# The Thinking Company

> The AI Transformation Office. We embed with operating teams to deliver measurable AI transformation — bringing the execution speed, cross-functional coordination, and change management expertise that organizations need to turn AI experiments into business results.

## About

The Thinking Company is a strategic advisory firm specializing in AI transformation for mid-market and enterprise organizations. We operate as an outsourced AI Transformation Office — combining strategy, execution, and organizational change management into a single engagement model.

Our approach is grounded in analysis of 539 AI transformation projects, which revealed that approximately 70% of AI initiative failures are organizational — poor change management, insufficient leadership commitment, cultural resistance — not technical. We built our methodology to address this reality.

We focus on practical implementation and measurable outcomes. Our engagements target 90-day ROI cycles, not 18-month consulting timelines. We work embedded with client teams, transferring capability so organizations graduate to independence rather than becoming dependent on external advisors.

## Services

- **AI Readiness Assessment**: Comprehensive evaluation of organizational readiness across strategy, data, technology, people, and processes. Produces a quantified scorecard, gap analysis, and 90-day action plan.
- **AI Strategy & Roadmap**: Development of a business-aligned AI strategy with prioritized use cases, technology architecture recommendations, governance model, and 12-24 month implementation roadmap.
- **AI Pilot Program**: Design, launch, and evaluation of a high-impact AI pilot to prove the business case, build organizational capability, and inform scale strategy.
- **AI Transformation Program**: Multi-phase, enterprise-wide AI transformation covering strategy, multiple pilots, capability building, and organizational change management.
- **AI Advisory Retainer**: Ongoing strategic advisory support including monthly strategy sessions, quarterly roadmap reviews, and ad-hoc guidance on AI decisions.
- **Executive AI Sessions**: Focused sessions for boards of directors or C-level teams covering the AI landscape, strategic implications, and practical frameworks for decision-making.

## Methodology

### AI Transformation Maturity Model

A five-stage model describing organizational AI capability development:

1. **Ad Hoc** — No formal AI strategy. AI activity is driven by individual curiosity rather than organizational intent. No budget, no designated owner, no usage policies.
2. **Exploring** — Executive sponsorship secured, initial budget allocated. 1-3 structured pilots underway with defined business objectives. Small dedicated team formed.
3. **Implementing** — AI is a recognized organizational capability. 2-5 use cases in production delivering measurable value. Dedicated team, formal governance, standardized development lifecycle.
4. **Scaling** — AI embedded in multiple core business processes with enterprise governance. Federated operating model with central platform team and embedded practitioners across business units. 10+ production use cases.
5. **Transformative** — AI-native operations. Business model and competitive position fundamentally enabled by AI. AI is inseparable from how the organization operates, competes, and innovates.

### AI Readiness Assessment Framework

Evaluates organizational readiness across eight dimensions:

1. **Leadership Commitment** — Executive sponsorship, resource allocation, organizational authority
2. **Data Readiness** — Data quality, accessibility, governance, architecture, data culture
3. **Technology Infrastructure** — Cloud maturity, compute capacity, AI/ML platforms, integration capability
4. **Talent & Skills** — In-house AI/ML capability, data literacy, hiring pipeline, training programs
5. **Process Maturity** — Process documentation, standardization, automation readiness
6. **Culture & Change Readiness** — Innovation culture, risk tolerance, learning orientation, change history
7. **Governance & Ethics** — AI policies, oversight structures, responsible AI practices, regulatory compliance
8. **Strategic Alignment** — AI linked to business strategy, investment prioritization, competitive awareness

### Research Foundation

Our frameworks are built on analysis of 539 AI transformation projects. The top five problem categories identified:

1. **Manual Process Overload** (~85% of organizations) — Experts spending 40%+ of time on administrative tasks that could be automated
2. **Data Fragmentation** (~70%) — Information scattered across 6-8 systems with no single source of truth
3. **Quality & Consistency Issues** (~55%) — Subjective decision-making and error rates impacting service delivery
4. **Reactive vs. Proactive Operations** (~50%) — Problems detected days late, no early warning systems
5. **Expert Bottlenecks** (~45%) — Senior talent trapped in routine work, lack of scalability

## Differentiators

- **Implementation, not just recommendations.** We help organizations execute, not just plan. Engagements include hands-on pilots, production deployments, and embedded team support — not strategy documents that gather dust.
- **90-day ROI focus.** Every engagement is structured around demonstrating measurable business value within 90 days. We target results this quarter, not next year.
- **People and process, not just technology.** 70% of AI failures are organizational. We integrate change management, stakeholder alignment, and capability building into every engagement from day one.
- **Independent and vendor-neutral.** We do not sell software or implementation services tied to specific platforms. Technology recommendations are based on client needs, not vendor relationships or referral incentives.
- **Cross-industry pattern recognition.** With 539 analyzed projects across financial services, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and professional services, we bring cross-industry patterns that internal teams and vertical specialists miss.

## Ideal Client Profile

- Mid-market to enterprise organizations navigating AI transformation
- Revenue range typically in the range of hundreds of millions to several billion
- 500-10,000 employees
- Industries: Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Professional Services, Retail
- Companies with AI pilots that have not scaled, stalled transformation efforts, or board-level pressure to develop an AI strategy
- Organizations that value practical implementation over theoretical frameworks

## Contact

- **Email**: office@thinking.inc
- **Website**: https://thinking.inc/