Huntley Cross Advisory · AI System Implementation

The build phase, after the audit memo says “do it.”

Most AI engagements stall in the gap between “we know what to build” and “it is running in production with the controls a regulator would accept.” Implementation is the consultant-integrated build phase that closes that gap, scoped per engagement, with named workstreams, named owners and a commercial model agreed before work starts.

Built on the same engineer who would diagnose it. Implementation is delivered by the consultant and the technical team named in the engagement letter, against the recommendation memo from your AI Readiness Audit (or a comparable diagnostic you bring in).

Scope an Implementation Call Meet the consultant
Consultant-Integrated

AI System Implementation

By engagement sprint or programme

Consultant-integrated. NDA-first. Engagement letter names the integrator and every contributing specialist. Investment scoped on the call.

  • Named workstreams with named owners
  • Weekly checkpoints with the consultant
  • Evaluation harness alongside every shipped capability
  • Runtime telemetry, cost controls and rollback paths
  • Hand-off documentation pack at engagement close
Scope an Implementation Call
Consultant-led A named consultant owns the workplan end to end.
NDA-first Mutual NDA before any data, deck or commercial-in-confidence material is exchanged.
Engagement-scoped Scoped on the call against an acceptance test or a workstream. No hourly drift. No vendor referral fees.
1 business day Personal reply window from the consultant.
What we build

Categories drawn from verifiable production track record

Each category below maps to a cited engagement on the leadership page. We do not pitch capabilities outside this perimeter; if a workstream needs depth we do not have, a specialist partner is named in the engagement letter or we recommend you go elsewhere.

Production retrieval & RAG

Hybrid retrieval over large document corpora, with evaluation harnesses and latency budgets. Reference engagement: 10M+ legal documents, 38% accuracy uplift, sub-3 s P95.

Multi-agent orchestration

Agent workflows with deterministic-first design, intervention controls and audit logs. Reference engagement: support automation, 60% faster resolution.

Applied ML & decision models

Classification, anomaly detection and decision modelling under tight latency or accuracy constraints. Reference engagement: fraud-detection pipeline, 0.96 AUC, sub-50 ms scoring.

Evaluation harnesses

Benchmark suites, regression harnesses and scenario-driven evaluation pipelines that hold deployed systems accountable in production.

Runtime governance

Telemetry, cost controls, rollback paths and audit-ready rollout patterns for AI-enabled services operating under regulatory scrutiny.

Automation & workflow engineering

Backend services, data pipelines and Python automation that close the gap between an AI capability and the operating workflow it has to live inside.

Two ways to engage

One named capability, or a full programme across workstreams

Sprint is the right size when the audit memo names one capability to ship and the question is “build this in a focused window.” Programme is the right size when there are several workstreams to sequence and the integrator role is what is missing. Both are engagement-scoped on the call.

Single capability

Implementation Sprint

By engagement 4 to 8 weeks · one named capability

A focused build window for one named capability from the audit memo, shipped to a defined acceptance test with the evaluation harness alongside it.

  • One named capability, one acceptance test
  • Consultant integrates; technical team delivers
  • Evaluation harness shipped alongside the capability
  • Weekly written checkpoints + a direct line to your consultant
  • Hand-off documentation pack at sprint close

For teams who need a working capability shipped to production, with the engineer who specified it staying on the call.

Scope a Sprint
Multi-workstream

Implementation Programme

By engagement 3 to 6 months · multiple workstreams

A multi-workstream build programme against the audit’s implementation sequencing memo. Named workstreams, named owners, named specialist partners under NDA where the work needs depth.

  • Multiple workstreams sequenced against the audit memo
  • Consultant is the integrating owner across workstreams
  • Specialist partners named in the engagement letter
  • Monthly board briefing + written status memo
  • Runtime governance plan and hand-off pack at close

For boards and leadership teams ready to commit to a sequenced programme with one accountable integrator.

Scope a Programme

Continued ownership after the build closes is available on the Fractional AI Operator retainer (three-month minimum, month-to-month thereafter, scoped on the call).

Process

How a sprint or programme runs

Day 0

NDA & engagement letter

One-page mutual NDA, then an engagement letter naming the integrator, every contributing specialist and the workstream scope.

Week 1

Discovery & acceptance tests

Confirm the audit memo’s scoping holds, lock acceptance tests, and stand up the evaluation harness before any production code ships.

Build window

Build & weekly checkpoints

Your partner integrates, the technical team delivers. Weekly written status; a direct line is open for decision-grade questions between checkpoints.

Close

Hand-off & governance

Hand-off documentation pack, runbook, runtime telemetry plan and an honest read on whether ongoing operator hours are warranted.

FAQ

The questions buyers ask before signing

Do I need to have done the AI Readiness Audit first?

Not strictly. Most implementations follow a Huntley Cross audit, because the engagement letter for the build is then a continuation of the memo. If you have a comparable diagnostic from another advisor that we agree is sound, we will work from that; if not, we will recommend the Audit before the build. The audit fee is credited against the first month of the implementation.

What is the consultant doing during the build?

Integrating. The consultant owns the workplan, the acceptance tests, the weekly checkpoints, the architectural calls, and the hand-off pack. Technical team delivery happens against that, with named owners for each workstream. There is no analyst hand-off and no anonymous offshore squad.

Why not hourly billing?

Hourly billing rewards optionality at the buyer’s expense, the more confused the workplan, the larger the bill. Engagement-scoped commercial models align the incentives: we are paid against an acceptance test or a workstream, so there is no pressure to drag the work out.

Do you take referral fees from cloud, model or tool vendors?

No. We are vendor-agnostic and do not accept referral fees, kickbacks, or any form of revenue from cloud platforms, model providers, or tool vendors recommended in any deliverable. Capex decisions stay clean.

What happens with our IP and our data?

Engagement letter assigns IP for delivered code to you. Pitch decks, financials and commercial-in-confidence material are returned or destroyed at engagement close. Cross-border personal data is handled under UK GDPR Article 46 (Standard Contractual Clauses or the UK IDTA) and the India DPDP Act 2023.

What happens if the build runs into something we cannot deliver?

We tell you on the call, in writing, the same week. The engagement letter includes a stop-the-work clause for both sides. We refund work not delivered against the acceptance test rather than absorb it into a longer engagement.

Next step

Book a 30-minute scoping call. Decide if the build fits.

The first call is a scoping conversation, not a sales pitch. If a sprint or programme is wrong for your situation, we will tell you on the call.

Scope an Implementation Call
Meet the consultant Scope a build