Execuria · Shapes
Engagement shapes
An engagement takes one of a small number of shapes. Each shape has a clear beginning, a defined output, and a natural place to stop. We would rather you buy a short shape and come back than commit to a long one you cannot yet justify.
The three engagement shapes
Diagnostic Sprint
A bounded review of one business unit. We map the current collaboration model, name its risks, and leave you with a written picture you can act on with or without us.
Composition Program
A multi-week engagement to design and pilot the target model across one or two teams. We compose the role atlas, draft supervision protocols, and guide a staged rollout.
Ongoing Oversight
A standing arrangement in which we remain attached to the model, review it on a cadence, and report to leadership on whether the ensemble is still in time.
Choosing a shape
The right shape depends on how far your organisation has already travelled. A team that has just begun placing agents beside human work usually needs a Diagnostic Sprint: the value is clarity, not construction. An organisation that has decided on a target model and wants help building it needs a Composition Program, because the work is design and rehearsal. A mature practice that already runs a model needs Ongoing Oversight, because the risk shifts from design to drift.
Every shape is scoped in writing before we begin. The scope names the teams involved, the outputs, the cadence of working sessions, and the point at which the engagement closes. We do not stretch a sprint into a program quietly; if the work grows, we say so and you choose.
We also discourage overlapping shapes on the same team. A model cannot be designed and audited at the same moment by the same adviser without blurring the roles — exactly the failure we exist to prevent.
Buy the smallest shape that answers your question. You can always commission the next movement.
What each shape delivers
| Shape | Typical duration | Core outputs | Who is involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic Sprint | 2–3 weeks | Current-state map, risk register, hand-off inventory, written findings | One business unit, its lead, a small number of interviews |
| Composition Program | 6–10 weeks | Role atlas, supervision protocols, pilot design, rollout guidance | One or two teams, operating leaders, a named executive sponsor |
| Ongoing Oversight | Quarterly cadence | Model review, drift report, revision recommendations, leadership briefing | Model owner, operating leadership, governance contact |
Working rhythm
Across every shape we keep a light rhythm rather than a heavy one. Working sessions are short and prepared. We write as we go, so nothing is revealed for the first time in a final presentation. Between sessions we expect the client team to do the internal work that only they can do: choosing owners, testing suggestions against reality, and telling us when our draft is wrong.
- Open. Scope, sponsors and success criteria confirmed in a single written brief.
- Observe. Interviews and shadowing, kept proportionate to the shape.
- Compose. Drafts shared early, revised openly, with the client's voice in the document.
- Rehearse. For program and oversight shapes, a pilot or review cycle that puts the draft under real load.
- Close. A written handover, an owner for the next revision, and an honest note on what remains uncertain.
Engagements are with corporate and institutional clients only, under a written agreement. Indicative figures for each shape appear on the engagement tiers page. If a shape does not fit, we will say so and suggest nothing else rather than inventing work.
To discuss which shape suits your organisation, open the briefing room. You can also read the launch program page to see how a Composition Program unfolds week by week.