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Automating the wrong process only makes it faster
Putting automation on top of a flawed workflow does not fix the underlying problem. It only produces mistakes and rework faster.
AI and business process consultant
Mariela Slavenova
I don't start with technology. I start with how your company works.
Every engagement begins with a 30 to 90 day analysis of your company. Building comes only if the analysis shows a genuine need.
Author of AI Ready StandardView the standard
Founder of Marinext AIBusiness and AI consulting
Why analysis comes first
Before anything is built, it must be clear how your work actually runs
Most expensive mistakes with AI happen when a tool is chosen before anyone has traced how work really moves through the company.
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Most of the cost sits in unmapped handoffs and waiting
Most wasted time and money sits in handoffs between roles, waiting for replies and double entry that nobody has mapped end to end.
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The analysis can conclude that nothing should be built yet
Sometimes the honest conclusion is that nothing should be built yet because rules, ownership or data need order first. When that is true, I say so plainly.
How long it takes
30 to 90 days depending on company size
The length of the analysis depends on how many people, roles and systems your daily work passes through.
Up to 20 people
About 30 days
A smaller team with fewer tools and direct visibility across core workflows.
20 to 100 people
About 60 days
Several teams, more handoffs across roles and separate tools for each function.
Over 100 people
Up to 90 days
A larger structure with multiple approval layers and stricter data and governance demands.
The exact length is agreed after the first conversation.
Step by step
What happens during the analysis
I work through six steps in order: from written boundaries on day one to the cost of every weak spot in your own numbers.
Start and boundaries
Before I start, I write down who takes part, which systems and data I may see, and which stay off-limits.
Conversations by role
I speak with management and with the people who actually do the work, seeing the workflow from both the boardroom and the desk.
The process map, and how I make it
I follow one real case from start to finish. I mark who does what, in which tool, and where work waits, comes back or is typed twice. Then I review the map with the team and correct it until they recognise it as theirs.
Illustrative map: one real case across three roles SalesTool: EmailReceives enquiry
Tool: CRMLogs case details
OperationsTool: SpreadsheetWaits for confirmationChecks requirements
Tool: ChatComes back for reworkReturns for missing info
AdministrationTool: Accounting toolTyped twiceRetypes the same fields
Tool: EmailSends final document
Reviewed with the team and corrected until they recognise it as theirs.
AI inventory
I document what is already in use across the company, including AI tools people use on their own without formal approval.
Assessment against the AI Ready Standard
I assess your company against the AI Ready Standard across five areas: people, processes, data and security, governance, and technology, covering 26 controls and over 100 questions.
PeopleProcessesData and securityGovernanceTechnology5 areas26 controlsOver 100 questionsRisks and cost
I calculate what each weak spot costs in hours and money, using your company's own numbers.
Deliverables
What you get at the end
At the end of the analysis, I hand over a complete written package you can use to make clear management decisions.
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Process map
How work actually moves across roles and tools, showing every point of waiting, rework and double entry.
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AI inventory
A full record of AI tools already in use, including those adopted informally without approval.
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Result across the five areas
Your assessment across people, processes, data and security, governance, and technology.
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Risk register
Operational, data and governance risks documented clearly and ordered by priority.
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Priorities with their cost
Every weak spot costed in hours and money from your company's own figures.
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12-month roadmap
An ordered plan for the next 12 months showing what to address first and what can wait.
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Rules for using AI in the company
Practical internal rules setting out permitted tools, off-limits data and human review responsibilities.
Only when justified
If the analysis shows a need
I move to training or building only when the analysis shows a clear need. Here is what can follow.
An equally valid outcome
Nothing for now. I'll tell you why.
If your processes or data need order before anything is built, I will tell you plainly rather than propose unnecessary work.
First conversation
Start with the analysis of your company
In the first call, tell me how your company works today and I will outline the right scope and timeframe for the analysis.
Prefer email? mariela@marinextai.com