goes, what your team finds frustrating, where things fall through the cracks.

We ask about your current tools, your team size, your growth ambitions, and what you've tried before. We're listening for the problems that will deliver the most value when solved, not the most technically impressive problems.

At the end of Discover, we have a shared understanding of your business — and you have a sense of whether we're the right partner.

You leave with:

  • Shared understanding of your business context
  • Initial list of potential AI opportunities
  • Honest assessment of where you are vs. where you want to be
02

Assess & prioritise

1–2 weeks

We go deeper into the opportunities we've identified. We map the specific processes involved, understand the data and tools required, and assess what an AI solution would actually need to do.

Then we score each opportunity across two dimensions: business impact (time saved, revenue protected, risk reduced) and implementation effort (complexity, integration requirements, data quality). This gives us a clear prioritisation: the highest-impact, lowest-effort opportunities first.

We present this as a written roadmap — not a theoretical document, but a concrete plan with a recommended first project and a clear rationale for why.

You leave with:

  • Prioritised opportunity matrix
  • Written roadmap with recommended first project
  • Honest assessment of effort, timeline, and risk for each opportunity
03

Build & pilot

2–8 weeks

We build the first solution. We work iteratively — you see progress early and often, not just at the end.

For most projects, this means a working prototype within two weeks, followed by a pilot period where the AI runs alongside your existing process (not instead of it). We use your real data from day one; synthetic demos don't tell you what you need to know.

During the pilot, we watch for failure modes: edge cases the AI doesn't handle well, inputs it misunderstands, situations where a human should always stay in the loop. We design the exception handling before it's a problem.

We don't declare success until the pilot shows the AI is reliably doing what it's supposed to do.

You leave with:

  • Working prototype within 2 weeks for most projects
  • Pilot with real data and real processes
  • Documented failure modes and exception handling
  • Clear success criteria met before proceeding
04

Train & adopt

1–2 weeks

The most common reason AI projects fail isn't the technology — it's adoption. Staff who feel threatened by AI, or who don't understand what it's doing, will quietly route around it.

We run hands-on training with the actual users — not a slide deck, but a working session with the tool they'll be using every day. We explain what the AI is doing and why, what it can and can't handle, and how to manage the exceptions.

We also address the elephant in the room: concerns about job displacement. We find that honest, direct conversations about this topic build more trust than avoiding it.

Adoption isn't an afterthought for us. It's built into every project from the first conversation.

You leave with:

  • Hands-on training tailored to actual users
  • Clear guidance on managing AI output and exceptions
  • Open conversation about what AI means for the team
  • Adoption baseline measured before and after
05

Support & optimise

Ongoing

AI deployed is not AI done. Language models change, the tools around them change, and your business changes. The agent that works perfectly today may drift over months without attention.

For the first 30 days after deployment, we monitor closely — tracking exception rates, reviewing edge cases, and making adjustments as real-world usage surfaces things the pilot didn't. Most of the important refinements happen in this window.

After that, we offer ongoing support at a level that suits your needs: from a simple check-in to a continuous optimisation retainer. We'll tell you honestly what level of support your specific deployment needs — some systems are simple enough to run without it; others benefit from ongoing tuning.

You leave with:

  • 30-day close monitoring post-deployment
  • Exception rate tracking and regular adjustments
  • Transparent guidance on ongoing support needs
  • Quarterly review option for ongoing engagements

Common questions

What people usually ask before they start.

How long does a typical engagement take?
Most clients have an AI agent or tool running within 8–12 weeks of first contact. The Discover and Assess phases take 2–3 weeks. Build and pilot varies by complexity — simple agents can be in production within 4 weeks of starting; more complex integrations take 6–8. Training and adoption add 1–2 weeks.
What do I need to prepare before we start?
Not much for the initial conversation — just your time and honest answers to questions about how your business works. Later in the process, we'll need access to the relevant tools and data, but we walk you through that when the time comes.
Can I start with just one small project?
Yes, and we'd recommend it. A focused first project with a clear outcome is the best way to build confidence and learn what AI can do in your specific business. We're not here to sell you a multi-year transformation programme.
What if the AI doesn't work as expected?
We don't declare success until it does. The pilot phase is explicitly designed to find the failure modes before a full rollout. If the approach isn't working, we tell you — and we either adjust the solution or recommend a different approach, not a more expensive one.
Do you work outside Auckland?
Yes. While we're Auckland-based, we work with SMEs across New Zealand. Most of our work can be done remotely; we travel for engagements where in-person collaboration makes a meaningful difference.

Ready to take the first step?

Book a free 30-minute Discovery call. No commitment, no pitch — just an honest conversation about your business and where AI could make a real difference.

Book a free call