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Engagements
Operational architecture and delivery for owner-led and mid-market firms. Built to remove ambiguity, qualify fit, and show exactly how work proceeds.
Overview
We design and implement operational systems that align decisions, workflows, and data. Engagements address structural breakdowns—not tool swaps or isolated reports.
Services and delivery
Architecture & planning
Decision-led operating model, workflow design, system blueprint, and adoption plan aligned to how the business actually runs.
When: before committing to build, when leadership intent is clear but execution is inconsistent or overly tool-dependent.
Success: a documented operating model, system plan, and adoption path sized to the selected scope.
Execution
Design: detailed workflows, roles, handoffs, decision and escalation paths, and data requirements.
Build & configuration: systems, integrations, automations, and data flows implemented to match the design.
Implementation: pilots, stabilization, training, and reporting established with clear owners.
Handoff: documentation, ownership transition, and adoption measures in place.
Engagement scope
Architecture and execution can be applied at different levels of scope, depending on where breakdowns occur and how broadly change is required.
Single workflow
One critical process designed and delivered end-to-end. Used to stabilize execution, remove ambiguity, or pilot a broader operating model.
Cross-workflow
Multiple linked workflows spanning teams or systems, with shared data, handoffs, and decision points aligned.
Department operating system
A complete operating model for a function: roles, cadence, workflows, tools, and reporting designed together.
Company-wide operating system
Enterprise operating model with sequenced rollout across departments, governance defined, and adoption managed in stages.
Architecture & planning deliverables
- Operating model and workflow designs with roles, cadences, handoffs, and decision/escalation paths.
- System blueprint and integration plan tied directly to the designed workflows and data requirements.
- Adoption and rollout plan with designated owners, success measures, and sequencing by scope.
Execution deliverables
- Implemented systems, integrations, automations, and data flows aligned to the approved design.
- Training and documentation package with ownership assignments and handoff criteria.
- Decision-ready reporting and adoption measures with refresh cadence and named owners.
Engagement structure and pricing
Engagements are structured to reduce risk, force clarity, and align incentives. Scope, pricing, and decision points are explicit at each stage.
- Qualification (no cost): A short conversation to confirm problem class, decision-makers, and likely scope. If it’s not a fit, we say so early.
- Architecture & planning (fixed scope, fixed fee): Mapping of decisions, constraints, workflows, and data with options and a recommended plan. This phase stands on its own and can be used with or without KBLN for execution.
- Execution (staged, fixed-scope phases): Design, build, and implementation delivered in bounded stages. Each stage has defined scope, success measures, approvals, and pricing before work begins.
- Change handling: Material changes in scope trigger a new stage definition and pricing. Minor adjustments are managed within agreed guardrails.
- Ownership and handoff: Deliverables transition to client ownership at handoff, with documentation, training, and adoption measures in place.
- Ongoing relationship: Work is project-based by default. Limited retainer support may be offered after successful delivery for refinement, governance, or transition support.
- Commercial terms: Architecture and planning is paid in advance. Execution is priced and paid by stage, with payment due before each stage begins.
If this resonates
Engagements begin with a short conversation to confirm context, constraints, and whether the engagement structure described here is appropriate. If it is, next steps are outlined clearly. If not, we’ll say so.