OperionOperion
Philosophy
Core Principles
The Rare Middle
Beyond the binary
Foundations First
Infrastructure before automation
Compound Value
Systems that multiply
Build Around
Design for your constraints
The System
Modular Architecture
Swap any piece
Pairing KPIs
Measure what matters
Extraction
Capture without adding work
Total Ownership
You own everything
Systems
Knowledge Systems
What your organization knows
Data Systems
How information flows
Decision Systems
How choices get made
Process Systems
How work gets done
Learn
Foundation & Core
Layer 0
Foundation & Security
Security, config, and infrastructure
Layer 1
Data Infrastructure
Storage, pipelines, and ETL
Layer 2
Intelligence Infrastructure
Models, RAG, and prompts
Layer 3
Understanding & Analysis
Classification and scoring
Control & Optimization
Layer 4
Orchestration & Control
Routing, state, and workflow
Layer 5
Quality & Reliability
Testing, eval, and observability
Layer 6
Human Interface
HITL, approvals, and delivery
Layer 7
Optimization & Learning
Feedback loops and fine-tuning
Services
AI Assistants
Your expertise, always available
Intelligent Workflows
Automation with judgment
Data Infrastructure
Make your data actually usable
Process
Setup Phase
Research
We learn your business first
Discovery
A conversation, not a pitch
Audit
Capture reasoning, not just requirements
Proposal
Scope and investment, clearly defined
Execution Phase
Initiation
Everything locks before work begins
Fulfillment
We execute, you receive
Handoff
True ownership, not vendor dependency
About
OperionOperion

Building the nervous systems for the next generation of enterprise giants.

Systems

  • Knowledge Systems
  • Data Systems
  • Decision Systems
  • Process Systems

Services

  • AI Assistants
  • Intelligent Workflows
  • Data Infrastructure

Company

  • Philosophy
  • Our Process
  • About Us
  • Contact
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Back to Process
Step 4: Proposal

A Proposal You Can Actually Evaluate.

The map is yours regardless of what you decide.

Most proposals hide the logic and reveal the price. Ours shows you everything - what we found, why we recommend it, and what each option costs.

What You'll See

The complete picture. Not a teaser.

You've sat through proposals that built to a reveal. Vague scope, then the number drops. That's a pressure tactic. Here's what we actually present:

The Constraint Diagnosis

What's actually creating the problems you described. How the symptoms connect. Why previous attempts may have failed. The root cause, not the surface issues.

The Cascade Projection

What happens if this constraint isn't addressed. The downstream effects over time. The compounding cost of leaving it alone.

The Foundation Map

What must be built first. Why this sequence matters. What skipping the foundation would break.

The Tier Options

MVP, Middle, and Advanced. What each includes. What each costs. With our honest recommendation for which fits your situation.

The Roadmap

What Phase 1 unlocks. What future phases become possible. The full picture of where this can go, with no commitment required.

Every piece has reasoning attached. No black boxes. No hidden logic.

The Tier Structure

Three options. Honest recommendation.

You've seen proposals where the middle option is designed to push you toward the top. We don't play those games.

MVP / Basic

Get it done. Minimum viable. Solves the constraint with the least investment. Right for situations where speed matters more than scale, or when budget is genuinely constrained.

Recommended

Middle / Sticky

Solid and sustainable. Built to last. Usually our recommendation because it balances capability with investment. Handles growth without needing to rebuild.

Advanced / Full

Complete capabilities. Everything possible within this phase. Right for situations where the constraint is severe enough that partial solutions won't work.

We don't make more money by overselling. We make more money by being right.

The No-Pressure Reality

The map is yours. Use it anywhere.

You've been in rooms where saying “I need to think about it” got you a disappointed look. That's not how this works.

Use it yourself

Your team might be able to build what we've mapped. The diagnosis gives them clarity they didn't have before.

Hire us to build it

Move forward with the team that already understands your constraints. The scope is defined. The build can start immediately.

Hire another vendor

If you find someone you'd rather work with, the map is useful. They'll have a head start most vendors never get.

We don't discount for “today only.” The price is the price. The decision is yours.

What Honesty Looks Like

Sometimes we tell you not to build.

You've worked with vendors who would build anything you asked for. Who never pushed back. We're not those vendors.

If building right now doesn't make sense, we'll tell you

If you're missing data a model would need, we'll say wait

If your team isn't ready, we'll recommend a different starting point

We'd rather lose the project than deliver something that doesn't work.

This isn't altruism. It's pragmatism. Our reputation is built on things that actually work. When we recommend something, you can trust it's the right call.

Ready to Start?

See the Full Picture Before You Decide

The map is yours regardless of what you decide. Use it yourself, give it to your team, or take it to another vendor. We'll be here if timing changes.

Complete map yours to keep
45-minute discovery call
No commitment required
Book a Discovery Call

Step 4 of 7 in our engagement process

Next in the Process

Initiation: Where scope locks in.

Lock in the phase, tier, milestones, and payment structure. Then the build begins.

Step 3: AuditStep 5: Initiation
View Full Process