Engagement Brief
The structured intake spec Discovery uses to lock scope, milestones, and price. Completed by you before the free Discovery call; becomes the input to the Diagnosis and Scope of Work.
This is the AYCAS Studios intake form for an AI business-build engagement. Fill it in before we scope a piece of work together. A real person reads every one.
If a question does not apply, write “n/a”. If you do not know the answer yet, write “tbc” — tbc answers are fine at intake; we will work through them on the Discovery call.
Submitted by: [NAME]
Role: [FOUNDER / DIRECTOR / OPERATIONS LEAD / INSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPAL / OTHER]
Date submitted: [DATE]
Contact email: [EMAIL]
Contact phone / WhatsApp: [PHONE]
1. The Operation
| Field | Answer |
|---|---|
| Operation name (as it trades or operates) | [ANSWER] |
| Legal entity name (if different) | [ANSWER] |
| Country of registration / HQ city | [ANSWER] |
| Active markets (countries, regions) | [ANSWER] |
| Sector / industry | [ANSWER] |
| Years in operation | [ANSWER] |
| Current team size (people) | [ANSWER] |
| Annual operating revenue (rough band, USD) | [ANSWER] |
| Stage (pick one) | [ ] Pre-launch / greenfield · [ ] Pre-acquisition / new ownership · [ ] Operating, want capacity lift · [ ] Operating, want to add a function · [ ] Restructuring / pivoting |
| Primary working language | [ANSWER] |
2. Current Operating State
What is already in place. Paste links where you can.
| Element | Status | Link or note |
|---|---|---|
| Brand identity (positioning, voice, visual) | [ ] Locked · [ ] Drafted · [ ] None · [ ] Needs refresh | [LINK_OR_NOTE] |
| Website | [ ] Live · [ ] In progress · [ ] None | [URL] |
| Email infrastructure (custom domain, role addresses) | [ ] In place · [ ] Partial · [ ] None | [LINK_OR_NOTE] |
| Existing AI tooling | [ ] Structured AI agents · [ ] Consumer AI usage (ChatGPT etc.) · [ ] Sector-specific AI tools · [ ] None | [LINK_OR_NOTE] |
| Operating documentation (SOPs, playbooks, processes) | [ ] Comprehensive · [ ] Partial · [ ] None | [LINK_OR_NOTE] |
| Team tools in active use | [e.g. Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Slack, Notion, sector-specific tooling] | |
| Social presence (LinkedIn, sector platforms) | [ ] Active · [ ] Dormant · [ ] None | [LINK_OR_NOTE] |
| Legal / compliance posture (entity, registrations, sector compliance) | [ANSWER] | |
Top three operational bottlenecks today (in your own words):
- [ANSWER]
- [ANSWER]
- [ANSWER]
3. The Project — What You’re Bringing to Us
Describe the project in your own words. Three to five sentences is plenty.
[PROJECT_DESCRIPTION]
What does success look like 12 months from now? [ANSWER]
What problem are you trying to remove from your team’s plate? [ANSWER]
4. Goals
What do you want this engagement to do for you? Tick all that apply, and add any in your own words.
- [ ] Stand up a whole operation from zero (entity, brand, digital, AI team) — greenfield
- [ ] Stand up a brand-new ownership of an existing operation (institutional take-over)
- [ ] Lift one specific function with AI augmentation (finance close, customer service, marketing ops, HR intake, supplier comms, etc.)
- [ ] Add a single AI specialist module to an existing operation (no whole-system rebuild)
- [ ] Productised entry-level AI build for a budget-tight operation
- [ ] Establish post-handover support (Care Plan retainer)
- [ ] Brand identity refresh as part of a wider AI build
- [ ] Operating Playbook for an existing AI team that wasn’t handed over cleanly
- [ ] Other: [ANSWER]
If you had to pick one goal as the most important, what is it? [ANSWER]
5. Engagement Shape Preference
From the AYCAS Studios product ladder. Pick the one closest to what you have in mind. We will recommend an alternative on the Discovery call if a different shape fits better.
- [ ] Venture Build — whole-operation stand-up. Brand, digital, AI operating system, comms — one engagement. 10–16 weeks.
- [ ] Team Build — AI augmentation of one existing function inside a larger business. 4–6 weeks.
- [ ] Component Build — single module from the Venture Build stack, delivered standalone. 2–4 weeks.
- [ ] Starter Build — productised light-touch entry build. One orchestrator, two to three specialist agents, basic knowledge base, self-serve Operating Playbook. 2–3 weeks.
- [ ] Care Plan — post-handover monthly retainer (you already have an AI operating system, you want ongoing support).
- [ ] Not sure — want a recommendation
6. Timeline
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| When do you want to start? | [DATE] |
| Is there a hard deadline? (acquisition close, launch event, regulatory deadline, funding milestone) | [DATE / EVENT] |
| Which parts are time-critical? | [ANSWER] |
| Which parts can wait if we have to choose? | [ANSWER] |
7. Rough Budget
Pick the band that matches what you have available for the build engagement (USD, exclusive of any post-handover Care Plan retainer). Helps us shape Discovery; not binding.
- [ ] Tight — small scope, productised entry-level
- [ ] Standard — typical small-operation build
- [ ] Substantial — larger commercial or institutional build
- [ ] Multi-stakeholder — institutional venture, multi-sign-off governance
- [ ] Discuss in Discovery — open / depends on scope
Any funding constraints we should know about (founder-funded, board-approved capex, grant, lender, split across partners): [ANSWER]
8. Your Existing Team & Stakeholders
Who is already around the operation? We coordinate with them, not replace them.
Internal team
| Role | Name | Decision authority |
|---|---|---|
| Founder / Principal | [NAME] | [ ] Yes · [ ] No |
| Co-founder / Director | [NAME] | [ ] Yes · [ ] No |
| Finance / commercial lead | [NAME] | [ ] Yes · [ ] No |
| Operations lead | [NAME] | [ ] Yes · [ ] No |
| IT / digital lead | [NAME] | [ ] Yes · [ ] No |
| Comms / marketing lead | [NAME] | [ ] Yes · [ ] No |
| Other key staff | [NAME] | [ ] Yes · [ ] No |
External advisors
| Role | Name / firm |
|---|---|
| Legal advisor | [NAME] |
| Accountant / tax advisor | [NAME] |
| Sector specialist (named industry expert) | [NAME] |
| Investor / lender / funder | [NAME] |
| Board members or advisory board | [NAME] |
| Other | [NAME] |
Who signs off commercial commitments on your side? [ANSWER]
If you are out for a week, who covers approvals? [ANSWER]
9. References
Links to operations or approaches you admire — businesses, AI implementations, brand identities, websites, operating models. A short note on why each reference matters is more useful than the link alone.
- [LINK] — [WHY]
- [LINK] — [WHY]
- [LINK] — [WHY]
- [LINK] — [WHY]
- [LINK] — [WHY]
References you want to avoid (what “not us” looks like):
- [LINK_OR_DESCRIPTION] — [WHY]
- [LINK_OR_DESCRIPTION] — [WHY]
10. Constraints & Sensitivities
Things we need to know up front. This section is read carefully.
- Sector regulation: any sector-specific compliance regime (financial services, education, healthcare, food & ag, government-adjacent)? [ANSWER]
- Data sensitivity: any data we handle that is commercial-confidential, client-personal-data, financial, or otherwise restricted? [ANSWER]
- Stakeholder constraints: board approvals, investor reporting cadence, regulatory reporting, donor reporting? [ANSWER]
- Confidentiality needs: unannounced acquisition, unreleased product, IP issues, named-counterparty sensitivity? [ANSWER]
- Faith, cultural or community sensitivities to respect: [ANSWER]
- Geographies we should not work in: [ANSWER]
- Topics or counterparties the operation will not engage with: [ANSWER]
- Accessibility requirements (visual, cognitive, motor, language): [ANSWER]
- Anything else we should know before we scope this: [ANSWER]
11. How You Heard About Us
[ANSWER — optional, but useful for us]
What happens next
A real person reads your brief. If the work fits our current pipeline, you will hear back within two business days with either a Discovery call invitation or a straight no. If it does not fit, we will say that too — and where we can, we will point you to a peer firm we would trust with the brief.
If you need to add anything, reply to the acknowledgement email — do not start a new thread.
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