How we work
How we work, and what we're responsible for
Every engagement starts from a business problem, is clear about who does what, and aims to leave capability your team keeps.
A senior lead replies within one business day. No obligation.
Three principles behind every engagement
- We start from the business problem.Every engagement begins with a decision or a cost that matters to you, not with a tool or a discipline. Technology decisions follow business needs, not the other way around. We evaluate technical options in the context of the outcomes they must support.
- We put the data foundations first.AI and analytics are only as good as the data underneath. For each use case, we check the data it needs and plan how to close the gaps, through whichever engagement fits.
- We stay independent.We have no platform or product to sell. We recommend what fits your workloads, design for open formats, and keep your options open for the next change.
How we work together
- Understand the challenge.We clarify the business problem, your objectives and your constraints.
- Agree the approach.Together we define the scope, the expected results, who is responsible for what, and the form of engagement.
- Work towards the result.We advise, assess, implement, lead or operate, as agreed.
Every service can be bought on its own. You start with what matters most and decide what comes next.
Five forms of engagement, and what we are responsible for
| Form of engagement | Examples | What DataOfis is responsible for |
|---|---|---|
| Senior advice | Data & AI Function Design | The quality and independence of the advice and design. You decide, and you own the implementation. |
| Defined assessments and programmes | Data & AI Readiness Assessment; AI Use-Case Discovery & Prioritisation; Data & AI Literacy and Enablement | The agreed outputs of a defined scope: the assessment, the prioritised portfolio, the programme delivered. |
| Implementation projects | Data Governance Implementation; AI Pilot-to-Production; Decision Intelligence & Advanced Analytics; Data Platform Migration & Open Architecture; the build stage of Data Ecosystem Delivery & Support | The agreed project deliverables within the agreed scope. Where a partner builds, DataOfis is responsible for design and oversight. |
| Fractional leadership | Fractional CDO | Leadership of your data agenda within an agreed mandate. Formal decision rights stay with your executives unless they are explicitly delegated. |
| Managed delivery and ongoing support | Data Team Build & Managed Delivery; the support stage of Data Ecosystem Delivery & Support | Delivery and coordination of agreed activities, or technical operations under agreed service levels, with knowledge transfer and handover where applicable. |
Our methods at a glance
These are our own methods. Each one is explained in full on its service page.
| Method | What it does | Service |
|---|---|---|
| The readiness model | Assesses current maturity against evidence, defines the target from business priorities, and turns the gaps into a prioritised roadmap. A use-case format checks whether the data can support one specific objective. | Data & AI Readiness Assessment |
| From policy to working control | Takes six governance components from documents to controls that work in practice. | Data Governance Implementation |
| Use-case evaluation | Evaluates AI opportunities on value, feasibility, data readiness and risk, and recommends what deserves further investment. | AI Use-Case Discovery & Prioritisation |
| Four gated phases | Takes one AI use case from data preparation to handover, with a documented decision at each gate. | AI Pilot-to-Production |
| Migration in waves | Moves data and workloads through open formats, wave by wave, with validation at each step and parallel operation where feasible. | Data Platform Migration & Open Architecture |
| The decision loop | Builds data, metrics and models around one business decision, then measures whether the decision improves. | Decision Intelligence & Advanced Analytics |
| The first three months | How a Fractional CDO moves from understanding to agreed priorities to a running agenda. | Fractional CDO |
Our methods are informed by established data management frameworks and practices, such as DAMA-DMBOK.
Senior specialists and delivery partners
Every engagement is led by a senior DataOfis lead, who is responsible for it within its agreed scope. Specialists from our network — architects, data engineers, governance, analytics and machine learning specialists — join where the scope needs their depth. For larger builds, delivery partners do the work under DataOfis design and oversight.
You always know who is responsible for what, and who your contact is.
What stays with you
- Knowledge transfer, incorporated into engagements where relevant, with responsibilities and expected outputs agreed from the outset.
- Documentation your team can use, at the level agreed in the scope.
- Training for the roles that will run what we built, where it is part of the scope.
- Help with your own team: defining roles, supporting recruitment and onboarding new hires, where this is part of the engagement.
Our aim is that you need us less over time.
See how this would work for you
Tell us about the problem you want to solve. A senior lead will suggest a sensible first step, even if that step doesn't involve us.
A senior lead replies within one business day. No obligation.