Start with business discovery
A credible consultant asks how work moves today, where judgement is required, what information is used and what outcome matters. They should be willing to recommend against an unsuitable use case.
- Can they explain the workflow in plain language?
- Do they separate automation from human decisions?
- Can they identify measurable baseline performance?
Look for implementation clarity
Ask who configures the workflow, validates outputs, integrates systems, trains employees and maintains the solution. A strategy deck is not the same as operational adoption.
- Working pilot or documented roadmap
- Testing and acceptance approach
- Training materials and internal ownership
- Support after launch
Evaluate governance without theatre
Governance should result in usable rules: approved tools, data classification, access, review, incident handling and ownership. It should be proportionate to the workflow rather than a generic policy copied from elsewhere.
Questions to ask before appointing
Use the first conversation to test commercial judgement and transparency.
- What would make you stop this project?
- Which assumptions have the greatest cost impact?
- How will employees participate?
- What data reaches the provider?
- How will we measure value after 30 or 90 days?
Choose the next practical step
Assess your readiness, estimate an indicative budget or discuss a priority workflow.