THE ENGAGEMENTS
Four shapes. Each one closes on paper.
After the diagnostic, the firm proposes an engagement contract drawn from one of four archetypes. The shape is chosen to fit the work — not the other way round.
The four archetypes are not menu items. They are shapes the firm has found, in practice, fit most of the operational work top-of-market GCC clients ask for. The diagnostic determines which archetype the work fits. The engagement letter names the archetype, the artifact, the fee, and the date. We do not negotiate the scope inside the fee; if the scope changes, we re-contract.
We will, on rare occasion, decline the engagement after the diagnostic. The diagnostic is honest about that possibility from the first conversation.
A · BUILD & OPERATE
We design, build, and operate a specific system or automation that, once shipped, produces measurable output on a steady cadence. The engagement covers the architecture, the build, the integration, and the operating handover. We run the artifact ourselves for an agreed period — typically 90 days — then transfer operations to a named owner inside the client. The fee covers everything from the first whiteboard session to the handover memo. We do not bill the iterations.
WHEN IT FITS
A specific function or process that, once built, runs and produces measurable output without ongoing strategic intervention. Ticket triage, lead routing, document classification, an internal portal, a reporting pipeline, a renewals desk, an automated reconciliation layer.
SAMPLE SHAPE OF THE DELIVERABLE
Deploy a ticket-classification agent achieving ≥ 92% precision on the client's last 1,000 tickets, with handover documentation, runbook, and a 90-day operating SLA. Transfer to a named internal owner on day 180.
B · DEPARTMENT-AS-A-SERVICE
We run a function the client cannot hire fast enough to fill. The engagement covers a staffed desk under our supervision, a fixed SLA, and a monthly operating report. The principal contact inside the client treats the desk the way they would treat an internal team — minus the recruitment cycle. At the end of the term, the client either re-contracts, takes the team in-house under their own employment, or steps the desk down. We do not lock the function inside the firm.
WHEN IT FITS
A function the client needs running now and cannot stand up internally inside the quarter. Renewals, retention, compliance operations, procurement back-office, a temporary chief-of-staff layer, a partnerships desk, a CX escalation team.
SAMPLE SHAPE OF THE DELIVERABLE
Operate the SME renewals desk for a UAE regional bank. Staffed at 4 FTE under firmup supervision, with an attribution model, weekly cohort report, and a steady-state target of ≥ 88% renewal rate on the in-scope book by month 9.
C · SPRINT SERIES
We run a sequenced series of sprints, each covering a distinct area of the client's business. Each sprint is 3–4 weeks. Each sprint closes with a sourced report, a sequenced plan, and the wins shipped inside that area. The engagement letter names the sprints upfront, in order, with their dates. We do not run two sprints in parallel; the discipline is sequencing. The client receives, by the end of the term, a portfolio of small, completed, documented engagements.
WHEN IT FITS
A client with several disconnected areas needing fresh, sharp attention — none of which on its own merits a 6-month engagement. A new chief executive in the first 100 days. A holding company aligning portfolio companies on a common operating playbook. A board that wants several functions firmed up in sequence.
SAMPLE SHAPE OF THE DELIVERABLE
Run 5 sequenced sprints over 20 weeks — covering operations, hiring, retention, governance, and brand. Each sprint closes with a sourced report and 3 wins shipped. The series closes with a consolidated portfolio memo.
D · TRANSFORMATION PROGRAM
We run a defined strategic shift — not a tactical fix. The engagement covers a small senior team, typically the principal and 3–5 specialists, working alongside the client's leadership through a transformation with a stated end-state. The artifact is the new operating model: governance, structure, processes, the first cohort of named hires, the documented playbooks, and the early-stage operating metrics. The contract names the end-state. We close when the end-state is operating, not when the calendar runs out.
WHEN IT FITS
A genuine strategic shift the board has decided to make — a market-entry, a separation, a post-merger integration, a generational transition inside a family business, a sovereign-mandate operating model change.
SAMPLE SHAPE OF THE DELIVERABLE
Design and stand up the new operating model for a family-office holding company's retail portfolio. New governance, 2 documented operating playbooks, a 5-person headquarters team in seat, and the first quarter of consolidated operating metrics published by month 12.
OUT OF SCOPE
The firm does not bill hours. The firm does not extend an engagement without an explicit re-contract signed by both principals. The firm does not deliver slides as the artifact. The firm does not run engagements outside MENA except under a principal-signed override.
These are not selling points. They are constraints we will not relax — including for the right client at the right fee.
Every engagement begins with the diagnostic.
The diagnostic is free, invite-only, and limited to 5 slots per quarter. Applications are read in the order received.