Find the opportunity worth pursuing.
AI strategy is the work of deciding where AI is worth using in your business, and in what order. It starts with how the work actually gets done today: the enquiries, documents, handovers and decisions that take up your team’s time. From there I identify the tasks where AI could save time, reduce errors or improve the service your customers receive, and weigh each one against the effort, cost and risk of doing it.
The result is not a slide deck of possibilities. It is a short, prioritised plan with one clear first project, a way to measure whether it worked, and the people, data and approvals needed to deliver it. Because I also build, every recommendation is something I know can be delivered, tested and handed over.
Many businesses come to AI strategy after trying a few tools and finding they don’t stick, or after being offered a large programme they can’t judge. A focused strategy gives you an independent view and a sensible place to start.
Discuss ai strategyLeaders who need a practical starting point, a prioritised roadmap or an independent view of an AI proposal.
- You know AI could help but not where to start
- Staff are trying AI tools with no shared approach or guidance
- You have been offered an AI proposal and need an independent view
- Ideas keep coming but nothing reaches a working pilot
- You are unsure what data AI tools should and shouldn’t see
- Discover. Interviews and a walk-through of how the work is done today
- Design. A shortlist of opportunities, scored for value, effort and risk
- Build & validate. A pilot brief for the first project, with success measures
- Launch & hand over. An adoption plan covering people, data, ownership and next steps
- A map of opportunities across your current workflows
- A prioritised shortlist based on value, effort and risk
- A focused pilot brief with acceptance criteria
- An adoption plan covering people, data and ownership
- Review where customer enquiries are delayed or repeated
- Map the documents your team searches most often
- Assess an AI vendor’s proposal before you sign
- Write a practical AI usage policy for staff
- Choose one pilot and define how you will judge it
Common examples. Your own starting point is agreed in a first conversation.
Where does work get delayed or repeated?
Which information can the solution access?
How will you know the pilot is worth extending?
Final deliverables and acceptance criteria are agreed around your brief.
Strategy work is usually a fixed-scope discovery. After a first conversation, the scope, fee and timeline are set out in a written proposal before anything starts.
Ask DavendraWhat is an AI strategy for a small business?
A short, practical plan that identifies where AI can help your business, ranks those opportunities by value, effort and risk, and defines a first pilot with clear success measures. It should be specific to how your business works, not a generic list of AI tools.
How long does an AI strategy take?
It depends on the size of the business and how many teams are involved. A focused discovery for a small business is measured in weeks, not months. The timeline is agreed in the proposal.
Do I need an AI strategy before building anything?
Not always. If you already know the task you want to improve, we can scope a delivery project directly. A strategy helps when there are many possible starting points, or when you need an independent view before committing budget.
Will you recommend specific AI tools?
Yes, where it helps. Tools are chosen for the task and for the systems you already use, and I explain the trade-offs. I don’t earn commission from vendors.
What happens after the strategy?
You can deliver the pilot with your own team, with another supplier, or with me. The plan is written so that any of those routes can follow it.