The Agency AI Operating Model
Build a clear structure for how AI should actually run inside your agency
Designed for agencies with teams of 5–20 people who want to move quickly from AI experimentation to clear, practical structure
Most agencies are already using AI.
Very few have decided how it should actually operate.
Right now, AI is being used across agency teams in all sorts of ways:
people are testing tools individually
prompts are being shared informally
work is being sped up in pockets
decisions are being made without a clear structure
The result?
More activity.
More noise.
More inconsistency.
And more risk than most leadership teams realise.
For smaller agencies, this creates a unique challenge: things move fast, but without structure, bad habits scale just as quickly.
The Agency AI Operating Model helps you step back and answer the questions that actually matter:
What AI tools are being used across the agency?
Are they appropriate for the work?
Where should AI be used — and where should it not?
What needs human oversight?
What should leadership approve, guide or stop?
This is not generic AI advice.
It’s a 4-week engagement to give your agency a practical structure for AI moving forward.
Built for small to mid-sized agencies
This engagement is specifically designed for agencies with teams of up to 20 people.
At this size:
AI usage is already happening across the team
leadership still needs visibility
decisions can be made quickly
changes can actually be implemented
structure creates immediate impact
For larger agencies (20+ team members), a more tailored approach is required due to additional complexity, stakeholders and governance needs.
If you’re an agency founder, COO or Head of Ops, you may be dealing with…
AI usage happening without visibility
Your team is experimenting, but leadership doesn’t have a full view of what is being used, where, or how.
Tool decisions being made reactively
New AI tools are being introduced because someone saw them on LinkedIn, not because they fit your workflows, risk profile or clients.
Unclear boundaries around client work
People are using AI in research, reporting, content, proposals and delivery — but no one has properly defined what is acceptable.
Concern about compliance and risk
You know there are questions around confidentiality, data handling, IP and accuracy — but you don’t yet have a clear framework for decisions.
Pressure to “do more with AI”
You want to embrace AI properly, but you do not want rushed adoption, random tools, or a messy rollout that creates more problems later.
No structure for what happens next
Even if you know AI matters, it’s hard to move forward when there’s no shared model for how it should actually work in the business.
This is especially common in agencies under 20 people, where decisions are informal and processes evolve quickly.
You’re not behind.
You just need a clearer operating model than most agencies currently have.
The real problem is not “we need to use more AI”
The real problem is that most agencies have no operating model for it
A lot of agencies are still treating AI like a collection of tools.
Try this one.
Test that one.
Use ChatGPT for this.
Maybe automate that.
But AI is already affecting:
how work is delivered
how information is handled
how outputs are reviewed
how quickly decisions are made
how much risk sits in the gaps
So the issue is no longer just tool adoption.
The issue is:
How should AI actually operate inside the agency?
That means deciding:
where AI is useful
where it should not be used
which tools are appropriate
what needs approval
what guardrails the team should work within
how leadership keeps visibility as usage grows
That is what this product is designed to solve.
The Agency AI Operating Model
A focused 4-week engagement to help your agency define how AI should actually work across the business.
By the end of the engagement, you will have:
This is designed for agencies that want to be thoughtful, commercially smart and operationally clear — not reactive.
a clear picture of current AI usage
visibility into shadow AI and tool sprawl
recommendations on where AI fits in workflows
guidance on where human oversight is required
a more confident approach to compliance and risk
a practical structure for moving forward
Designed to be implementable quickly within smaller agency teams — not a long, complex transformation project.
What you get:
1. AI usage audit
Understand what is already happening across the team.
We identify:
which AI tools are currently being used
who is using them
where they are being used in the workflow
where there may be duplication, inconsistency or shadow AI
So you stop making decisions based on assumptions.
2. Workflow review
Assess where AI actually fits in the agency.
We look at the main workflows across the business and identify:
where AI is already supporting work
where it could create meaningful value
where it is adding noise rather than helping
where it should not be used at all
So AI becomes part of workflow design, not random experimentation.
3. Decision-making and tool fit recommendations
Make better decisions on what belongs in your agency.
We review AI usage through the lens of:
practical fit
workflow relevance
team capability
risk and oversight
compliance considerations
leadership control
So your agency is not adopting tools just because they are popular.
4. Governance and structure moving forward
Create the structure your agency needs as AI usage grows.
You receive recommendations around:
approved or suitable tool categories
leadership oversight points
where human review is essential
team guidance and internal boundaries
the structure needed to move forward more confidently
So the business has a clearer operating model, not just a list of ideas.
Over 4 weeks, we build the foundations properly
Week 1: Audit
We gather information on current AI usage across the team, tool choices, use cases and early risk areas.
Week 2: Review
We assess workflows and identify where AI is useful, where it creates risk, and where it needs stronger structure.
Week 3: Recommendations
We develop tailored recommendations on usage, decision-making, oversight and tool fit.
Week 4: Operating model
We bring this together into a practical structure for moving forward, including priorities and next-step guidance.
By the end, you’ll have…
Clearer visibility
You’ll know what is being used, where, and by whom.
Better decisions
You’ll have a clearer basis for deciding what fits your agency and what does not.
More confidence around risk
You’ll have stronger guidance on where compliance, confidentiality and oversight matter most.
A practical structure
You’ll stop treating AI as a collection of disconnected experiments.
A stronger path forward
You’ll know what needs to happen next without trying to solve everything at once.
This is for you if…
you run or operate within an agency of 5–20 people
AI usage is already happening, but without enough structure
you want visibility without unnecessary complexity
you need to make clear leadership decisions quickly
you want something practical that can actually be implemented
This is not for you if…
you run a larger agency with multiple departments and complex governance
you need a full-scale AI transformation programme
your decision-making requires multiple stakeholder layers
In these cases, a tailored engagement is more appropriate — get in touch for a custom scope
What’s included
The Agency AI Operating Model
£2,000
Designed for agencies under 20 team members
4-week engagement
Includes:
AI usage audit
review of current tools and use cases
workflow assessment
recommendations on tool fit and decision-making
compliance and oversight considerations
structure for moving forward
final summary and recommendations pack
leadership walkthrough session
Outcome:
A clearer, more practical structure for how AI should operate inside your agency.
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