Post-Game Report: From C-Suite "Analysis Paralysis" to a Funded AI Playbook
How embedding as their "specialist coach" turned chaos into clarity and landed the funding.
Project Snapshot
The Client
Project Metro (Hybrid Infrastructure Leader)
The Problem
The C-suite was paralyzed, debating two entirely different (and expensive) AI strategies.
The Play We Ran
The "Fractional AI Strategy" (The "Specialist Coach")
The Win
Total leadership alignment, a single game plan, and a funded roadmap.
The Scouting Report: The Challenge
The executive team was trapped in the "brilliant chaos" of a massive new opportunity. "Project Metro" was a game-changing AI/ML idea, but the leadership team was split:
Team 1 wanted to build a complex, ML-driven analytics engine.
Team 2 wanted to build a simple "integration portal" for existing tools.
They were stuck in the locker room, debating two different games. Every meeting was a debate, and the competition—the "hyperscalers"—was already on the field. They needed someone to filter the noise and call the play.
The Game Plan: How We Ran the Play
They didn't need another consultant. They needed a specialist coach to embed with the team, run the "scouting," and build the playbook. I was brought in as their Fractional AI Strategist to do just that.
Play 1: The "Film Session" (Scouting the Roster)
First, I ran the "film" by interviewing 14 key stakeholders across the company. This wasn't a "discovery" phase; it was a "scouting" mission to understand what every player on the field was seeing.
Play 2: The "BS Filter" (Defining the Plays)
I synthesized all that "brilliant chaos" into two clear, distinct "plays" and put them on the whiteboard for the C-suite. No jargon. No "BS." Just two clear paths, with all the data to back them up.
Play 3: Define the "Guardrails" (The Rules of the Game)
I helped the team establish the non-negotiables for the win. The final play had to generate new revenue and had to remain "hardware-agnostic" (i.e., work with anyone's gear). This gave us our "scoreboard" for success.
The Final Score: The Results
We got the win. The "analysis paralysis" was over.
Total C-Suite Alignment
The debate stopped. The entire leadership team aligned on a single game plan: build the 'ML-assisted' analytics product.
A Funded Playbook (Not a Deck)
They didn't just get a report; they got an action plan. The project was officially funded, and the team had a clear, prioritized roadmap for what to build next ('proactive remediation,' 'edge scenarios').
Clarity & Confidence
The 'brilliant chaos' was replaced by a clear, confident, and 'scrappy-savvy' strategy to go and compete.
Coach's Notes: What This "Game" Taught Us
1. A Coach "Shows the Film"
The fastest way to end a "locker room" debate is to show the game tape. Our 14 stakeholder interviews (the "film") grounded the C-suite in data, not opinion.
2. Define the "Guardrails"
A team can't win if they don't know the rules. By defining "generate revenue" and "stay hardware-agnostic" as the rules, we made the final decision simple.
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