AI Strategy & Advisory:
A roadmap built on your values, not hype.
AI Strategy & Advisory is a structured consulting engagement that produces a clear, actionable AI roadmap aligned to your business goals, governance requirements, and risk appetite. We assess your readiness, identify your highest-leverage opportunities, and deliver a plan your team can actually execute.
- Best forOrganizations preparing for their first AI investment, or those who've started but lack coherent direction
- DeliverableCustom AI roadmap, governance framework, prioritized opportunity list
- Engagement styleProject-based or ongoing retainer (Fractional AI Partner)
- Who you work withKate Waldhauser · Certified Claris Partner & Responsible AI specialist
The AI Maturity Staircase
Most organizations start at step 1 or 2. That is completely normal. The goal is to move up deliberately, not quickly.
Curious
Aware of AI, exploring possibilities, no formal plan yet.
Experimenting
Ad-hoc tool use, some team members exploring independently.
Structured
Governance in place, defined use cases, policies and training underway.
Integrated
AI embedded in workflows, measurable outcomes, team fully enabled.
Optimized
Continuous improvement, cross-functional AI, strategic competitive advantage.
Choose the engagement that fits
where your organization is today
Most organizations approach AI with a vague mandate and no map. We change that. Starting with a structured leadership discovery session, we surface your highest-leverage opportunities, establish success metrics, and produce a written strategic roadmap your team can actually execute against, not a theoretical slide deck.
Typically runs 4–6 weeks and ends with a prioritized action plan, a defined governance posture, and clarity on which AI tools and investments actually make sense for your situation.
- Leadership discovery session
- Business objectives & success metrics definition
- AI opportunity audit across your workflows
- Prioritized strategic roadmap (written, actionable)
- High-level governance & risk framework
- 30-day check-in after delivery
- A clear picture of where AI will move the needle
- Confidence to present the strategy to stakeholders
- Reduced risk of investing in the wrong tools
- A prioritized list of quick wins vs. long-term plays
Before committing to AI tools or a full strategy engagement, it helps to know exactly where your organization stands. We evaluate your technology infrastructure, data quality, team capabilities, and organizational culture, and return with an honest, specific picture of what's ready and what needs work first.
Many organizations discover their biggest AI blockers aren't technical; they're process or culture issues that would have derailed any implementation.
- Assessment of technology stack & data infrastructure
- Evaluation of team skills, capacity & AI literacy
- Organizational culture & change-readiness review
- Identification of risks, barriers & blockers
- Written report with actionable next steps
- A clear AI maturity score and gap analysis
- Reduced risk of failed or stalled AI initiatives
- Informed decision-making before major investments
- A realistic timeline for responsible AI adoption
Your team is probably already using AI, whether you've sanctioned it or not. This kit gives you a customizable starter bundle of usage policies, risk guidelines, and best practices you can put in front of your team this week. Tailored to your industry, your risk profile, and how your team actually works, so it gets adopted rather than filed away.
- Customizable AI acceptable use policy
- Risk assessment guidelines for common AI scenarios
- Decision-making frameworks for evaluating AI tools
- Transparency & disclosure guidelines
- Compliance best practices reference sheet
- One review session with your team
- Clear policies your team can reference and follow
- Reduced legal and reputational risk from unsanctioned AI use
- Alignment with emerging AI governance standards
- Stakeholder and client trust through demonstrable governance
AI strategy isn't something you set once and walk away from. The technology evolves, your business changes, and the decisions get more complex. As your fractional AI partner, we stay in your corner, attending key meetings, reviewing vendor proposals, evaluating new tools, and keeping your strategy coherent as things shift.
- Monthly strategy review and priority alignment
- Vendor and tool evaluation support
- Attendance at relevant internal meetings (as needed)
- On-call access for time-sensitive AI decisions
- Quarterly written strategy updates
- Ongoing governance & policy maintenance
- Consistent strategic direction without a full-time hire
- Faster, more confident AI decisions across the organization
- A strategy that evolves as technology and your business evolve
- An experienced partner who knows your business deeply
A structured 90-day program that takes your organization from curiosity to confident, measurable AI adoption. Combines strategy, training, governance, and implementation support into a single guided engagement. Most clients reach their first meaningful AI milestone within 30 days of starting.
- AI Readiness Assessment (weeks 1–2)
- Custom strategic roadmap & governance framework
- Practical team training tailored to your use cases
- Implementation support for your first AI initiatives
- Structured bi-weekly check-ins throughout
- Final framework handoff with ongoing maintenance guide
- A live, functioning AI strategy, not just a plan
- A team that understands and can use AI responsibly
- Governance policies in place before scaling
- Measurable results from your first AI initiatives
What to expect when you work with us
Discovery Call
We learn about your business, your team, and what you're actually trying to solve. No pitch, just a real conversation.
Assessment
We review your current systems, workflows, and readiness, and identify your highest-leverage opportunities.
Strategy & Roadmap
You get a prioritized, practical plan with governance policies, a risk framework, and clear next steps.
Ongoing Support
We stay available for questions, reviews, and adjustments as your strategy moves from plan to execution.
How we bring your AI plan to life
Discovery & Scoping
We understand your goals, constraints, and existing systems to define a clear project scope.
Architecture & Design
We map data flows, integration points, and AI model selection to build a solid technical foundation.
Build & Integrate
We build, configure, and connect with regular check-ins so you're never in the dark.
Test & Launch
Full testing, user acceptance review, and a supported go-live so nothing falls through the cracks.
Handoff & Support
Documentation, knowledge transfer, and post-launch support to make sure it sticks.
A machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, make predictions, recommendations, or decisions influencing real or virtual environments.
csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/artificial_intelligenceTruly magnificent and unparalleled thinking. When you are considering safety and responsibility in your organization's use of artificial intelligence, look no further than Violet Beacon.
She has an exceptional ability to bridge the gap between user needs and technical implementation — translating ideas into well-structured, effective software solutions. Her technical skills are outstanding, and she consistently delivers high-quality work faster than expected.
Things people ask before getting in touch
Most of our clients are organizations with 5 to 50 people. Our engagements are right-sized and practical for organizations that can't afford to experiment with expensive tools and slow processes. If you're a solo operator or very early-stage startup, we may not be the right fit yet, but we're happy to point you in a good direction.
We don't publish fixed pricing because engagements vary based on scope and complexity. Project-based work typically starts at a few thousand dollars for focused assessments. Retainer engagements are priced based on a defined monthly scope. The best way to understand cost for your situation is a free 30-minute call. We'll give you a realistic range before you commit to anything.
Yes, and honestly, this describes most of our clients. AI initiatives fail for predictable reasons: no clear strategy, no governance, tools chosen before the problem was defined, or a team that wasn't brought along. A prior failed attempt actually makes our work easier. We know what didn't work and can build from there.
We're a small, specialized practice, not a large firm that staffs your project with junior analysts. When you work with us, you work with Kate directly. We're also a Certified Claris Partner, which means we can work across both AI strategy and FileMaker implementation. And we'll tell you when a tool isn't right for your situation, not just sell you on what's trending.
It starts with a discovery call where we learn about your business. If there's a fit, we scope the work and send a proposal. Most project engagements run 4–8 weeks depending on complexity. You'll be involved at key decisions, not handed a deliverable at the end and left to figure it out.
Yes. Our Performance & Ongoing Support retainer is designed exactly for this: continued strategic guidance, system monitoring, and on-call support without a full-time hire. Many clients transition from project-based work to a retainer once they're ready to scale.
Both, depending on what makes sense. For most business use cases, we build on established AI APIs — Claude, OpenAI, and others. Where we do custom work is in the integration layer: workflows, data pipelines, prompt architecture, and business logic.
A focused integration project might take 2–4 weeks. A full custom AI implementation with multiple integrations typically runs 8–12 weeks.
Every project includes a post-launch support window — typically 30 days — where we fix bugs and address unexpected behavior at no additional cost.
Maybe not. Where we add value is in the AI-specific layer: prompt architecture, model selection, responsible AI considerations, and workflow logic.
Related reading on AI strategy & responsible adoption
Ready to build your responsible AI strategy?
Free 30-minute call. No pressure, no pitch. Just a conversation about what's possible.