FAQ · Working With Us
HOW ENGAGEMENTS WORK
Where firms start, how long things take, and what happens if something doesn't work.
What are the three tiers?
Literacy is workshops and leadership education, so your team shares a clear picture of what AI can and can't do. Consulting is a defined project with an end date: discovery, a governance framework, a roadmap and workflow redesign, usually over 1 to 12 months. Advisory is an ongoing, retained role in which we act as your Fractional Chief AI Officer, typically over several years.
What's the difference between consulting and advisory?
Consulting is a project: it has a scope, deliverables and an end date. Advisory is a role: we stay on as your executive-level AI lead, run the steering committee, keep your policies current and judge new tools as they arrive.
Do we have to start with Literacy?
No. Literacy is optional. Some firms start with a workshop, some with a defined project, and some with a single pain point. We start where your firm actually is.
Can we stop after one tier?
Yes. Every tier stands on its own and proposals come in stages. Each stage closes with a decision: move ahead, pause with a review date, or end cleanly.
How long is a workshop?
Anywhere from a one-hour executive session to multi-day programs. It depends on the size of the group and what you want them to leave with.
How long does it take to get AI working in our firm?
A typical first rollout is scheduled over nine weeks, and many are delivered within about a month. Larger consulting engagements run 1 to 12 months. Work is phased, and your leadership approves each phase before the next begins.
Will we have any downtime?
The aim is none. Deployments are designed to run alongside active jobs and to be rolled back without disrupting operations if something isn't right.
How should we prepare for the discovery call, and who should attend?
Nothing formal is needed. It's a conversation, not a pitch, and there is no commitment. Bring the person who would sponsor the work, usually an owner or principal, and if you can, the person closest to the problem.
Before the call, think about where hours disappear each week. If a first meeting follows, we send a short survey ahead of it.
How long does it take you to learn how our firm works?
Understanding your operations, data and culture is the first phase of every engagement, before anything is recommended. How long it takes depends on what's ready. Representative documents, templates and a few hours of leadership time go a long way, and what you already have is usually enough.
Are we too small, or too big, to work with you?
Neither. We work with firms of all sizes. Our core clients are mid-sized architecture, engineering and construction firms, and trades and subcontractors with a handful of people are a growing part of our work. The tiers describe the situation you're in, not your headcount.
How many firms do you work with at once?
Deliberately few. We cap how many firms we take on at once, every engagement is led by a principal, and we don't hand clients to junior staff. When an engagement needs more depth, we bring in trusted senior consultants.
Does every client work with the whole team?
No. Every engagement has a named lead and is staffed with the people it needs. A workshop and a multi-year advisory role look very different.
We plan to grow. Will we outgrow you?
The governance and knowledge structure we build is designed to grow with you, and our Advisory tier exists for larger firms that want executive-level AI leadership on an ongoing basis.
Do you work outside Canada?
Yes. We're based in Victoria, British Columbia, and work with firms across Canada, the United States and internationally.
Is there a guarantee? What if it doesn't work?
We don't promise outcomes we can't control. What we do instead: start narrow with a pilot, set the success criteria with you up front, and report against them. If something we deliver doesn't work, we fix it or roll it back, and if our advice was wrong, we say so plainly.
How do you measure results?
Against success criteria you set at the start, ideally on a pain point you already track, such as RFI turnaround or proposal preparation hours. You get regular status reports, and each phase closes with a findings report.
ASK US DIRECTLY
If your question isn't here, bring it to a discovery call. It's a conversation, not a pitch, and there is no commitment.