# AI Business Automation — Playbook

**Engagement models:** Quick Win ($2,497 one-time) · Department Build ($9,997–$19,997 custom) · Ongoing Retainer ($1,997/mo)

**Owner:** Offshore team lead (automation specialist)
**US reviewer:** Sanket on every Department Build scope; spot-check on Quick Wins after first 3

## Required intake fields

Section A (1-12) and **Section C-11** (engagement model · target workflow · tools currently involved · workflow volume · current owner role · "done" definition · compliance flags). Hard blocks:

- C-11 Q1 engagement model
- C-11 Q2 the target workflow (1-3 sentences)
- C-11 Q3 tools in current workflow

## Engagement model — Quick Win ($2,497, 2 weeks)

### Process
- **Day 1:** Intake review · 30-min discovery call (FREE — outside the $2,497) to confirm scope
- **Day 2-3:** Workflow mapping with customer · scope sign-off document · tools/integrations identified
- **Day 4-8:** Build (5 working days) — automation logic · tool integrations · test data · internal QA
- **Day 9-10:** Customer testing on real data · adjustments · training session for customer team
- **Day 11-14:** Post-launch support — bug fixes · adoption check-ins · final handoff documentation

### Time budget
~20 person-hours total over 2 weeks (8 build + 4 discovery/scoping + 4 testing/training + 4 buffer)

### Money-back trigger
If we can't ship in 2 weeks for any reason on our side, full refund.

## Engagement model — Department Build ($9,997–$19,997, 6-8 weeks)

### Process
- **Week 1:** Discovery (3-5 calls with customer stakeholders) · workflow inventory · design document drafted
- **Week 2:** Customer sign-off on design · milestone schedule confirmed · payment milestones set (typically: 30% on sign-off, 40% at mid-build, 30% on delivery)
- **Week 3-6:** Build — 3-5 connected workflows · integrations between tools · iterative customer demos at week 4 and week 5
- **Week 7:** Customer team training · change management plan · runbook delivery
- **Week 8:** Production cutover · 14-day stabilization support · final handoff

### Time budget
~80-140 person-hours depending on scope (price scales with workflow count + integration complexity)

### Pricing logic
- $9,997: 3 workflows, minimal integration complexity, single department
- $14,997: 4 workflows, multiple tool integrations
- $19,997: 5 workflows with complex change-management needs

## Engagement model — Ongoing Retainer ($1,997/mo)

### Process
- **Onboarding (Month 1):** 60-min strategy call · backlog of automation candidates built
- **Monthly:**
  - 1 strategy call (60 min) to prioritize next builds
  - ~3 hours of automation work (build · iterate · maintain)
  - Monthly report: what shipped · what's in flight · what's queued
  - Time tracked transparently; budget shared with customer monthly

### Best-fit customer
Established customer (typically post-Quick Win or post-Department Build) with growing automation surface area.

### Cancellation
Month-to-month, no contract. Final report + full handoff documentation within 5 business days of cancellation notice.

## Internal automation platform (NEVER mention to customer)

> **DECISION REQUIRED BEFORE FIRST CUSTOMER:** Sanket commits which automation platform we standardize on. Candidates: n8n (self-hosted), Make.com, Zapier with AI nodes, or custom LLM-orchestration code. Decision must be made before scoping the first Quick Win.

- Automation platform: [TBD — Sanket commits]
- LLM provider: [TBD — OpenAI or Anthropic, billing active]
- Document extraction: [TBD — platform-native or specialized service]
- Customer-side credentials: stored in 1Password vault, rotated per project

## Internal QA checklist (every workflow, before customer testing)

- [ ] Workflow runs end-to-end on 5 sample inputs without intervention
- [ ] Error handling tested: what happens if API fails / input malformed / credentials expire
- [ ] Customer's existing data NOT corrupted (read-only where possible; idempotent writes elsewhere)
- [ ] Audit log / activity log accessible to customer
- [ ] Runbook drafted (how to pause, restart, modify the workflow)
- [ ] Handoff documentation drafted (so customer can hire anyone to maintain)
- [ ] No mention of internal automation platform / LLM provider in customer-facing materials
- [ ] Compliance scoping confirmed if customer flagged regulated data in intake

## Common gotchas

- **Broken process under the workflow** — we don't automate broken processes. Call it out during discovery; refund if customer insists on automating chaos and walks away
- **Customer's tool doesn't have an API** — scope feasibility in discovery; if it requires custom dev, refer to Custom Software practice
- **Regulated data (PHI, financial, legal privilege)** — scope separately or decline; never assume out-of-scope compliance
- **Customer over-promises adoption to their team** — change management is part of Department Build for a reason
- **Quick Win scope creep** — hold the line at one workflow; offer Quick Win #2 as a separate engagement
- **Retainer hours stretched thin** — be transparent in monthly report; never carry hours over silently

## Deliverable spec (per addendum §A.4)

### Quick Win — $2,497 one-time, 2 weeks
- One workflow end-to-end · discovery + build + testing + training + 14-day post-launch support
- Full handoff documentation
- Money-back if not shipped in 2 weeks (our fault)

### Department Build — $9,997–$19,997, 6-8 weeks
- 3-5 connected workflows for one department
- Discovery + design + build + integrations + change management
- Milestone-based payments
- 14-day post-cutover stabilization

### Ongoing Retainer — $1,997/mo
- 1 monthly strategy call · ~3 hours automation work · maintenance of existing builds
- Monthly time-tracked report
- Month-to-month, no contract

Cross-checked against addendum §A.4: matches.