We show boards how digital works.
HDW Advisory runs fixed-scope AI readiness audits for organizations that want adoption to survive the pilot phase. The first engagement replaces enthusiasm with an inventory; everything after is scoped from what the audit finds.
Field guides, by subject
What we tell clients, published. Policies, metrics and the reasons pilots die.
The AI Readiness Audit
The first engagement is always the same fixed-scope product. It exists to replace enthusiasm with an inventory.
Inventory and interviews
Two weeks. We map where AI is already used (sanctioned or not), what data and systems it touches, and what your teams actually want from it.
Risk and readiness report
A written report: governance gaps, security exposure, quick wins, and the pilots most likely to survive. Ranked, costed in effort, argued in plain language.
A 90-day plan
Concrete first quarter: what to pilot, what to buy, what to ban, and how to measure it. Written so your team can run it without us.
Where we help after the audit
Every follow-on engagement is scoped from the audit's findings. Fixed scope each time.
AI strategy and governance
Usage policy, model and vendor selection, review gates for LLM features, and the governance paperwork that lets legal say yes. The goal is a policy engineers actually read.
Internal copilots
Rollout of coding assistants and internal chat tools with baselines taken first, so the productivity conversation runs on measurements instead of anecdotes.
LLM integration
Retrieval over internal documents, agent workflows and the evaluation harnesses around them. Built with your engineers in the room, handed over documented.
Asked every time
Do we need a chief AI officer first?
No. You need an inventory of what is already happening and one accountable owner. Titles can come after the audit tells you what the job actually is.
Our data is sensitive. Can we still use LLMs?
Usually yes, with the right deployment and data boundaries. The audit maps which data may go where, and which vendors' terms actually permit what you plan to do.
What if the audit says we are not ready?
Then the report says so, with the shortest path to ready. That outcome costs the same and is just as useful. We would rather be accurate than retained.
Do you sell or resell any AI product?
No. No reseller margins, no referral fees. Recommendations are only worth something if they are unbought.
Replace enthusiasm with an inventory.
Tell us where your organization stands with AI. You get a straight answer on whether the readiness audit fits, with a fixed quote, within two business days.