halcroft/services/AI Operations Audit
£4,750 · remote or on-site · written report in five days

A structured audit of how your firm actually runs.
Remote-first. On-site when it counts.

The AI Operations Audit is a fixed-fee, founder-led engagement that assesses how your firm actually runs, identifies where AI will deliver commercial value, and names what should stay human. Remote by default; an optional 2–5 day on-site intensive goes deeper when it pays. Anywhere in the UK, USA, or Western Europe.

01 / how it's delivered

Remote by default.
On-site when the depth pays.

The audit runs remotely as standard — structured working sessions against a scoping questionnaire completed in advance. Fast to book, open to firms anywhere in the UK, USA, or Europe, and delivered by the founder, not a junior.

When a firm wants a deeper pass, we run a 2–5 day on-site intensive. The reason isn't romance — it's that the partner-level narrative of how a firm runs and the actual workflow at the desk of the person doing it are usually two different things. That gap is where AI fits, or doesn't, and sitting with the people who do the work catches it.

On-site travel and accommodation are charged at cost and agreed in advance. You choose the depth — and the rigour of the report is the same either way. On-site buys depth, not a better deliverable.

02 / what's included

Fixed scope.
Five deliverables.

Everything is scoped before the engagement starts. No open-ended discovery, no scope creep, no “we'll figure it out as we go.”

the engagement

Structured working sessions

Mapping the operational reality where it actually happens — remote by default, or on-site for a deeper pass — with the people who do the work, not the people who manage it. Not a workshop, not a slide review. Working sessions across the workflows that matter.

five-day delivery

A written audit report

Delivered within five working days of the audit. Specific, named tools, estimated timelines, ballpark implementation costs, and a clear recommendation on sequencing. No filler.

prioritised list

A ranked opportunity list

Every candidate workflow stress-tested against three criteria — commercial impact, implementation difficulty, durability. Ranked, sequenced, with what to build first and what to leave alone.

90-day roadmap

A 90-day roadmap

What to ship first. What to defer. What not to build at all. The audit names what NOT to automate, not just what to. That discipline is the work.

follow-up call

A 60-minute follow-up call

Scheduled after delivery to walk through the findings, answer questions, and discuss next steps. Honest read on whether halcroft is the right fit to build what the audit recommends — or whether you should take it in-house.

03 / how it runs

Before, during, after.

Five touchpoints. None of them are surprises. The audit is designed for partners who don't have time for a six-month discovery process.

before

A scoping questionnaire

Sent before the engagement. Business model, current tech stack, team structure, the operations the firm considers most painful or valuable. Completed before day one so the audit time is spent on depth, not orientation.

session 01

Workflow mapping

Walking through the firm with the people running each workflow — remote or on-site. How work moves through the business, where decisions are made, where time and money are lost. Focus on the real operations — not the org-chart version.

session 02

Opportunity stress-testing

Each candidate workflow tested against commercial impact, implementation difficulty, and durability. The session ends with a verbal debrief covering initial findings. You know the direction before we wrap.

within 5 days

Written report delivered

Specific recommendations, named tools, estimated timelines, ballpark costs, and a 90-day roadmap. Sequenced by impact. Honest on what should not be built.

follow-up

Walkthrough call

60 minutes to discuss the findings, answer questions, and decide what — if anything — comes next.

04 / terms

£4,750. Fixed fee.
Plainly stated.

No hidden line items. No “contact us for pricing.” No different number for different firms. The audit costs what it costs, and you decide whether it's worth it.

fee
£4,750

Fixed fee covering the audit — the working sessions, the written report, the 90-day roadmap, and the 60-minute follow-up call.

VAT not currently charged · GBP
payment
50% / 50%

Half on booking, half on delivery of the written report. Paid in GBP via bank transfer or Stripe. USD and EUR equivalents available on request.

Stripe · bank transfer
on-site
Optional · at cost

The audit is remote by default. If you want the 2–5 day on-site intensive — anywhere in the USA or Western Europe — travel and accommodation are charged at cost and agreed in advance.

No surprises

The audit is designed to stand alone.

You don't have to build with halcroft afterwards. The written report is yours. You can act on it internally, hand it to another vendor, or sit on it. If halcroft is the right fit to build what the audit recommends, the next step is a 14-day implementation project scoped from the findings. If we're not the right fit, the report says so.

05 / common questions

What partners ask.

Both — remote by default, on-site when the depth pays. The audit runs remotely as standard: structured working sessions against a questionnaire completed in advance, fast to book and open to firms anywhere. When a firm wants a deeper pass, we run a 2–5 day on-site intensive — because the partner-level narrative of how a firm runs and the actual workflow at the desk are usually two different things, and that gap is where AI fits or doesn’t. On-site travel is charged at cost. The report is the same rigour either way; on-site buys depth, not a better deliverable.

It covers the audit — the working sessions, the written report, the 90-day roadmap, and the 60-minute follow-up call — delivered remotely by default. If you opt for the on-site intensive, travel and accommodation are charged at cost and agreed in advance. Payment is 50% on booking, 50% on delivery of the report.

No. The audit is designed to stand alone — you can take the report and act on it internally, hand it to another vendor, or sit on it for six months. If halcroft is the right fit to build what the audit recommends, the next step is an implementation project scoped from the findings. If we are not the right fit, the report says so.

A remote audit can usually be scheduled inside two weeks; an on-site intensive is four to six weeks ahead, depending on travel logistics. The free AI Readiness Briefing is bookable inside a week — that is the right starting point if timing matters.

Mid-tier business brokerages, accounting practices, law firms, and insurance operations — typically 4 to 40 partners or principals, £2m to £50m equivalent revenue. Smaller firms usually do not need an audit; the briefing is the better fit. Larger firms may need a phased rollout per office, which we discuss during the briefing.

Then we don't sell you one. The briefing is free and exists to assess fit in both directions. If the highest-impact move for your firm is something other than a paid audit — a single workflow build, a vendor decision, or no AI at all yet — the memo will say so.

Not ready to book? · Free download

The AI Operations Audit, on one page.

What the audit covers, what you receive, the timeline, and the pricing — in a single page you can read in two minutes or forward to a partner.

One email. No list, no spam — just the overview and an occasional note if it's relevant.

Start with the briefing.

The audit rarely fits as the first call. The free 45-minute AI Readiness Briefing exists to decide whether a paid audit is the right move for your firm. We'll tell you straight.

Book a briefing →