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Capabilities

R&D organized around the decision.

Cortana begins with the decision, the evidence threshold, and the cost of being wrong.

01FRAME

Decision research

We turn a broad strategic question into a researchable mandate. Interviews, process observation, system evidence, and baseline economics help establish an evidence-based view of current operations before capital or executive attention is committed.

  1. 01

    A testable problem statement

  2. 02

    A quantified baseline

  3. 03

    A defensible next decision

MANDATE OUTPUTS

  • Research brief
  • Stakeholder interviews
  • Process evidence map
  • Baseline measurement
  • Opportunity model
  • Decision memo

BEST FIT

  • Executive teams weighing a consequential AI or operations investment
  • Organizations with competing explanations for the same performance problem
  • Leaders who need evidence before selecting a vendor or building internally
  • Cross-functional initiatives without a shared definition of success

NEXT GATE

Move the highest-confidence hypothesis into a controlled technical validation.

02TEST

Technical validation

We build the smallest system capable of answering the hard technical questions. Its purpose is to establish whether the proposed system works under real constraints, with real interfaces, and with the people who would own it.

  1. 01

    Observed feasibility

  2. 02

    Known failure conditions

  3. 03

    A build, revise, or stop decision

MANDATE OUTPUTS

  • Validation plan
  • Working prototype
  • Integration tests
  • Failure-mode register
  • User evaluation
  • Technical recommendation

BEST FIT

  • AI initiatives that look promising but have not survived production constraints
  • Teams comparing architecture, vendor, or integration approaches
  • Programs with security, reliability, or human-approval requirements
  • Organizations that need a measured pilot before broader deployment

NEXT GATE

Convert validated performance and operating requirements into an investment case and deployment plan.

03MEASURE

Economic modeling

We make the economics inspectable. Each model separates observed inputs, management assumptions, external benchmarks, and sensitivity ranges so leadership can see exactly what must be true for an initiative to earn continued investment.

  1. 01

    Visible assumptions

  2. 02

    Comparable scenarios

  3. 03

    Fund, revise, or stop criteria

MANDATE OUTPUTS

  • Baseline model
  • Cost architecture
  • Scenario analysis
  • Sensitivity ranges
  • Measurement plan
  • Investment memo

BEST FIT

  • Programs seeking executive, finance, or board approval
  • Teams comparing internal build, vendor, and managed-service options
  • Initiatives with uncertain adoption or recurring operating costs
  • Leaders who need explicit kill criteria before funding the next phase

NEXT GATE

Fund only the deployment phase that the evidence supports, with explicit review and stop gates.

04OPERATE

Scoped managed R&D support

Cortana can support a scoped portfolio of high-value questions through a defined research backlog, evidence repository, review cadence, and transfer plan.

  1. 01

    A governed research portfolio

  2. 02

    A traceable evidence history

  3. 03

    Consistent capital decisions

MANDATE OUTPUTS

  • Research portfolio
  • Quarterly agenda
  • Experiment cadence
  • Evidence repository
  • Executive reviews
  • Transfer and scale plans

BEST FIT

  • Organizations with more high-value questions than internal R&D capacity
  • Executive teams that need a repeatable AI investment discipline
  • Multi-stage programs requiring ongoing technical and economic validation
  • Leaders who want one accountable research record across initiatives

NEXT GATE

Establish a quarterly research agenda and fund the first mandate with the highest decision value.

ENGAGEMENT FIT

The best starting point is a consequential decision with an accountable owner.

Submit a decision brief