Contact
Services / AI ConsultingAI Consulting

Decide what AI is worth funding.

SBL helps leadership, technology, product, and operations teams separate useful AI opportunities from expensive distractions. We assess the workflow, data, risk, integration path, and operating model before you commit to a build.

Request an AI assessment proposal →
01 Position

Which AI opportunities are worth funding, and what has to be true before delivery starts.

Business-case disciplineWe connect AI ideas to measurable cycle time, cost, accuracy, service, risk, or revenue outcomes.
Readiness before roadmapData quality, process ownership, system access, security, and adoption constraints are assessed before the plan is finalized.
Delivery-shaped strategyEvery recommendation includes architecture implications, delivery path, governance needs, and release sequencing.
Build/no-build honestyIf conventional software, workflow redesign, or data cleanup is the better first step, the recommendation should say so.
02 Capabilities

AI Consulting capabilities. Built for production.

Which AI opportunities are worth funding, and what has to be true before delivery starts?

Capability 01
Opportunity discovery
Identify AI use cases with enough value, feasibility, and ownership to move beyond discussion.
Control - Strategy-only riskOutcome - production-ready delivery
→
Capability 02
Data and workflow readiness
Review source systems, data quality, user roles, permissions, process variants, and exception paths.
Control - Wrong-use-case riskOutcome - production-ready delivery
→
Capability 03
AI roadmap design
Sequence use cases by value, complexity, risk, dependency, and delivery capacity.
Control - Data-readiness riskOutcome - production-ready delivery
→
Capability 04
Governance and operating model
Define approvals, risk controls, support ownership, model-change routines, and measurement.
Control - Governance riskOutcome - production-ready delivery
→
Capability 05
Pilot scoping and vendor guidance
Create the scope, acceptance criteria, architecture, cost assumptions, and evaluation model for first release.
Control - ROI riskOutcome - production-ready delivery
→

Production controls include strategy-only risk, wrong-use-case risk, data-readiness risk.

Request an AI assessment proposal →
03 Stack and integration

Built around your operating stack.

Consulting work remains vendor-agnostic. Evaluation can cover OpenAI, Anthropic, Azure OpenAI, open-weight models, cloud AI services, existing enterprise platforms, Actigen foundations, vector search, data platforms, workflow systems, CRM, ERP, and document repositories.

Stack spine

Built around your environment.

Evaluation covers model providers, enterprise platforms, search, data systems and workflow integrations without forcing a vendor choice too early.

API
Integration
Cloud
Deployment
Ops
Support
Stack 01

OpenAI

Core delivery surface.

Stack 02

Anthropic

Integration option.

Stack 03

Azure OpenAI

Integration option.

Stack 04

Open-weight models

Integration option.

Stack 05

Cloud AI services

Integration option.

Stack 06

Enterprise platforms

Integration option.

Stack CTA

Discuss your stack

→
04 Industry applications

Applied where
the work happens.

The same service takes different shapes depending on data sensitivity, operating risk and the systems already in place.

B / 01BFSIAI readiness for claims, underwriting, compliance, servicing, document review, and customer operations.→H / 02Healthcarepayer workflows, clinical operations, patient access, RCM, documentation, and HIPAA-aware AI planning.→E / 03Energyasset data, field operations, compliance reporting, sustainability data, and GIS-adjacent workflows.→M / 04Manufacturingmaintenance, quality, supplier documentation, production reporting, and plant-system integration.→E / 05Educationenrollment, student services, accessibility, knowledge access, and administrative automation.→P / 06Publishing and researcharchive digitization, discovery, metadata enrichment, copyright review, and research access.→

4,000+ projects delivered across regulated and operationally complex industries.

05 Delivery method

From decision to
production.

Each engagement moves from workflow clarity to architecture, build and operating ownership with measurable checkpoints.

Stage 01

Diagnose

Interview stakeholders, inspect workflows, review data and systems, and identify business outcomes.

2 - 4 weeks
Stage 02

Prioritize

Score use cases by value, feasibility, risk, and readiness. Select the smallest useful first release.

3 - 6 weeks
Stage 03

Blueprint

Define architecture, controls, delivery path, team model, cost range, and acceptance criteria.

8 - 24 weeks
Stage 04

Mobilize

Prepare backlog, implementation plan, governance routine, and decision materials for funding.

Ongoing
07 Why SBL
20+yrs

SBL brings software engineering, data operations and delivery governance into one accountable team.

"They have a high level of expertise working with a range of historic documents. Since 2015, we have completed 247 projects with them."
Rose Staveley-WadhamData Operations Manager - FindMyPast
08 Engagement models

Choose the right shape for the work.

Start with a focused assessment, a defined build, a dedicated team or managed operations depending on risk, scope and ownership.

01

AI opportunity sprint

Best for leadership teams deciding where to start.

Best for leadership teams deciding where to start.
02

AI readiness assessment

Best for organizations with known use cases but unclear data and governance readiness.

Best for organizations with known use cases but unclear data and governance readiness.
03

AI roadmap program

Best for multi-quarter planning across business units.

Best for multi-quarter planning across business units.
04

Implementation handoff

Best for moving from strategy into fixed-scope build or dedicated delivery team.

Best for moving from strategy into fixed-scope build or dedicated delivery team.
09 Contact

Bring us the AI ideas competing for budget.

We will help you separate strong candidates from weak ones and define the smallest useful release for the first build.

Reply within one business dayNDA available before technical discussionsSenior delivery input from the first callClear recommendation, whether we work together or not