AI Automation and Business Systems Consultant

About us We are an outsourced growth and business-support consultancy. We provide flexible, senior-level support across: - Marketing and business development - People and HR - Operations and project management - Communications and content development - Digital initiatives and business improvement Our clients are primarily professional-services firms, financial-services businesses and non-profit organisations. We frequently operate as an extension of our clients’ internal teams, managing multiple concurrent projects, stakeholders, systems and deadlines. I am looking for an experienced AI automation and business systems consultant to help design and implement a more efficient, scalable operating model. The opportunity The primary objective is to improve how we operates internally. We want to reduce the time spent on administration, switching between systems, prioritising requests, coordinating stakeholders, producing and reviewing content, preparing reports, managing documents and completing other repeatable client work. The secondary objective is to identify selected AI-enabled capabilities that we could eventually package as practical “bolt-on” services for clients. This is not a request for: - A generic AI-tools audit - A long list of software recommendations - Prompt-writing advice in isolation - A theoretical transformation strategy - A solution that assumes all client systems can simply be connected - More tools without a clear operational benefit We need someone who can take an umbrella view of the business, diagnose both the visible and less obvious sources of inefficiency, recommend a proportionate technical approach, build and test the agreed workflows, document them clearly and provide practical training. The successful consultant should be equally comfortable with strategic process design and hands-on implementation. The central operating challenge: We manage work across its own Microsoft 365 environment and several separate, client-controlled technology environments. For most major clients, the founder has a dedicated client email address and must access the client’s own systems. Examples include: - A client environment accessible only through a virtual desktop and subject to the client’s IT and compliance policies - Client email available through Outlook, but with document systems accessed through a separate Microsoft portal - Separate SharePoint and Teams environments requiring different accounts and multi-factor authentication - Client-controlled file systems with their own permissions, security requirements and document structures These controls are legitimate and may not be technically or contractually capable of being removed. The objective is not to bypass virtual desktops, MFA, permissions or client security policies. Instead, we need the consultant to determine the most efficient and compliant way to operate around these constraints. An important outcome would be a reliable, overarching view of my priorities, deadlines and work status across clients, without improperly transferring or combining confidential information between client environments. Document-management challenge Most clients provide SharePoint and Teams environments, which we aim to use appropriately. However, the friction involved in repeatedly accessing separate portals means that working documents are sometimes stored locally because this is faster and more convenient. The consultant should assess: - What information can appropriately be stored in our environment - What must remain exclusively within each client’s environment - How confidential local working documents should be secured - How documents should move through drafting, review, approval and finalisation - How to reduce duplication and version-control problems - Whether approved synchronisation, shortcuts or mapped access options are available - File-naming, filing, retention and archiving practices - How final documents and approved source materials can be found quickly - Which information, if any, can safely be processed through external AI tools - Whether different rules or workflows are required for different clients This should be treated as both an operational and information-governance problem—not simply an integration exercise. Current technology environment The tools used most regularly include: - Microsoft 365 - Outlook - SharePoint - Microsoft Teams - ChatGPT - Claude - Canva and Canva AI - Squarespace - Microsoft Copilot on a more occasional basis - Client-specific portals and virtual desktops We also has experience with the following platforms, although they are not currently central to the daily operating model: - HubSpot - WordPress - Mailchimp - BambooHR I am open to introducing additional platforms where there is a clear and proportionate business case. However, we do not want to create an unnecessarily complicated or expensive technology stack. The consultant should first consider whether better configuration, integration or use of existing platforms could address the problem. Project objectives The consultant will help me: - Understand how work is currently received, prioritised, completed, reviewed, approved, filed and reported across multiple client environments. - Identify repetitive, manual or time-consuming activities that could be automated, streamlined or supported by AI. - Uncover inefficiencies that may not be immediately obvious to the founder. - Distinguish between tasks suited to AI, conventional automation, improved process design, better use of existing software, human delegation or a combination of these. - Design an integrated but appropriately segregated operating model for managing work across multiple clients. - Create a reliable high-level view of priorities, actions, deadlines and work status. - Build practical workflows, templates, automations and quality-control processes. - Improve document management, version control, filing and retrieval. - Reduce the administrative effort involved in recurring governance, reporting and content workflows. - Establish appropriate confidentiality safeguards, permissions and access controls. - Document the completed system and train the founder to operate, maintain and adapt it. - Identify selected capabilities that could eventually become commercially viable services for our clients. - Produce a realistic, prioritised roadmap rather than attempting to automate everything at once. Priority areas for discovery The following are known challenges and useful starting points. They are not intended to limit the consultant’s wider diagnostic work. 1. Cross-client work intake and prioritisation Requests are received through different email accounts, Microsoft environments and communication channels. We need to explore a more efficient way to: - Capture new requests and commitments - Identify deadlines and urgency - Record follow-up actions - Recognise missing information or approvals - Prioritise competing client requirements - Track work through to completion - Maintain an overall view without repeatedly checking every inbox - Avoid transferring confidential client content into an inappropriate system The solution may need to use limited, non-confidential task metadata—such as client, task category, deadline, owner and status—rather than copying substantive emails or documents between environments. 2. Recurring governance and board workflows Some clients have regular, structured governance cycles. A typical workflow may include: - Preparing a draft agenda - Circulating it for input - Following up on outstanding contributions - Finalising the agenda - Compiling a board pack - Checking that the correct papers and versions are included - Circulating the final pack - Recording and drafting minutes - Receiving amendments - Finalising and approving the minutes - Extracting and tracking actions - Filing the approved records The content changes each month, but the overall process, documents, reminders and approval stages are largely repeatable. We want to understand how much of this process can be templated or automated while retaining appropriate human judgement, confidentiality and approval. 3. Content and communications production AI tools are already helpful in producing initial drafts. However, significant time is still required to turn an initial output into accurate, client-ready work. A typical content workflow may involve: - Gathering background information - Reviewing previous client materials - Researching and verifying facts - Preparing a first draft - Adapting the language to the client’s tone and audience - Checking names, dates, claims, terminology and sources - Obtaining stakeholder comments - Managing revisions and approval - Preparing a brief for a graphic designer or videographer - Reviewing the completed asset - Publishing or circulating the final version - Filing the approved content for future reuse The consultant should examine the complete content lifecycle, not simply recommend another drafting tool. Potential improvements might include controlled client knowledge bases, tone-of-voice guidance, structured briefs, approval workflows, source verification, reusable templates and quality-control checklists. 4. Document management and knowledge retrieval We want to reduce the time spent: - Searching for previous documents - Identifying the latest approved version - Recreating material that already exists - Moving between local files and client-controlled systems - Applying consistent file names and folder structures - Locating approved client information for future work - Filing completed work in the correct environment Any recommended knowledge-management or AI-retrieval solution must respect client information boundaries and access requirements. 5. Reporting and repeatable client deliverables We regularly prepares status updates, newsletters, meeting materials, communications plans, reports, proposals and other recurring deliverables. The consultant should identify opportunities to: - Standardise inputs - Reuse approved information - Generate first drafts or document structures - Populate recurring sections - track missing contributions - Improve review and approval - Reduce formatting and administrative effort - Maintain consistent quality across clients 6. Delegation and external collaborators We work with trusted external graphic designers, videographers and other specialists. The operating model should consider: - How work is briefed and assigned - What information collaborators should receive - How confidential information is controlled - How deadlines and revisions are tracked - How completed work is reviewed and approved - Whether repeatable briefing and handover templates could reduce coordination time Proposed phased scope Phase 1: Discovery and operating-system blueprint We expect to structure Phase 1 as a fixed-price engagement. The consultant should: - Conduct structured discovery sessions with the founder - Review the current technology stack and account structure - Observe or map representative workflows - Review how work enters the business through different client channels - Examine recurring deliverables and governance processes - Assess current document storage, retrieval and version-control practices - Identify bottlenecks, duplicated effort, security risks and unnecessary manual work - Establish which constraints are imposed by client systems and policies - Prioritise opportunities according to value, risk, cost, complexity and repeatability - Recommend the proposed future-state operating model - Recommend the most appropriate tools and integration approach - Identify where separate client-specific solutions may be required - Define confidentiality, data-handling and access-control requirements - Identify two or three high-value workflows for initial prototyping - Prepare a practical implementation roadmap We do not expect the founder to identify every possible use case in advance. The consultant’s ability to diagnose the business and uncover suitable opportunities is a key part of this phase. Phase 1 deliverables Current-state workflow and systems assessment Map of the principal client environments and access constraints Analysis of how work is received, prioritised, delivered, reviewed and filed Prioritised automation and process-improvement opportunity register Recommended future-state operating model Recommended approach to cross-client task visibility Document-management and information-governance recommendations Proposed technology architecture and integration approach Data-security, confidentiality and access-control recommendations Identification of tasks suited to AI, automation, process improvement or delegation Specifications for the initial workflows or prototypes Implementation roadmap with proposed milestones, dependencies and indicative costs Initial assessment of potential client-facing service opportunities Indicative timing Approximately two to three weeks, depending on the proposed discovery approach and access required. Phase 2: Build, test and implement Subject to approval of the Phase 1 recommendations, the selected consultant may be engaged to implement the prioritised solutions through separately agreed milestones. This phase is likely to include: Configuring the agreed platforms and integrations Building automations, templates and reusable workflows Establishing appropriate separation between client information Developing a high-level work and deadline overview Creating human-review and quality-control checkpoints Developing one or more recurring governance or reporting workflows Improving document filing, naming and retrieval Building content-production and approval processes Testing workflows using realistic scenarios Resolving implementation issues Measuring initial time savings and effectiveness Producing user documentation and maintenance guidance Providing practical training and handover Potential implementation milestones The final milestones should follow the discovery findings, but could include: Cross-client work intake, prioritisation and deadline visibility Document-management and information-governance improvements Recurring governance or board-cycle workflow Content, reporting and document-production workflows External collaborator briefing and coordination Quality assurance, documentation and training Each workflow should be demonstrated, tested and accepted before progressing to the next milestone. Indicative timing Approximately six to ten weeks for the initial implementation, depending on the number and complexity of the approved workflows. Phase 3: Client-facing service development Once the internal operating model is working effectively, we would like to assess which capabilities could be adapted and packaged for clients. Potential service areas include: AI-assisted content and communications systems Automated client reporting and dashboards Marketing automation and CRM workflows Knowledge-management systems Proposal and document-generation workflows Internal HR, recruitment and onboarding tools Website builds and AI-enabled website features Lightweight client portals Controlled internal assistants or chatbots The consultant may be asked to help define: The business problem addressed by each service The target client and recommended delivery model Standard scope and customisation options Required technology and implementation effort Security, governance and ongoing support requirements Indicative setup and recurring costs Demonstration versions, templates or pilot solutions Boundaries between our delivery role and specialist technical support This is a secondary phase. The immediate priority is improving our internal operating model and demonstrating that the selected workflows work effectively in practice. Security, confidentiality and compliance We work with professional-services and financial-services clients and regularly handles confidential business information. Any proposed solution must address: Separation of information between clients Client-specific IT and compliance restrictions Role-based access and permissions Secure handling and storage of confidential material Appropriate use of locally stored working documents Control over information submitted to external AI services Data retention and deletion Auditability and version control where appropriate Human review before publication or client delivery Risks arising from inaccurate, fabricated or outdated AI-generated content Appropriate access for external collaborators Practical guidance for maintaining secure working practices Candidates do not need to provide formal legal or regulatory advice. However, they must be able to design systems with confidentiality, professional judgement and sensible information governance in mind. Candidates should not assume that separate client environments can be directly connected or that security controls can be removed. Where an integration is not permitted, we expect the consultant to recommend a practical alternative.