Services

A practical, low-risk path to scalable decision systems.

Most organizations do not need a complete analytics transformation. They need clarity on where to focus first. At Driftless Data, I start with a focused assessment designed to identify where metric trust, reporting, governance, data architecture, and decision usage are creating friction.

The work starts focused, not broad. Rather than attempting a massive, risky overhaul, I identify high-leverage domains first, prove value, and help build the foundation in a way the organization can sustain.

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The Engagement Model
Start focused

Most engagements begin with a fixed-scope Opportunity Assessment.

It creates standalone value even if nothing follows and gives leadership a clear view of what to fix first, what to defer, who should own it, and how to sequence execution.

A practical sequence

1. Find the friction Locate where trust, reporting, governance, architecture, and decision usage break down.
2. Focus the effort Start with the business domains where better systems create the most value.
3. Build what can last Execute internally, with an implementation partner, or through one of three focused engagements.

Start Here

4-Week Opportunity Assessment

A 4-week diagnostic to identify where data, metrics, reporting, governance, and decision-making are slowing the business down.

Engagement structure

4-week fixed-fee assessment — $15,000.

Defined scope, defined timeline, and an executive-ready roadmap that is useful whether your team executes internally or brings in additional support.

01

Align

Interview key executives, leaders, and operators to identify where metric trust, reporting, and decision-making break down.

02

Diagnose

Review dashboards, the data stack, definitions, workflows, governance, data quality, data ownership, and AI readiness.

03

Prioritize

Recommend what to fix first, who should own it, and how to sequence execution across a practical 30/90/180-day path.

What it delivers

  • Root-cause diagnosis of where metric trust and decision flow break down
  • Prioritized opportunity map tied to growth, reporting, AI readiness, or exit preparation
  • Executive-ready roadmap of what to fix first, what to defer, and why
  • Value creation plan across technology, data governance, and decision usage
  • Recommended path forward: stabilize the metrics, build the decision system, or add embedded leadership

What it requires

  • An executive sponsor with a mandate to improve the foundation
  • Structured interviews with the relevant leaders and operators
  • Appropriate access to the dashboards, reports, workflows, and systems within the assessment scope

This is for you if:

  • The board deck takes weeks, every time.
  • You set next year's plan in six weeks, and Finance and GTM have different numbers.
  • Pricing and packaging goes to the board next month, and no one agrees on the baseline.
  • Diligence surfaced data you can't defend.
  • The board asked for an AI plan and you don't trust the inputs.
  • A new leader is spending their first month reconciling numbers instead of running the function.
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From Assessment to Execution

The assessment identifies the path. The next engagement builds it.

Every assessment ends with a prioritized roadmap showing what to fix first, what to defer, and who should own it. Leadership can execute that roadmap internally, bring in an implementation partner, or move into one of three focused engagements — stabilize the metrics, build the decision system, or add embedded leadership — based on the highest-leverage opportunity and the team’s capacity to deliver.

Focused Engagements

Build only what the business is ready to use and sustain.

When additional support is useful, the roadmap typically leads to one of three focused paths: align the metrics, build the decision system, or add embedded analytics leadership.

STABILIZE

Governance and Metric Alignment

Define the ownership, business logic, and trusted sources behind the metrics leadership uses to run the company.

What it includes

  • Shared definitions for ARR, churn, pipeline, retention, customer health, board reporting, and other operating metrics
  • Ownership model for business logic, metric definitions, data quality, and reporting decisions
  • Documentation showing how business definitions flow into data systems
  • Governance processes that keep definitions stable as the company grows

This may be a fit if

  • Metric definitions vary across departments
  • Executives spend time reconciling numbers instead of making decisions
  • Business logic is undocumented or informally owned by a few key people
  • Reporting expands endlessly because no source is clearly authoritative

Outcomes

  • One definition for critical metrics
  • Clear ownership of terms and logic
  • Governed model logic in the data layer
  • Better forecast confidence, board reporting, and executive alignment
  • AI tools that can inherit trusted definitions and business context

BUILD THE FOUNDATION

Decision System Buildout

Translate business definitions into dashboards, data models, documentation, workflows, and operating rhythms that leaders trust.

What it includes

  • Data models and transformation logic for single sources of truth
  • Purpose-built dashboards tied to key decisions
  • Reporting workflows for board, executive, GTM, finance, retention, and customer health use cases
  • AI-ready documentation and business logic
  • Operating rhythms that turn reporting into action

This may be a fit if

  • Dashboards exist, but people do not trust them
  • Leaders repeatedly ask the same questions because reporting does not resolve the decision need
  • Reporting is too manual, fragile, or dependent on a small number of people
  • New leaders take months to understand the metrics, logic, and operating context

Outcomes

  • Faster pricing, GTM, retention, forecasting, and territory decisions
  • Teams aligned on North Star metrics and the levers that move them
  • New leaders productive in days, not months
  • One trusted source for board and operating reporting
  • Self-service analytics and AI tools that work

LEAD THE CHANGE

Embedded Analytics Leadership

Add part-time executive-level analytics leadership during a build, transition, transformation, or hiring process.

What it includes

  • Executive alignment across Finance, Sales, Data Engineering, Product, Customer Success, and leadership
  • Analytics roadmap and prioritization support
  • Technical guidance without losing the business thread
  • Hiring decision support for analytics, data engineering, or BI roles
  • Team enablement, mentorship, and knowledge transfer
  • Governance adoption and operating model design

This may be a fit if

  • The company has analysts or data engineers but lacks senior leadership connecting the work to business priorities
  • Analytics is trapped in a service model of requests, dashboards, and ad hoc reporting
  • The team is busy but not creating enough strategic leverage
  • You are hiring or restructuring the data function and need operator-level support

Outcomes

  • Fewer projects with larger business impact
  • Stronger prioritization and stakeholder alignment
  • Internal talent upskilling
  • Sustainable operating practices
  • Reduced dependency on any single consultant, analyst, or leader

The Operating Principle

Create durable capability, not permanent dependency.

What this is not

  • Endless consulting footprint expansion
  • Dashboard cleanup in isolation
  • A pure data engineering project
  • A technology-first rebuild
  • A report that sits on a shelf

What I help build

  • A trusted foundation of standard definitions
  • Highly aligned cross-functional teams
  • Independent, scalable analytics capabilities
  • Decision systems that outlast any single engagement

Not sure where the problem starts? That’s usually the point.

A short conversation can help determine whether the right next step is a diagnostic, a focused project, or embedded analytics leadership.

Book a Free 30-minute fit call