AI / Workflow Investment Map
Classify relevant opportunities using categories supported by the analysis—from do nothing and process-first to AI-assist, investigate or defer.
03 / AI Workflow Economics
Decide where AI investment is economically justified before paying to build.
Independent analysis of one AI or workflow investment decision. Compare realistic interventions, model the economics and uncertainty, and fund only what the evidence supports.
Initial engagement€4,500 fixed feeOne investment decision and domain
Decision focusCompare realistic interventions.
Recommendation before build.
Fit & trigger
For an actual allocation decision—not general AI curiosity.
- Who this is for
- A decision maker responsible for an AI/workflow allocation choice, with material capacity, cost or quality pressure, access to a usable baseline and an internal technical owner or external provider for any later build.
- When it becomes relevant
- The company is preparing to spend on AI, automation or workflow improvement but cannot defensibly compare what deserves funding.
- The decision
- What is the best intervention for the selected domain, and should it be funded, tested, simplified, deferred or rejected?
- Scope unit
- One investment decision, one business/decision domain and bounded analytical effort. General AI curiosity does not qualify.
Alternative comparison
AI is one option, not the default answer.
Apex Arc starts with “What is the best intervention?” and compares the alternatives relevant to the decision.
01
Do nothing
Retain the current workflow when change does not justify its cost or risk.
02
Simplify
Process simplification or policy/SOP change before adding technology.
03
Buy or automate
Conventional automation, software purchase or outsourcing.
04
Augment or use AI
Human augmentation, AI-assisted work or bounded AI automation where justified.
What Apex Arc does
Translate workflow choices into an investment recommendation.
Economics Model
Compare assumptions, implementation and operating costs, review burden, error/rework, maintenance, capacity and relevant cash effects.
Investment Recommendation
Fund, test first, process-first, defer or don't fund—with rationale, assumptions and uncertainty.
Decision Readout
One final session with the decision owner and, where useful, the implementation owner.
How it works
Screen broadly enough, analyse only what matters.
- FrameFix the decision, domain, owner and relevant candidate set.
- Establish baselineCheck volumes, costs, quality, constraints and available evidence.
- CompareModel material alternatives and uncertainty with realistic effects.
- RecommendDeliver the map, economics, recommendation and readout.
Inputs & readiness
A baseline is required.
Inputs may include workflow owners and descriptions, volumes, time/cost baseline, errors and rework, current tools, known vendor or implementation costs, representative examples, technical constraints and the named decision and implementation owners.
If no usable baseline exists and the client cannot establish one, the question is narrowed or paused rather than becoming open-ended discovery.
Timeline
Fixed after qualification.
The proposal fixes the accepted decision, domain, baseline period, candidate boundary, client input deadline and readout date after readiness is confirmed. No generic duration is promised in advance.
A small evidence prototype may be proposed only when it could resolve uncertainty that materially changes the decision; it is not a standard deliverable or production build.
Boundaries
Not included.
- Production implementation
- Full-company AI strategy
- Exhaustive enterprise process census
- Procurement ownership
- Agent development
- Automation operations or system maintenance
- Guaranteed ROI
Price
€4,500 fixed fee
For one proposal-defined investment decision and domain.
Apex Arc owns the analysis and recommendation. The client or its chosen implementation provider owns the build.
Illustrative example
Sample investment-map excerpt.
The comparison below is illustrative only. It contains no client data and is not evidence of client results.
03 / Investment-map excerptDifferent interventions.
Different interventions.
The same economic scrutiny.
Process simplification
- Upfront effort
- Low
- Operating burden
- Low
- Decision uncertainty
- Baseline adherence
Possible dispositionProcess-first
Conventional automation
- Upfront effort
- Medium
- Operating burden
- Medium
- Decision uncertainty
- Exception volume
Possible dispositionTest first
AI-assisted workflow
- Upfront effort
- Medium
- Operating burden
- Review-dependent
- Decision uncertainty
- Quality and rework
Possible dispositionInvestigate
Comparison, not a technology preference Illustrative categories and assumptions; no investment recommendation is implied.
Recommendation before build