---
title: What AI Strategy Consulting Services Should Hand You on Paper
description: "What AI strategy consulting services should hand you on paper: ranked projects, the first one scoped with cost and dates, an owner, and how you'll measure it."
image: https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/What%20AI%20Strategy%20Consulting%20Services%20Should%20Hand%20You%20on%20Paper.jpg
---

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# What AI Strategy Consulting Services Should Hand You on Paper

![Kelly Kranz](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/1c8a298050a84a029fa51a6945685d90.png)

Kelly Kranz

Nov 6, 2026

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AI strategy consulting services should hand you a short document you can act on next week: a ranked list of projects, the first one scoped with its cost and timeline, what you need to provide, and how you'll measure whether it worked. If the deliverable is a deck of possibilities with no first step, you paid for a presentation, not a strategy.

**TL;DR**

- A few pages, not a deck: ranked projects, one scoped, a way to measure.
- Every recommendation names an owner and a next step.
- If you can't start next week, send it back.

## Why does what's on paper matter so much?

Because the most common reason AI projects fail starts on paper. RAND's 2024 study of why AI projects go wrong, based on interviews with 65 data scientists and engineers, noted that ["by some estimates, more than 80 percent of AI projects fail,"](https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA2680-1.html) and named the most common root cause: stakeholders misunderstanding or miscommunicating what problem AI is supposed to solve. A strategy document is where the problem gets pinned down, or doesn't.

Measurement matters too. In McKinsey's 2026 State of AI survey, [37% of respondents attributed at least some EBIT impact to AI](https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai), and the high performers, about 6% of respondents, were roughly twice as likely to have defined processes to measure the impact of their initiatives. That's a correlation from mostly larger companies, not proof. It's still a good reason to insist the measure is on paper before work begins.

## What should be on the first page?

Three things, in plain language. The problem, in a sentence or two, as you'd describe it. The current state, with numbers: hours a week, turnaround time, errors. And the recommendation: what to do first and why. If you can read page one and explain the plan to someone else in a minute, it's doing its job. If you have to read three pages before you find out what to do first, it isn't.

## What goes in the ranked list of projects?

| Column | What it should say |
| --- | --- |
| Project | The task, named the way your team names it |
| Hours at stake | Per week, with where the number came from |
| Readiness | Whether the inputs are in one place and someone owns it |
| Order | First, second, third, or not yet |
| Why | One line on the reasoning, so you can check it |

Three to five projects is plenty. Ask to see how they were scored; there's more on that in [how a strategy consultant should rank your first three projects](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/how-an-ai-strategy-consultant-should-rank-your-first-three-projects).

## How detailed should the first project's scope be?

Detailed enough to start. It should cover:

- What the project does, and what it doesn't.
- Which tools and data it touches, and who has access to each.
- Who owns it on your side.
- A cost range and a timeline with dates.
- What you need to provide, and by when.
- The test it has to pass on real work before it counts as done.

The second and third projects can stay lighter. They'll change once the first one teaches you something.

## How should it say you'll measure the result?

With a before number, how it was counted, and when you'll count again. Hours a week on the task, measured the same way both times, is enough for a first project. If the document says "improved efficiency" without a number, ask for the number.

It should also say who counts, and where the count lives. A before number that sits in the consultant's slides is no use to you in three months. Put it in a sheet your team already opens, next to the date it was taken, so the after number has something honest to be compared with.

## What does a vague deliverable look like next to a useful one?

A vague line reads: "Explore AI-assisted customer communications to improve responsiveness." A useful one reads: "Draft replies to the twelve most common customer emails from our past answers; owner: the office manager; a person approves every reply; target: cut reply time from a day to the same morning; first version in three weeks." The second can be started, checked and argued with. The first can only be agreed with.

## Who should be involved while the strategy is built?

The person who'll make the final call, and the people who do the work being considered. The consultant needs to see the tasks done, not described. Leave them out and the ranking will rest on guesses about inputs and exceptions that the people closest to the work could have corrected in minutes.

## What should happen the week after you get it?

Someone starts the first project. Book the kickoff, sort out access, and pull the examples the scope asks for. If the document leaves you unsure what to do on Monday, that's feedback for the consultant while it's fresh.

## What should be left out?

Pages of generic market statistics. A list of twelve initiatives. A tool recommendation with no reasoning beside it. A maturity score that doesn't tell you what to do on Monday. None of those are wrong to discuss, but they don't belong in the document you'll act on. If they're most of the pages, the work went wide instead of deep. Ask for an appendix if you want the background, and keep the main document to what you'll act on.

## How is this different from what a build should leave behind?

A strategy hands you a decision and a plan. A build hands you a working system, the accounts, a maintenance note and trained people. Both should be agreed in writing up front; the build side is covered in [what a good AI consultant should leave you with](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/what-ai-consultant-services-should-leave-you-with). If you're not sure which you need, see [whether you need a strategy consultant or someone who builds](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/do-you-need-an-ai-strategy-consultant-or-someone-who-builds).

AI Marketing Labs offers consulting as one-on-one work with Rick Kranz. You leave with a clear plan, and when the scope calls for it, something built and running. The scope and fee are agreed before any work starts.

## Related articles

- [What AI Consultant Services Should Leave You With](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/what-ai-consultant-services-should-leave-you-with)
- [How an AI Strategy Consultant Should Rank Your First Three Projects](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/how-an-ai-strategy-consultant-should-rank-your-first-three-projects)
- [Do You Need an AI Strategy Consultant or Someone Who Builds?](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/do-you-need-an-ai-strategy-consultant-or-someone-who-builds)
- [How to Build a 90-Day AI Roadmap for a Small Business](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/lab-experiments/how-to-build-a-90-day-ai-roadmap-for-a-small-business)

## Frequently asked questions

How long should an AI strategy document be?

Short enough to read in one sitting. A few pages with a ranked list and one scoped project beats a long report. Supporting detail can go in an appendix.

Should AI strategy consulting services recommend specific tools?

Yes, when the recommendation comes with the reasoning and the alternatives considered. A tool named with no explanation is a guess, or a sales pitch.

What if I disagree with the ranking?

Say so and ask what would change it. A good consultant will show the scoring and adjust it with what you know about your business.

 

 Tired of decks?

Get a plan *you can start Monday*

Work with Rick on where AI fits your business and which project goes first, written down so you can act on it. Scope and fee are agreed before any work starts.

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![Kelly Kranz](https://ai-marketinglabs.com/hubfs/1c8a298050a84a029fa51a6945685d90.png)

Written by

Kelly Kranz

With over 15 years of marketing experience, Kelly is an AI Marketing Strategist and Fractional CMO focused on results. She is renowned for building data-driven marketing systems that simplify workloads and drive growth. Her award-winning expertise in marketing automation once generated $2.1 million in additional revenue for a client in under a year. Kelly writes to help businesses work smarter and build for a sustainable future.

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