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PFMR

Taking on work from November 2026

Fixed-fee review

People function and AI opportunity review

Know what to keep, fix or change in the 3 to 5 HR capabilities that matter most to you, and where AI could take on some of the work.

First step
A full day with your HR leadership team
How long
Sized to the HR capabilities you choose
Let's talk

A fixed-fee review of how those capabilities run today, built on a baseline P&C service catalogue. Design is quoted after the review.

For CPOs, heads of HR, and founders or COOs of fast-growing firms.

Included in the review

  • A scorecardScorecard Each capability scored across people, process, technology and service delivery, from developing to established, with every rating traced to interview or document evidence. See the worked example of how each capability runs today, across people, process, technology and service delivery
  • An AI and technology heat mapAI and technology heat map Each capability rated for how far AI could take it, from human-only to AI-run, and for how ready it is today. It shows the quick wins, the foundations to fix first and the work that stays human. See the worked example showing how far AI could go in each capability and how ready each one is
  • An opportunity mapOpportunity map Each opportunity rated for its value against your priorities and the effort and readiness to deliver it. Work starts with the quick wins, and the rest is sequenced from there. See the worked example, with a starting point and a six-month sequence
  • A report and executive playback with recommended next steps

Just some of the challenges we can help solve

Common sticking points

If any of these hit a little close to home, it's probably time we spoke.

  1. There's no front door for HR

    Staff email whoever they know, so the same questions get answered over and over, and nobody can see the demand.

    People function review

When it becomes urgent

  • An HR platform decision, consolidation or renewal date is coming.
  • A new people leader wants a clear picture in the first 90 days.
  • Growth, an acquisition or a new market means the function has to scale or integrate.
  • Leadership wants AI in HR work, and nobody has decided which services change.
  • There is no people function yet, and the founders don't know where to start.
  • People data lives in spreadsheets, and nobody trusts the reports.

What you receive

  • A current-state scorecard across people, process, technology and service delivery, showing where the problems concentrate
  • An AI and technology heat map: how far AI could go in each capability, how ready it is, and whether the answer is better use of current platforms or a new tool
  • An opportunity map, grouped into work packages with a starting point and a six-month sequence
  • A report and executive playback with recommended next steps: design, a platform decision or targeted fixes

The design phase is quoted after the review. It can cover a future service catalogue, a delivery model with AI and agent roles, structure options and a phased roadmap.

The method

The review covers 3 to 5 of the ten HR capabilities in the baseline catalogue, agreed at the start. Payroll is rated like any other capability, with no payroll process review, calculation audit or award sign-off.

  • Strategy and governance
  • Diversity, equity and inclusion
  • Talent acquisition
  • Talent management
  • Total rewards
  • Health, wellbeing and workplace relations
  • Organisational design and effectiveness
  • HR systems management
  • Workforce administration
  • Payroll

Three tools run through the review:

  • Four-pillar scorecard: people, process, technology and service delivery. Each capability in scope is rated once on each pillar, Developing, Progressing or Established, and every rating traces back to interview or document evidence. The services within each capability serve as the interview checklist.
  • AI ladder: each capability is rated for the furthest step AI could take it (human-only, AI-assisted, AI-embedded or AI-run), set against how ready the capability is today.
  • Opportunity map: two to four opportunities for each capability, scored for value against 3 to 5 priorities agreed at the start, and for effort and readiness.

How a review runs

  1. Mobilise and gather evidence. Kick-off, the agreed document request, interviews, two focus groups and a few process walkthroughs. AI tools do the first read of the documents, within the confidentiality terms in the scoping agreement.
  2. Assess the current state. The four-pillar scorecard for each capability in scope.
  3. Map AI and the opportunities. The AI and technology heat map and the opportunity map.
  4. Validate and report. A written report and an executive playback. You decide whether to adopt, change or defer each recommended next step.

The review is sized to the HR capabilities you choose. It has one interview for each capability plus two across the function (five for three capabilities). It also has two focus groups, for example one with managers who use the services and one with the People team who deliver them.

A deep dive is available for any capability in the review, bought with it or after it. It rates each service within that capability on the four pillars and adds service-level opportunities to the opportunity map. It is priced per capability.

Our methods in practice

What we could build together

Examples of the type of work and insights you can expect to see from working with us.

Example 01Illustrative

How each area runs today

We rate each function or area in scope on its people, process, technology and service delivery, from developing to established. Each rating is backed by interview or document evidence. The lowest scores show where improvements are needed first.

Business operations reviewPeople function review

Scorecard, four in scope
Function PeoplePeople The skills and capacity of the team doing the work, and how clearly roles and decisions are owned.ProcessProcess How consistently the work gets done, how many handoffs and workarounds it takes, and whether anyone has written it down.TechnologyTechnology How well the platforms support the work, whether the data can be trusted, and how much still happens by hand or in spreadsheets.Service deliveryService delivery How easily the people who rely on the function, such as customers, franchisees or other teams, get what they need, how quickly, and how they rate it. OverallOverall A rounded rating from the pillar scores. It becomes the readiness rating that row carries into the heat map.
OperationsStrong use of the job system; last-minute changes still go by text message People: EstablishedProcess: EstablishedTechnology: EstablishedService delivery: Progressing Established
ComplianceThorough auditors; reports retyped from paper forms People: EstablishedProcess: ProgressingTechnology: ProgressingService delivery: Progressing Progressing
Head officeProcedures sit with one or two people, and there's no shared knowledge base People: ProgressingProcess: DevelopingTechnology: DevelopingService delivery: Developing Developing
CommercialStrong client relationships; pricing tracked in spreadsheets People: EstablishedProcess: ProgressingTechnology: DevelopingService delivery: Established Progressing
Area PeoplePeople The skills and capacity of the team doing the work, and how clearly roles and decisions are owned.ProcessProcess How consistently the work gets done, how many handoffs and workarounds it takes, and whether anyone has written it down.TechnologyTechnology How well the platforms support the work, whether the data can be trusted, and how much still happens by hand or in spreadsheets.Service deliveryService delivery How easily employees and managers get help, how quickly requests are resolved, and how they rate the service. OverallOverall A rounded rating from the pillar scores. It becomes the readiness rating that row carries into the heat map.
Talent acquisitionStrong use of the platform; offer approvals wait on email People: EstablishedProcess: EstablishedTechnology: EstablishedService delivery: Progressing Established
HR systems managementMost service desk tickets answered by hand from the knowledge base People: ProgressingProcess: ProgressingTechnology: EstablishedService delivery: Developing Progressing
Workforce administrationPosition data out of date, and policies in three versions People: ProgressingProcess: DevelopingTechnology: ProgressingService delivery: Progressing Developing
Health, wellbeing and workplace relationsExperienced advisers; case notes kept in spreadsheets People: EstablishedProcess: ProgressingTechnology: DevelopingService delivery: Progressing Progressing

One filled square means developing, two progressing and three established. Each row's overall rating shows its readiness in the heat map. The lowest pillar scores show which areas to address first.

Example 02Illustrative

Where AI fits, area by area

We assess how far AI could be used in each function or area in scope, from human-only to AI-run, and how ready it is today. This identifies quick wins, areas that need work first and tasks that stay with people.

Business operations reviewPeople function review

AI and technology heat map, four in scope
Function How far AI could take itHuman-onlyHuman-only AI isn't used. The call needs a person's judgement and accountability, like telling someone their role is redundant or deciding whether to close a site.AI-assistedAI-assisted AI helps one person with a task they still own, like an HRBP preparing for a difficult performance conversation or a finance lead drafting a board paper.AI-embeddedAI-embedded AI is built into the workflow and completes a significant portion of it, and people do the rest. It ranks each job application for a recruiter to shortlist, or reads every supplier invoice so accounts payable only handles the mismatches.AI-runAI-run AI owns the work within limits you set, and people oversee it and handle the exceptions. It books interviews around candidates' and managers' diaries, or chases overdue invoices and passes the stubborn ones to a person. Readiness and verdict
OperationsJob scheduling, inside the platform you have Furthest step: AI-run EstablishedQuick winCurrent platform
ComplianceSite audit reports drafted from photos and past findings Furthest step: AI-embedded ProgressingQuick winThe audit app you have
Head officeReplies to customer enquiries, once the knowledge base is in place Furthest step: AI-embedded DevelopingFix foundations firstNew tool, the knowledge base
CommercialKey account and supplier negotiations stay with people Furthest step: Human-only ProgressingStays humanNo tool needed
Area How far AI could take itHuman-onlyHuman-only AI isn't used. The call needs a person's judgement and accountability, like telling someone their role is redundant or deciding whether to close a site.AI-assistedAI-assisted AI helps one person with a task they still own, like an HRBP preparing for a difficult performance conversation or a finance lead drafting a board paper.AI-embeddedAI-embedded AI is built into the workflow and completes a significant portion of it, and people do the rest. It ranks each job application for a recruiter to shortlist, or reads every supplier invoice so accounts payable only handles the mismatches.AI-runAI-run AI owns the work within limits you set, and people oversee it and handle the exceptions. It books interviews around candidates' and managers' diaries, or chases overdue invoices and passes the stubborn ones to a person. Readiness and verdict
Talent acquisitionInterview scheduling, inside the platform you have Furthest step: AI-run EstablishedQuick winCurrent platform
HR systems managementService desk triage suggestions from your knowledge base Furthest step: AI-embedded ProgressingQuick winNew tool
Workforce administrationRoutine policy questions, once position data and policies are clean Furthest step: AI-run DevelopingFix foundations firstCurrent platform, after the data fix
Health, wellbeing and workplace relationsInvestigations and redundancy conversations stay with people Furthest step: Human-only ProgressingStays humanNo tool needed

The filled steps show how far AI could be used in each area. We mark quick wins and start there. Each row shows readiness from its scorecard and whether the current platform can support that level of AI use.

Example 03Illustrative

What to fix first

We map two to four opportunities for each function or area and rate their value against the priorities agreed at the start. We also assess effort and readiness, then start with the quick wins in the top-left quarter.

Business operations reviewPeople function review

Opportunity map, six opportunities
Job scheduling in operations and site audit reports in compliance are quick wins. A shared knowledge base and replies to customer enquiries, both in head office, are high value but harder. Training record reminders are easy but lower value. Replacing the job management system in operations is parked. Quick wins Plan for Fill-ins Park Effort and readiness, from easier to harder Value against your priorities 1 2 3 4 5 6
Operations
1Job scheduling
6Replace the job management system
Compliance
2Site audit reports
Head office
3A shared knowledge base
4Replies to customer enquiries
Training
5Training record reminders
Interview scheduling in talent acquisition and service desk triage in HR systems management are quick wins. Clean position data and AI answers to policy questions, both in workforce administration, are high value but harder. One onboarding checklist in talent acquisition is easy but lower value. Replacing the case management tool in health, wellbeing and workplace relations is parked. Quick wins Plan for Fill-ins Park Effort and readiness, from easier to harder Value against your priorities 1 2 3 4 5 6
Talent acquisition
1Interview scheduling
5One onboarding checklist
HR systems management
2Service desk triage
Workforce administration
3Clean position data
4AI answers to policy questions
Health, wellbeing and workplace relations
6Replace the case management tool

The numbers show the proposed order of work, with quick wins in the shaded quarter. Each opportunity links to a finding in its function or area. We group the opportunities into work packages and sequence them over six months.

Who it is for

  • Established employers: "What should we keep, fix or change in how our people function works, before we restructure, buy another system or bring AI into HR work?" The CPO or Head of People buys, with the CFO or COO. Typically multi-site employers of 500 to 5,000 people, professional and technical services firms of 300 to 3,000, and tech and data centre businesses building out P&C.
  • AI-native and high-growth firms: "What does our people function need to look like for the next stage, and where do we start?" The founder or COO buys, with the Head of People where there is one. Typically 100 to 1,000 people, including firms with no people function yet.

Not included

  • System configuration, integration, data migration and implementation. We work with your implementation partner.
  • Running HR day to day. Recruitment and case management stay with you.
  • Vendor selection, which is scoped separately as choosing HR technology.

The way in

A full day with your HR leadership team, with up to 10 people. They get a baseline catalogue as a pre-read, then rate up to 10 HR capabilities against the four pillars in the session. A written playback within a week ranks the capabilities, names the first three things to fix and up to five AI opportunities, and recommends whether to fund a review. A team that cannot meet for the session can start with the review.

Terms

  • Fixed fees in Australian dollars, excluding GST, set out in your proposal.
  • The review and the design phase are paid half on signing and half on delivery, on 14-day terms. The leadership session is invoiced on signing.
  • The capabilities, document list, interview numbers and focus groups are part of the fee, and extra scope is agreed in writing.
  • Benefits are measured after changes are made, never claimed at handover.

Before we talk

Common questions

Which review is right for us?

Choose the people function review if you want to understand how your HR function is working and what needs to change. The business operations review looks more broadly at how work runs across your business functions and platforms. The largest opportunities from either review become the starting point for AI work redesign.

Do we need a review before we can work with you?

Not always. AI work redesign can start with a half-day leadership session. People function design, choosing technology and implementation assurance start with a review because the following work is influenced by the review's findings.

How is this different from hiring a big consulting firm?

We're not encumbered by trying to staff as many people on a project as possible. We use modern, state-of-the-art AI accelerators to enhance delivery quality and speed, giving you high-quality insights at a fraction of the time and cost.

How do you use AI in your work?

We use AI agents for much of the research, interviewing, analysis and drafting. This helps us reach findings at a significantly accelerated pace. We check everything they produce before sharing it with you and make recommendations ourselves.

What happens to our data?

We can work with you on several options for data sovereignty and many of our accelerators are tool agnostic.

Next step

Start with a 30-minute call.

Let's talk through your challenges, and together we'll come up with a plan on where to start to tackle them.

Let's talk

Taking on work from November 2026