Firms Deploying $100K This Quarter Aren’t Boiling the Ocean
I’ve watched 12 firms deploy AI budget this quarter.
The ones succeeding have one thing in common: they’re not boiling the ocean.
The Boiling Ocean Problem
Here’s what doesn’t work in 6 weeks:
The comprehensive approach:
- “Let’s automate all our operations”
- “We need a comprehensive AI strategy first”
- “Let’s pilot in one department, assess, then expand”
- “We’ll start with a 6-month roadmap process”
Result: Nothing deployed by quarter-end. Budget reallocated.
The focused approach:
- “Automate the 3 most painful processes”
- “Deploy, measure, iterate”
- “Working systems by quarter-end, not PowerPoints”
- “Results for board meeting, not plans”
Result: 2-3 working systems deployed. Budget secured. Momentum established.
Real Example: The Construction Firm with 5 Weeks Left
75-person construction firm. $75k allocated. 5 weeks left in Q3.
Monday morning decision:
- “We’re not going to automate everything”
- “We’re going to deploy 3 high-impact automations”
- “By quarter-end”
Discovery call identified 3 targets:
- Project status report generation (18 hrs/week manual)
- Subcontractor schedule coordination (12 hrs/week manual)
- Budget variance tracking (8 hrs/week manual)
Total: 38 hours/week of manual work
Week 1: Prioritized reporting automation
- Biggest pain point
- Clearest ROI
- Fastest to implement
Week 2-3: Built and tested reporting automation
- Connected to project management system
- Automated data pulling and formatting
- Automated distribution
- Tested with real projects
Week 4: Deployed remaining 2 systems
- Schedule coordination automation
- Budget tracking automation
- Both leveraged infrastructure from first automation
Week 5: Optimization and training
- Refined based on usage
- Trained team on monitoring
- Documented processes
Quarter-end results:
- $75k budget deployed (not lost)
- 38 hours/week automated
- Board presentation: “Q3 operational efficiency initiative delivered”
- Q4: operations team has capacity for strategic projects
The difference:
They decided Monday. Started Tuesday. Delivered by quarter-end.
Most firms are still “exploring options.”
Why Focused Works and Comprehensive Fails
Comprehensive approach problems:
Problem #1: Scope Creep
- “While we’re at it, we should also…”
- “This connects to [other system], so we should…”
- “Let’s think about future needs too…”
- Scope expands. Timeline explodes. Nothing ships.
Problem #2: Analysis Paralysis
- “We need to map all our processes first”
- “Let’s document the current state completely”
- “We should analyze all possible approaches”
- Analysis never ends. Implementation never starts.
Problem #3: Perfect as Enemy of Good
- “We need to get this exactly right”
- “Let’s wait until we have the perfect solution”
- “We shouldn’t rush this”
- Perfect never arrives. Quarter ends. Budget reallocated.
Focused approach advantages:
Advantage #1: Clear Success Criteria
- “Automate these 3 processes by quarter-end”
- Simple, measurable, achievable
- No scope creep
- Success or failure is obvious
Advantage #2: Fast Feedback Loop
- Deploy first automation Week 3
- Learn from real usage
- Apply learnings to automations 2 and 3
- Iteration happens within the quarter
Advantage #3: Momentum Compounds
- First automation works → team gets excited
- Second automation deployed → confidence builds
- Third automation running → “what else can we automate?”
- Success breeds more success
The Wealth Management Firm Example
$850M AUM RIA. 4 weeks left in Q2. $90k allocated.
Initial instinct (comprehensive):
- “We should automate our entire client service workflow”
- “This includes onboarding, reporting, communication, scheduling…”
- “Let’s map everything first”
Timeline for comprehensive approach: 12+ weeks
Time available: 4 weeks
Pivot to focused approach:
- “What are the 2 biggest pain points right now?”
- Answer: Client reporting (22 hrs/week) and meeting prep (14 hrs/week)
- “Let’s automate those two things. Period.”
Week 1:
- Built client reporting automation
- Connected to portfolio management system
- Automated data pulling, formatting, distribution
Week 2-3:
- Deployed reporting automation
- Built meeting prep automation
- Automated agenda creation, data compilation, document preparation
Week 4:
- Deployed meeting prep automation
- Training and optimization
- Documentation
Quarter-end:
- $90k deployed
- 36 hours/week automated
- Board presentation ready
- Team capacity freed for client relationships
Managing partner: “We almost tried to automate everything. Would’ve deployed nothing. Instead, we automated the 2 things that hurt most. Now we have proof it works and momentum to do more.”
The 3-Process Rule
With limited time, follow the 3-Process Rule:
Identify your top 10 pain points
- What processes take the most time?
- What work is most repetitive?
- What errors happen most frequently?
- What frustrates your team most?
Narrow to top 3 based on:
- Impact: How much time/cost will this save?
- Feasibility: Can this be automated in available time?
- Value: Will this demonstrably improve operations?
Deploy those 3. Nothing else.
- Ignore the other 7 for now
- Focus completely on the 3
- Ship them by quarter-end
- Come back for the other 7 next quarter
The Comparison
Firm A: Comprehensive Approach
- Goal: “Automate all operations”
- Timeline: Need 12 weeks, have 6 weeks
- Result: Nothing deployed, budget reallocated
- Quarter-end: Zero working systems
- Next quarter: Starting from scratch with reduced budget
Firm B: Focused Approach
- Goal: “Automate top 3 pain points”
- Timeline: Achievable in 6 weeks
- Result: 3 systems deployed, budget secured
- Quarter-end: 3 working systems, measurable ROI
- Next quarter: Expanding to pain points 4-7
Why This Matters With 4 Weeks Left
If you’re reading this with 4 weeks left in quarter:
You do NOT have time for:
- Comprehensive planning
- Perfect solutions
- Extensive evaluation
- Long vendor selection
- Stakeholder alignment tours
You DO have time for:
- Identifying 2-3 high-impact targets
- Building working automations
- Deploying by quarter-end
- Proving value to secure future budget
The Decision
With limited time, you have two choices:
Choice A: Try to do everything
- Comprehensive approach
- Perfect planning
- Complete automation strategy
- Result: Nothing deployed, budget lost
Choice B: Do the most important things
- Focused approach
- Top 3 pain points
- Working systems by quarter-end
- Result: Value delivered, budget secured, momentum established
The firms deploying this quarter chose B.
They’re not boiling the ocean.
They’re solving the 3 problems that hurt most.
And it’s working.
