Engagement model

How we work.

Every F3 Insights engagement with a $10M–$70M company runs in four phases: diagnostic, build, operate, transfer. The diagnostic instruments reality in two to six weeks; the build stands up the systems; the operate phase runs them in live decisions with your team; and the transfer hands you the capability, the code, the data, and the documentation.

Diagnostic in 2–6 weeksBuild in 1–4 monthsTransfer by design
The four phases

Diagnostic, Build, Operate, Transfer

Timelines vary by office. The shape does not.

  1. 01

    Diagnostic

    Weeks 2–6

    Instrument reality: where the data actually lives, which numbers reconcile and which do not, how decisions actually get made, and where judgment is trapped in individuals.

    • A systems map
    • A problem ledger with costs attached
    • A sequenced build plan
  2. 02

    Build

    Months 1–4

    Stand up the governed data layer for the office in scope, build the first expert systems and their human-in-the-loop gates, and install the operating cadence, running it with your team. The senior advisor operates inside the cadence from day one, so the system is proven in live decisions rather than staged demos.

    • Governed data layer
    • First expert systems with review gates
    • Operating cadence installed
  3. 03

    Operate

    Months 3–9

    The system runs the function's real rhythm. Forecast accuracy, close time, pipeline integrity, and margin visibility are tracked as engagement KPIs. Your operators progressively take the controls; the advisor shifts from driving to reviewing.

    • Engagement KPIs tracked
    • Client operators driving
    • Advisor reviewing, not running
  4. 04

    Transfer

    By design, not by exhaustion

    Playbooks documented, operators certified on the gates, model review handed to your named owners. F3 steps back to a light advisory cadence or exits.

    • Documented playbooks
    • Certified operators
    • You keep the code, data, and documentation
The close

Transfer, Not Rent

Firms whose revenue depends on renewal are structurally disincentivized to make a client independent. This engagement model ends in transfer by design.

Success is measured in your numbers, not consulting artifacts: days to close, forecast error, cash visibility horizon, pipeline reconciled to the P&L, margin recovered. And the tell that distinguishes this from both a consultancy and a deployment firm, your team running the system without us.

The discipline Results FAQ
Next step

The diagnostic stands on its own.

You leave the first phase with a systems map, a problem ledger with costs attached, and a sequenced build plan, whether or not we build it together.

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