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AI Partnership

An ongoing engagement with a monthly funding model: Augusto delivers continuously against a prioritized backlog of AI initiatives, with a resource plan built around the monthly budget.

Overview

A partnership is the Accelerate stage of the Digital Pace Framework — steady delivery that compounds value over time. Once active, it runs a continuous loop: deliver against the backlog, review and align each sprint, and refresh priorities through regular Rumble Pulse sessions.

How a partnership starts

Partnerships typically begin after one of two starting points:

  • After an AI Accelerator Rumble, where the initial roadmap is established.
  • After a Quick Win project, where momentum is built and the client is ready for ongoing work.

Team and roles

Role Scope Key responsibilities
Engagement Lead Day-to-day delivery and client relationship Runs sprint reviews, manages the backlog, builds the monthly resource plan, owns client communication.
Principal Consultant / Account Owner Commercial and strategic relationship Owns the contract and commercial terms, joins Rumble Pulse, resolves issues at the executive level.
AI Specialist Technical delivery and AI facilitation Leads Rumble Pulse sessions, drives initiative scoping and implementation, owns quick-win prototypes.
UX Lead Process and experience design Joins Rumble Pulse, maps workflows, contributes to initiative scoping.

Onboarding (weeks 1–2)

The Engagement Lead completes onboarding in Ops Hub (the full task list lives there). Two things to get in place immediately:

  1. Status reporting — set up the client's status report in Ops Hub before the first sprint. It goes out on a regular cadence and is the client's primary view of progress, priorities, and ROI.
  2. Standing meeting — schedule the sprint review and planning meeting before work begins. It's the only standing client-facing meeting in a partnership.
  3. Frequency: weekly or bi-weekly, depending on client preference and sprint cadence.
  4. Attendees: Engagement Lead required; Principal Consultant joins periodically or for strategic topics; team members as needed.

Regular cadence

The partnership runs on a steady rhythm of delivery, alignment, and prioritization.

Sprint review and planning

The primary client-facing touchpoint. Weekly or bi-weekly, owned by the Engagement Lead.

Element Description
Attendees Engagement Lead, client stakeholders, process owners as needed
Agenda Review prior sprint output, surface blockers, confirm next sprint priorities
Output An aligned sprint backlog and input for the monthly resource plan

Status report

The Engagement Lead sends a status report on a regular cadence through Ops Hub — it keeps stakeholders informed between meetings and builds a paper trail of progress and ROI. It includes a feedback link; actively encourage clients to use it, and if no one is clicking, raise it verbally in the sprint review.

Monthly resource planning

Each month, based on sprint output and the client's budget, the Engagement Lead builds an internal resource plan that maps team capacity to the prioritized backlog. It drives staffing and keeps the team scoped to what's been committed.

Client health

The Engagement Lead monitors partnership health continuously. A healthy partnership delivers initiatives regularly and sets priorities with meaningful client input. Use these three questions as a regular check (in the sprint review, via the feedback link, or in conversation):

  • Are we providing the ROI you expected from this partnership?
  • Are you satisfied with the quality and pace of work?
  • What could we be doing differently to improve the engagement?

If the answers are unclear or concerning, escalate to the Account Owner immediately — don't wait for the next Rumble Pulse.

Rumble Pulse

A recurring planning session that refreshes and reprioritizes the initiative backlog. Same DNA as the AI Accelerator Rumble, streamlined for an ongoing engagement.

  • Cadence: quarterly by default — run earlier if the backlog is running low, delay if the client has a strong backlog and active work. Quarterly is a target, not a rule; the goal is a healthy, well-prioritized backlog, not a calendar event.
  • Preparation: no pre-workshop immersion. The AI Specialist sends a process-collection email ≥5 business days before, using the same shared spreadsheet as the Rumble with the client's goalposts at the top.

Session agenda (2 hours)

Time Item Description
0:00–0:10 Welcome and context Recap partnership progress since the last Pulse; restate goalposts.
0:10–1:00 Process review and scoring Timeboxed review of submitted processes; score effort vs. growth impact; build a live quadrant; select 1–2 processes to map.
1:00–1:50 Process mapping and ROI Map the selected process — steps, roles, tools, time estimates, pain points; identify automation/AI opportunities.
1:50–2:00 Wrap-up and next steps Recap; confirm initiatives added to the roadmap; align on a quick-win concept and next sprint priorities.

Process review is intentionally timeboxed to protect mapping time. Keep scoring relative and move to selection quickly.

Output: a refreshed initiative roadmap, a mapped process with directional ROI, a quick-win concept, and input for the next pilot proposal if a new initiative is selected.

Escalation paths

Most issues resolve at the Engagement Lead level. When they can't:

Situation Escalate to Timing
Dissatisfaction with quality or pace the Engagement Lead can't resolve Account Owner Same day
Client asks to change budget or contract terms Principal Consultant / Account Owner Before responding to the client
A team member is underperforming or unavailable, affecting delivery COO Within 24 hours
Client unresponsive for more than two sprint cycles Account Owner Within one sprint cycle of the pattern starting
Partnership is at risk of cancellation Account Owner and Augusto leadership Immediately

How to escalate: email the right person with what's happening, what you've already tried, and what you need from them. Escalate early — it preserves options; escalating late limits them.

Lifecycle

Partnerships have no defined end date, but they have natural phases:

Phase Timeframe Focus
Onboarding Weeks 1–2 Get reporting and cadence in place; confirm the initial backlog; begin the first sprint.
Early delivery Months 1–3 Deliver initial initiatives, establish trust, confirm ROI signals early.
Momentum Months 3+ Steady delivery cadence; regular Rumble Pulse keeps the backlog healthy; compounding value.
Renewal / expansion Ongoing Account Owner watches for expansion — new initiatives, broader scope, or increased budget.

Tools and worksheets

  • Ops Hub — onboarding task list, status reporting, and partnership tracking.
  • Status report (via Ops Hub) — regular client-facing progress and ROI, with a feedback link.
  • Resource plan — internal monthly map of team capacity to the backlog.
  • Process-collection spreadsheet — the shared sheet used to prep each Rumble Pulse.