Locating programmes the board can sponsor without buying a science project.
One operating thesis, gate-driven spend, and a clear exit if the KPI does not move. Independent of the vendor who needs the deal to close.
What the board should insist on
Three numbers and one owner: payback or risk metric, worst-case exit cost, and the executive who owns the KPI after go-live. Everything else is decoration.
See CFO and Programme Method for the gate model.
Why independence matters at board level
Reseller-led programmes optimise for close. An independent advisor holds the SOW and the success criteria — and can recommend walking away at gate 1.
Detailed client references are available under NDA.
Where boards get burned
Dashboard vanity, unpaid integration, and safety claims that do not survive an audit. We design against those failure modes first.
Related reading.
Questions we expect in the first thirty minutes
- What is the single KPI this programme is accountable for in year one?
- What is the exit cost if gate 2 fails — hardware stranded, licences, integration?
- Who owns the KPI after go-live: operations, EHS, clinical, or IT/OT?
- Which named references can we speak to under NDA?
Bring those answers (or the gaps) and we leave with a scoped next gate — not a slide deck.
The operating thesis in one page
Boards do not need another technology narrative. They need a thesis: which KPI moves, by when, at what worst-case exit cost, and who owns it after go-live. We write that page before the RF survey — then refuse to scale hardware until gate evidence exists.
Typical gates: (1) use-case and success criteria locked, (2) live-floor pilot against a baseline, (3) integration and security signed, (4) scale with a kill switch. See Programme Method and CFO for the numbers pack.
What we bring to the board pack
Independent architecture options (not a single-vendor stack), a risk register that includes RF and change-management failure modes, and named references under NDA. Homepage logos are real clients; case studies remain composite patterns unless labelled otherwise.
If the thesis does not survive contact with the plant, we say so at gate 1. That is the point of independence — no reseller margin on walking away.
Case studies on this site are composite worked examples unless an NDA reference is shown. Named references are available under NDA.
How we report to the board
One page per gate: KPI movement vs baseline, spend vs plan, risks that changed, and a recommend / hold / exit call. No slide theatre. If the pilot does not move the agreed metric, we say so in writing and preserve the exit cost you approved at gate 1.
Frequently asked questions
How long before we know if it is working?
Gates force a decision in weeks, not years. Pilot KPIs are agreed before hardware scale.
Can we get customer references?
Yes under NDA. Case studies are composite patterns unless labelled otherwise.
Do you sell software?
No. We advise, architect and govern — no platform of our own, no reseller margin.
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