Sprint scenario

Professional services firms are facing pressure on several fronts. Margins are tightening, client expectations are shifting and AI is changing both how advisory work is delivered and how clients research, evaluate and buy external expertise.

Sara sees the need to evolve the firm's business model, but not yet a clear path forward.

Before taking the question to her management team, she needs to turn the case for change into tangible alternatives — and understand where the firm should act first.

Meet Sara

Sara is one of the fictional archetypes in the AI Business Council, representing a CEO for a Professional services-firm. Her challenge provides the starting point for this AIBC Lab sprint.

The challenge

What could a more scalable professional-services model look like — and where should we start?

Identify client value

Starting with Sarah's perspective as a professional-services CEO, we use AI to explore how client expectations, buying behavior and AI are reshaping the consulting market — and where new models of value creation could emerge.

Rather than starting with the firm's existing capability areas, we look at what clients are actually trying to accomplish — and where they still see value in external expertise.

Existing services, client needs, buying behavior, delivery models and commercial structures are brought together. The Value Proposition Canvas helps separate what the consultancy sells from what the client is actually trying to achieve.

Synchronize insights

Client jobs · Pains · Gains · Existing expertise · Services · Buying behavior · Delivery economics

Simulate & stress-test

Service concepts · Client value · Buying behavior · Commercial models · Repeatability · Scalability

Test new models

Promising expertise is transformed into alternative models such as an executive diagnostic, focused sprint, subscription, toolkit or digitally enabled advisory service.

We simulate client response: Is the value understood? Would it be bought? What creates perceived risk? What makes the proposition easier to say yes to?

DISC adds a lens on differences in evidence, speed, reassurance, detail and involvement. Sales, delivery and business-model perspectives add further pressure-testing.

Shape the offer

The strongest direction becomes a testable proposition rather than a generic recommendation to productize.

The service, target client, value proposition, delivery model and commercial logic are made tangible.

What we activate

Service proposition · Target client · Delivery model · Commercial logic · Validation priorities

Potential sprint outcome

A productized service ready to test, including a defined service concept, a clear client value proposition, a commercial model and a focused 90-day validation plan.

More sprint challenges