AI Investment Advisory
Make the right investment before you make a large investment.
Ashton Intelligence helps you identify the opportunities most likely to pay off, determine what they will require, and build a practical path forward before you commit to implementation.
Investment Discipline
A small investment in the decision can protect a much larger investment in implementation.
Implementation is the most expensive time to discover that the wrong problem was selected, the workflow was misunderstood, important exceptions were missed, the proposed solution cannot integrate properly, or the expected savings were unrealistic.
The Ashton Intelligence assessment process is designed to identify those issues before substantial money is committed.
Avoid the wrong project
Determine whether the proposed opportunity is valuable enough to justify further investment.
Reduce duplicated discovery
Document the business context before expensive implementation resources are engaged.
Prevent rework and scope creep
Expose overlooked requirements, dependencies, and exceptions earlier.
Right-size the solution
Determine whether process improvement, existing software, conventional automation, or a smaller solution would be sufficient.
Improve vendor proposals
Give vendors a clearer problem definition and a more consistent basis for estimating the work.
The objective is a defensible business case: where value is likely, what assumptions support it, what risks could prevent it, and what must happen for the investment to succeed.
Decision Readiness
When the engagement is complete, you’ll know what to pursue—and what not to.
You leave prepared to move forward, prepare further, defer the decision, or decline the investment—with confidence and substantially less risk of paying for the wrong solution.
Services and Pricing
Clear scope. Clear deliverables. No surprise pricing.
We publish our typical fees because you should be able to determine whether an engagement is financially realistic before investing time in a sales process. After an initial scoping conversation, you will receive a clearly defined scope, deliverables, timeline, and fixed fee before deciding whether to proceed.
Focused Opportunity Assessment
$2,500 fixed fee
Typical duration: 7–10 business days
Outcome: Determine whether one clearly defined workflow or proposed investment deserves further attention.
Best forA straightforward, relatively low-risk business process and a client who primarily needs an independent go/no-go recommendation.
Typical inclusions- One defined workflow or business question
- Kickoff and up to two stakeholder interviews
- High-level workflow and pain-point review
- Directional value, feasibility, complexity, and risk assessment
- Proceed, Prepare, Reconsider, or Do Not Pursue recommendation
- Concise findings brief and executive findings review
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- Immediate next steps
This engagement is designed to answer one question: does this opportunity deserve further investment? Projects requiring implementation planning, vendor diligence, integration research, or regulated-data analysis are scoped separately.
AI Value Blueprint
Starting at $5,500
Typical duration: 2–3 weeks
The starting price assumes one or two related workflows and a clearly bounded scope.
Outcome: Identify and prioritize the right opportunities, evaluate their business case, and establish a practical roadmap.
Best forOne or two related workflows where leadership needs more than a yes-or-no answer.
Typical inclusions- One or two related workflows
- Stakeholder and current-state discovery
- Pain-point and dependency analysis
- Opportunity prioritization
- Directional business-case analysis
- Recommended first initiative
- Practical phased roadmap and executive findings review
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- Readiness findings
The AI Value Blueprint identifies what to pursue, why it matters, and the practical steps required to move forward.
Implementation-Ready Blueprint
Starting at $8,500
Typical duration: 4–6 weeks
Outcome: Prepare a selected opportunity for responsible implementation through deeper workflow, system, vendor, governance, and risk analysis.
Best forOrganizations approaching a significant implementation decision or working in an operationally complex environment.
Typical inclusions- Multiple stakeholder interviews
- Two validated current-state workflow maps
- Pain-point and exception inventory
- Systems, vendor, data-flow, and integration analysis
- Governance and human-review requirements
- Implementation-path analysis
- Phased roadmap, decision gates, and executive findings review
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- Value and feasibility scorecard
- Optional next-stage scope
- One consolidated revision cycle
This engagement prepares a selected opportunity for responsible implementation. The resulting work may be used with Ashton Intelligence, an internal team, or another implementation provider.
Complex or Regulated Engagement
Typically $10,000–$15,000+
Typical duration: Defined during scoping
Outcome: Address broader organizational, technical, regulatory, procurement, or implementation complexity.
Best for- Multiple departments or unrelated workflows
- Sensitive or regulated information
- Significant system and vendor dependencies
- Detailed financial, governance, or procurement requirements
- Numerous stakeholders or high-consequence decisions
Scope, deliverables, timeline, and a fixed fee are established before work begins.
Not sure which engagement fits? Answer a few questions.
Most engagements require a kickoff, a limited number of stakeholder interviews, access to relevant process information, and a findings review. The expected time commitment is defined before work begins.
Your workflow does not need to be fully documented before the engagement. Discovery is designed to identify how the work actually happens, including informal steps, workarounds, and exceptions.
Final pricing depends on the number of workflows, stakeholders, systems, integration dependencies, documentation quality, information sensitivity, governance requirements, and level of implementation detail needed. Ashton Intelligence establishes the scope and fixed fee before work begins.
Independent Advice
The recommendation is not predetermined.
Ashton Intelligence does not begin with a preferred tool, platform, or implementation outcome. We evaluate the business problem, operating environment, expected value, and risk before recommending a course of action.
Standard Process
How the AI Value Blueprint works
Kickoff and alignment
Confirm goals, scope, stakeholders, and success criteria.
Workflow discovery
Understand how the selected work is currently performed.
Current-state analysis
Document the major roles, systems, steps, handoffs, and operating conditions.
Pain-point identification
Identify delays, manual effort, rework, exceptions, risks, and root causes.
Value and feasibility assessment
Evaluate opportunities based on value, complexity, readiness, risk, and confidence.
Recommendations and roadmap
Identify what to pursue, prepare for, defer, or reject.
Executive findings review
Present the findings, rationale, and recommended next steps.
Is This the Right Fit?
Built for decisions where cost, risk, and operational reality matter.
This may be right for you when:
- A workflow is inefficient, but the best solution is unclear.
- You are considering an AI or automation investment.
- Several opportunities are competing for limited budget.
- A vendor’s claims are difficult to evaluate.
- You need better requirements before requesting proposals.
- A previous technology project did not deliver the expected result.
Why Ashton Intelligence
Business needs come first.
We begin with the work and desired outcome—not a preferred product.
Financial responsibility matters.
Expected value must justify the cost, complexity, effort, and risk.
Recommendations must fit the organization.
We account for actual budgets, staffing, systems, risk tolerance, and implementation capacity.
AI is one option.
Process redesign, existing software, conventional automation, or no new technology may be better.
The outcome is a decision.
Clients receive a clear recommendation, the reasoning behind it, and practical next steps—not merely a score.
SBA-Certified Veteran-Owned Small Business
Veteran-owned. Mission-focused. Accountable for results.
Ashton Intelligence is an SBA-certified Veteran-Owned Small Business led by a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. We bring a disciplined commitment to preparation, integrity, responsible execution, and measurable client outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Candid answers before you commit.
Why should we pay for an assessment instead of putting the money toward implementation?
Implementation is where mistakes become expensive. The assessment helps confirm that the problem is worth solving, exposes requirements and dependencies early, and gives implementation providers a clearer basis for estimating the work.
Will this actually save us money?
It can. The engagement is designed to prevent avoidable spending, reduce duplicated discovery and rework, and identify opportunities whose expected value does not justify their cost. Because every workflow and implementation is different, we do not promise a generic savings percentage.
What happens if you determine that AI is not the right answer?
That is a valid and complete result. The recommendation may be process improvement, better use of existing software, conventional automation, preparation work, deferral, or no further investment.
Are your recommendations vendor-neutral?
Yes. Ashton Intelligence does not begin with a preferred platform, vendor, or implementation outcome. Recommendations are based on the work, expected value, requirements, constraints, and risks.
What exactly will we receive?
Your proposal will define the exact deliverables before work begins. Depending on the engagement, these can include workflow documentation, opportunity priorities, value and feasibility findings, implementation requirements, governance recommendations, a phased roadmap, and an executive findings review.
How long will the engagement take, and how much time will our team need to contribute?
A Focused Opportunity Assessment typically takes 7–10 business days, an AI Value Blueprint 2–3 weeks, and an Implementation-Ready Blueprint 4–6 weeks. Most client participation occurs through kickoff, stakeholder interviews, document sharing, validation, and the executive findings review. The expected time commitment is defined before work begins.
What determines the final price?
Price is driven by the number of workflows, stakeholders, systems, integrations, documentation quality, information sensitivity, governance requirements, and the depth of implementation detail. Scope and a fixed fee are agreed before work begins.
Can we use the findings with another implementation provider?
Yes. You may use the final deliverables to evaluate vendors, request proposals, support internal approval, or work with another implementation provider.
More questions about process, confidentiality, and implementation
Why can’t a software vendor do this for free?
A software vendor can provide valuable product-specific discovery. Ashton Intelligence begins one step earlier by evaluating the business problem independently, before deciding whether a particular product—or any new product—is the right answer.
Is this just a scorecard or questionnaire?
No. The page questionnaire only suggests a likely starting point. The paid engagement uses discovery, workflow analysis, business context, professional judgment, and documented recommendations rather than an arbitrary readiness percentage.
Can Ashton Intelligence implement the recommendations?
Implementation support may be available when appropriate and is scoped separately. There is no obligation to hire Ashton Intelligence for implementation.
Will the assessment tell us exactly what implementation will cost?
It can provide a reasonable investment direction and clarify the major cost drivers. Exact implementation pricing may still require technical validation, detailed solution design, or formal vendor proposals.
What if our processes are not documented?
That is common and does not prevent an assessment. Discovery is designed to document how the work actually happens, including informal steps, workarounds, exceptions, and inconsistent practices.
How do you handle confidential or sensitive information?
Information requirements and safeguards are defined during scoping. Client information is used only for the agreed purpose and within approved systems. Sensitive information is not entered into an external AI service unless the use has been specifically authorized and appropriate contractual, privacy, security, access, and retention controls are in place.
What happens after the engagement is delivered?
You can move forward, prepare further, defer the decision, or decline the investment. Ashton Intelligence can discuss separately scoped next-stage support, or you may use the deliverables internally or with another provider.
Next Step
Make the decision before making the investment.
You do not need to know which AI tool you want or commit to a major implementation. You need a meaningful operational problem—and a disciplined way to determine whether solving it will create enough value to justify the cost.
The initial conversation is used to understand the problem, determine the appropriate engagement level, and confirm whether the work is likely to provide meaningful value.