The Zaiphr Method
From possibility to operating capability.
Four stages, one dial. Every engagement moves along the same path — Assess, Train, Build, Run — scored on the same readiness dial at every step, with published prices and a clean exit at each stage. This page is the whole system; each stage links to its own detail.
Assess
“Should we invest in AI — and where?”
- 1.1Sit down and listen. Two to four short interviews with the people who actually do the work — 60–90 minutes each, inside a normal day.
- 1.2Map the workflows. A current-state review and an opportunity map with the hours quantified — where time actually goes, not where anyone assumes it goes.
- 1.3Score the five pillars. Process clarity, team literacy, data hygiene, tooling coverage, governance & security — one equal-weighted readiness score.
- 1.4Deliver the plan. A 90-day roadmap with ROI you can defend in front of your own accountant.
The honest exit: if AI isn’t a fit for your business right now, the report says so — that’s the point of paying for evidence instead of a pitch.
The instrument: the scorecard · worked example
Train
“How do we make our people genuinely capable?”
- 2.1Two sessions inside your actual workflows. Not slideware — your tools, your files, your real Tuesday afternoon.
- 2.2Safe-use rules everyone can hold. What goes into AI, what never does, and who decides — governance sized for a small business, not a bank.
- 2.3The week-six checkpoint. Capability is re-scored on the same dial — the difference is measured, not assumed.
Training can stop here — the capability belongs to your people either way. Many engagements do exactly that.
Staff fluent in the safe-use rules · week 6
Team literacy, re-scored on the same dial
The instrument: the capability checkpoint · worked example
Build
“Can Zaiphr actually build this for us?”
- 3.1The process review scopes it. One workflow mapped end to end — $850–2,800 per workflow, and the map is yours to keep either way.
- 3.2Build the smallest thing that pays. AI-assisted setup from $1,300; hands-off automation from $3,000; full custom builds typically $8,000–25,000.
- 3.3AI drafts — people decide. Every automation keeps a person on the approve button, and your system of record stays the system of record.
- 3.4Full ownership transfer. Code, documentation, and credentials — it’s your tool, not a subscription to us.
Nothing gets built that the assessment can’t defend — if the numbers don’t work, we tell you before you spend.
The instrument: a working tool · Northshore worked example
Run
“What happens after something is launched?”
- 4.1Care keeps it running. From $500/month — monitoring, fixes, and small adjustments so the tool never quietly rots.
- 4.2Improve keeps it earning. From $1,500/month — ongoing iteration as your business and the models change.
- 4.3Exceptions go to a person, always. Anything the system isn’t sure about lands on a named human, not in a void.
- 4.4Re-scored on the same dial. Movement keeps getting measured against the day-0 baseline — the numbers stay honest.
The standard it’s all held to: AI that earns its keep — measured, not promised.
The instrument: the client portal, live in production · worked example
The ladder
Every price, published.
No mystery quotes. Enter at any rung; every stage stands on its own and each one de-risks the next.
| Stage | Engagement | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| 00 · START | The Opportunity Check | Free | 2 minutes, in your browser |
| 01 · ASSESS | AI Adoption Assessment | $2,000 fixed | 2–3 weeks |
| 02 · TRAIN | Team training, per session | $1,200–2,000 | scheduled to suit |
| 03 · BUILD | Process review, per workflow | $850–2,800 | 1–2 weeks |
| 03 · BUILD | AI-assisted setup | from $1,300 | per workflow |
| 03 · BUILD | Hands-off automation | from $3,000 | per workflow |
| 03 · BUILD | Custom build | $8,000–25,000 | 2–6 weeks |
| 04 · RUN | Care plan | from $500/mo | ongoing |
| 04 · RUN | Improve plan | from $1,500/mo | ongoing |
Prices current as published · each stage exits cleanly · the worked example throughout is Northshore Logistics, a fictional client rendered by the production pipeline
Start where you are
Enter the ladder at your rung.
Two minutes with the Check tells you where to start. A 15-minute call does the same with a human on the line.