CALIBER™ — the process we use to move from uncertainty to an action plan signed off by leadership.
We don't start by implementing. We start by understanding. Each phase is a calibration point: we measure reality, contrast it with the vision, and only then decide. Judgement is built with data, not with trends or keynotes.
Every process is measured in real hours, by asking the people who do it. Every opportunity is assessed against the strategic challenges and valued with a budget and ROI. If the number doesn't appear, we hold the phase until it does.
Not every process should be automated. Not every company is ready. If in any phase we find that investing in AI isn't a priority, we say so. We charge for recommending what's right, not for executing what was sold.
Each phase closes with a concrete deliverable and a decision point. No opportunity reaches the roadmap without passing the filter of every phase.
Before talking about AI, we talk about the business. We work with leadership on the 3, 5 and 10-year objectives, the challenges to overcome to get there and the priority strategic lines. We come out with a clear framework (objective → challenges → lines of action) that becomes the yardstick for every opportunity we detect later. Without this framework, any AI investment is a blind bet.
Set the framework every opportunity will be assessed against. Whatever doesn't pass this point doesn't reach the roadmap.
In-depth interviews with the key person in each area. We go through how work is really done: processes, tools, pain points and day-to-day risks. It isn't a generic questionnaire: it's a guided conversation to understand where time is lost, where errors happen and which knowledge depends on a single person.
Understand how each area really works. Whatever doesn't pass this point doesn't reach the roadmap.
We turn the interviews into one sheet per department covering processes, time, tools, data and inefficiencies, in the same format for every area. We also capture the business insights we pick up along the way: not just what can be automated, but everything leadership should know.
Code each department in a comparable way. Whatever doesn't pass this point doesn't reach the roadmap.
Every AI opportunity detected goes into an interactive dashboard, filterable by challenge and by line of action from the strategic framework. We include cross-functional opportunities, the ones that affect several departments at once and are often the highest-impact. Leadership sees at a glance where the value is and how it fits the strategy.
Bring every AI opportunity together in one place. Whatever doesn't pass this point doesn't reach the roadmap.
A survey of the team across all departments: how much time each person spends on each process and what they would prioritise, add or discard outright from the opportunity bank. This gives us real hours to calculate the return and, at the same time, involves the team from the start: AI isn't imposed on them.
Validate the opportunities with the people who do the work every day. Whatever doesn't pass this point doesn't reach the roadmap.
We budget the selected opportunities, assess the ROI of each one and build the implementation roadmap ordered by impact, cost and dependencies. We close the process by handing over the final report, the annexes (department sheets and opportunity bank) and the updated dashboard. The consulting engagement ends here: the company carries out the execution, with or without our support.
Decide what gets implemented, in what order and with what return. Whatever doesn't pass this point doesn't reach the roadmap.
Interviews in every area, comparable sheets and a survey of the whole team. Skipping measurement leads to generic recommendations. A phase closes when the number is there, not before.
The process is designed to end with a decision, not to drag on. Each phase has a concrete deliverable and a close date. It never feels like a cost that never ends.
Each phase closes with a calibration point: whatever doesn't deliver a return is discarded. We don't drag opportunities along hoping things will improve. Judgement is built stage by stage.
An SME CEO can't dedicate day-to-day time to an endless internal process. Sessions are concentrated at the critical moments — the rest is resolved by email and with our team, without blocking operations.
The traditional model is designed to drag on. Caliber is designed to finish on time and with a decision made. This is the difference, row by row.
| CALIBER™ — FORECASTRAX | TRADITIONAL CONSULTING | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Leadership objectives and interviews in every area. | Generic workshop based on the client's own presentations. |
| Duration | 6 sequential phases with a fixed close date. | Open-ended process with billable extensions. |
| Final deliverable | Final report, roadmap with ROI and opportunity dashboard. | Strategic recommendations with no budget. |
| Recommendation criterion | We only recommend what has a proven return. | Everything that can be sold and implemented gets recommended. |
| Technical independence | No vendor agreements. We recommend what works. | Alliances with hyperscalers and software vendors. |
| Price | Fixed budget for the whole process. | Billed by the hour + retainers. |
| Team | Three senior partners on site. | One partner and a rotating team of juniors. |
| What happens next | The company has judgement. It can execute with whomever it wants. | Tied to the consultancy to implement what was recommended. |
Leadership is mainly involved at the start and at the end: setting the strategic framework and deciding what gets implemented. In between, each area gives one interview and the team answers a short survey. The rest is our work.
3, 5 and 10-year objectives, challenges and strategic lines. No prior preparation needed.
You validate the objective → challenges → lines of action framework we'll use to assess every opportunity.
Each key person gives one interview. All you need to do is open the door.
You receive each department's sheet and the business insights detected. Comment in writing.
We present the opportunity dashboard. You can filter it by challenge and by line of action.
You champion the time-allocation and prioritisation survey so the whole team responds.
You see what the team prioritises, adds or discards, and how many hours are at stake.
You choose which opportunities to budget. It's the most important session in the process.
Final report, annexes, roadmap with ROI and updated dashboard.
If you wish, we start with the first opportunity. If not, the company has the judgement to decide it with any partner.
Metalworking sector · Baix Empordà · 2025
— CEO, industrial SME · 47 employees · €6.2M revenue
If you can't find yours, write to us directly at info@forecastrax.com. Reply within 48h, no obligation.
If the company is going through a liquidity crisis or a deep restructuring, AI consulting is not a priority. Also, if it does not yet have basic operational data (a working ERP, production records), you first need to put those pieces in place. We tell you this at the first meeting.
Fixed budget, no billable extra hours. The range depends on the size of the company and the number of departments. For a typical industrial SME (40–120 employees, one plant), we're talking low five figures. We give you the exact budget after the first 30-minute call.
We say so clearly. The final report states it, and we don't recommend any implementation that isn't worth it. This is the difference from a traditional consultancy: we have no incentive to recommend what won't work.
Yes. During the interviews and sheets (phases 02 and 03) we review each area's tools and data (ERP, CRM, MES, spreadsheets), and budgeting the opportunities (phase 06) often requires your IT lead. We work with your IT lead or with the external provider you have. We don't ask for sensitive credentials or copy data outside the company.
Yes. We have no partner agreements with hyperscalers, ERP, MES or AI vendors. Technical recommendations are made on technical merit, not on commission. If we recommend a tool, it's because it's the best fit for your case.
Yes, but it's not mandatory. The Implementation service is independent. Many clients execute the roadmap with their internal team, with another provider, or with us — always with a budget and KPIs agreed per pilot. The idea is that you reach the end with enough judgement to decide freely.
NDA signed before phase 01. All documents are shared in a private repository. The Forecastrax team that sees your data is the three founding partners — we don't subcontract the diagnosis. At the end of the process, you can request the destruction of working copies.