Chapter 03
The plan
The map ranks 11 opportunities by value and groups them into 3 workflows. In this sample the whole map is one zone, so we build all three workflows one at a time, in value order, about two weeks each. Projected value is a sample figure; on a real audit it comes from the client's own baseline.
Opportunity map
Projected value across all opportunities
$118K / yr
By workflow, in build order
01Monthly client report$52K5 opportunities
- Platform export into the report template$21K
- Change summary drafted from account history$12K
- One-tap approval in email$9K
- Send and file on approval$6K
- Mismatch check before the report goes out$4K
02Invoice and collect$44K3 opportunities
- Invoice created the day the work ships$18K
- Overage detection against the retainer tier$14K
- Reminder cadence with a person at day 45$12K
03New client onboarding$22K3 opportunities
- Access requests and follow-up$9K
- Asset collection and folder setup$7K
- First-month plan inputs assembled$6K
All 11 opportunities, ranked by value a year
- 01Platform export into the report templateMonthly client report$21K
- 02Invoice created the day the work shipsInvoice and collect$18K
- 03Overage detection against the retainer tierInvoice and collect$14K
- 04Change summary drafted from account historyMonthly client report$12K
- 05Reminder cadence with a person at day 45Invoice and collect$12K
- 06One-tap approval in emailMonthly client report$9K
- 07Access requests and follow-upNew client onboarding$9K
- 08Asset collection and folder setupNew client onboarding$7K
- 09Send and file on approvalMonthly client report$6K
- 10First-month plan inputs assembledNew client onboarding$6K
- 11Mismatch check before the report goes outMonthly client report$4K
Low complexity Medium High
Build and proof-window timeline
123456789101112131415161718
1. Monthly client report
2. Invoice and collect
3. New client onboarding
Proof window
Weeks from build kickoff
- Weeks 1 to 2Monthly client report, worth $52K a year: the platform export feeds the report template, then the change summary, one-tap approval, send and file, and the mismatch check. The account lead reviews every output. Target: report out within 2 days of month-end.
- Weeks 3 to 4Invoice and collect, worth $44K a year: invoice created the day the work ships, overage detection against the retainer tier, and the reminder cadence with a person at day 45. Target: invoice the same day.
- Weeks 5 to 6New client onboarding, worth $22K a year: access requests and follow-up, then asset collection and folder setup. The first-month plan inputs rank last in this workflow and wait until onboarding volume justifies the build. The last workflow goes live and the proof window starts.
- Weeks 7 to 18Proof window, three months of monthly readouts, included. Each readout covers every live workflow against its own baseline from the day it went live, and the engagement as a whole. Handoff documented. At the end the client chooses a monthly run fee per system or the next zone.
Projected annual value, by driver
- Hours returned to the account lead and owner$58K
About 9 hours a week at loaded cost, redeployed to client work
- Overages billed$27K
Detected against the retainer tier each month
- Faster cash$19K
Invoice created the day the work ships, plus a reminder cadence; days sales outstanding from 41 to a target of 24
- Fewer errors in client reports$14K
Mismatch check before send; one lost client per year avoided at the sample retainer
$118K / yr
projected annual value
Every figure here is a projection built from the audit baseline. Each monthly readout replaces projected numbers with measured ones, workflow by workflow.
- Phase 1AuditComplete. Fixed fee.
- Phase 2BuildOne zone, the whole map: 3 workflows, one at a time, about 2 weeks each, 6 weeks in all. Quoted from the map's $118K a year, so it pays for itself within the first year on the audit's numbers.
- Phase 3Proof windowThree months of monthly readouts, included. It starts when the last workflow goes live. Then a monthly run fee per system or the next zone.
Next steps
- 01Pick the zone and agree on the numbersChoose a zone from the map: one department, a cluster of related workflows, or the whole map. Here the whole map is one zone. We confirm the build order and the success number for each workflow. A workflow counts as done when it is live and its number has held for 30 days.
- 02AccessAPI access to the ad platforms and QuickBooks; a shared mailbox for sending; a Slack or email channel for approvals.
- 03Build kickoffWe are on site for the first week. We build one workflow at a time, in the map's order. The account lead is the primary reviewer; the owner approves from email.
- 04GovernanceA person reviews every agent output during the first month. Sending money, signing, and client commitments stay human.
- 05Month-end on the new pathAs each workflow goes live, the old path runs alongside it for one cycle. Target: reports out within 2 days, invoices the same day, exceptions in a queue with evidence.