Operating models are failing before AI ever gets there.
Optivance Advisory helps financial institutions and governance-heavy organizations diagnose operating models, redesign new business launches, and deploy AI only where it moves the P&L.
The 5% who get it right do three things differently.
Diagnose what's broken. Redesign the workflow. Deploy AI where it changes the P&L.
95%
AI pilots with zero P&L impact
MIT Project NANDA, 2025
80%
Broader AI project failure rate
RAND Corporation, 2025
3x
More likely to see ROI
When workflows redesigned first — McKinsey, 2025
$10B+
Consulting AI investment since 2023
BCG, McKinsey, Big Four combined
(01)
Stakeholder-Capability Diagnostic
A structured four-week assessment using our QFD-based diagnostic framework. We map stakeholder needs against current process capabilities, identify the gaps that matter most, and deliver a prioritized roadmap of what to fix first.
(02)
Operating Model Redesign
We design the people, process, and systems needed to deliver new business initiatives — from business case through target-state design. Grounded in Lean Six Sigma practice. Built for financial services and governance-heavy complexity.
(03)
GenAI Enablement
Where the redesigned model calls for it, we build AI into it — specific activities, tools, and governance structures tied to a measurable business outcome. No pilot theater.
(04)
Advisory & Interim COO
Embedded senior leadership for organizations without the internal bandwidth to run diagnosis, design, or deployment themselves. Geneva-based, globally available — we execute what 01–03 define.
The pattern repeats. Here's what to do about it.
A weekly series on operating model design, new business launch discipline, and what separates the organizations that get it right. Published every Monday.
What the research says. What practitioners know.
The organizations seeing real AI ROI share one trait. They fixed the operating model first.
"95% of enterprise AI pilots have produced zero measurable P&L impact. The companies seeing real impact are three times more likely to have fundamentally redesigned workflows." McKinsey & Company, State of AI 2025
"You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics." Robert Solow, Nobel Laureate — said about computers in 1987. Still true about AI today.
The questions every COO should be asking right now.
These are the conversations we have at the start of every engagement.
Why are our AI pilots not moving the P&L?
Because the technology is being applied to processes that haven't been examined or redesigned. AI accelerates what's already there — including the dysfunction. The fix starts with understanding the work before deploying the tool.
How do we know if our operating model is ready for AI?
If your leadership team can't walk your end-to-end workflows and explain where value is created and where friction accumulates, you're not ready. That's exactly what the Stakeholder-Capability Diagnostic is designed to establish.
What does the QFD diagnostic actually involve?
A structured four-week assessment that maps stakeholder needs to process capabilities, identifies infrastructure gaps, and prioritizes the projects and activities that will make AI deployment viable and measurable.
How long does an engagement typically take?
The diagnostic is four weeks. Operating model redesign programs typically run three to six months depending on scope. GenAI enablement follows the redesign — timeline depends on the number of use cases prioritized.
Do you work with financial services firms specifically?
Yes — my background is front-to-back operating model transformation in global investment banking. That's the primary focus. I also work with governance-heavy organizations and multinational institutions navigating the same complexity.
Where are you based and how do you work globally?
Geneva, Switzerland — serving clients across Europe, the UK, and the US. Engagements are delivered in person and remotely depending on scope and client preference.
How do we get started?
Use the contact form or email info@optivanceadvisory.com. I'll respond within 24 hours to schedule an initial conversation — no commitment, just a direct discussion about where you are and whether there's a fit.