Operator Story

How we turned scattered AI ideas into an execution roadmap in 18 days

Industry Professional ServicesEmployees 320 across 3 officesDuration 18 daysInterviews 236 people
Company overview

They did not need another AI presentation. They needed decisions.

When I first spoke with the leadership team, the pattern was familiar: everyone agreed AI mattered, but nobody agreed on where to start. Teams were using different tools, running different workflows, and optimizing for different outcomes.

We needed the operating truth first, not assumptions. So we mapped how work actually moved across the company, then ranked where automation would create measurable value instead of random experimentation.

Leadership discussion

Three phases, nine working days, no org freeze

01

Leadership calibration

We ran focused sessions with executives to lock scope, decision criteria, and risk boundaries. That gave every downstream interview a clear frame.

02

Agent-led fieldwork

236 collaborators were interviewed in parallel by Aster agents over 14 days, spanning functions and seniority levels. Average interview length was 32 minutes, completed asynchronously inside each person's workflow.

03

Synthesis and decision pack

We converted raw signal into a ranked execution roadmap: 940 workflows mapped, major bottlenecks scored by operational drag, and 36 automation opportunities assigned with owners and sequencing.

236
collaborators interviewed across 11 departments
940
workflows mapped and scored for AI leverage
36
high-confidence automation bets prioritized
18 days
from kickoff to executive readout
"I did not want more AI talk. I wanted a sequence we could actually run. In under three weeks, we had clear priorities, owners, and momentum."
Chief Operating Officer · 320-person professional services company