The Engine Stack Method

Good decisions.
Better automation.

A practical delivery method for RPA and AI implementation, including agentic workflows where appropriate, connecting process discovery, solution design, governance and production support.

FROM THE FIRST QUESTION TO EVERYDAY OPERATIONS
Ownership, security and controls from the start

Review the evidence. Revisit decisions as the work evolves.

Evidence before investment

Clear decisions and ownership

Production considered from the start

Six stages. A connected approach.

Make the next
decision clearer.

Each stage answers a practical question and produces evidence to review. We agree the outputs and acceptance criteria for your engagement.

01 / SCAN

Which workflows deserve a closer look?

Use process discovery and automation opportunity assessment to build a baseline and prioritize the work worth investigating.

Process Discovery & Opportunity Assessment

Evidence to review

Prioritized opportunity backlog

Who reviews this stage?

Process owners and the automation lead review candidate priorities, baseline evidence and unresolved questions.

For: Process owners, operations leads and automation leads

Explore SCAN
02 / GATE

Is there a credible case to proceed?

An RPA feasibility assessment tests the business case, potential value and operating cost before the next investment.

Feasibility & Business-Case Assessment

Evidence to review

Feasibility and risk assessment

Who reviews this stage?

The sponsor and process owner review value and operating changes; IT and relevant control owners review feasibility and unresolved risks.

For: Business sponsor, finance, process owner, IT and security

Explore GATE
03 / BLUEPRINT

How should the future workflow operate?

Design the future workflow, system interfaces, human checkpoints and acceptance criteria.

Workflow Redesign & Solution Design

Evidence to review

Target workflow and decision map

Who reviews this stage?

Process owners review the target workflow and approvals. Engineering and control owners review interfaces, permissions and testability.

For: Process owner, subject-matter experts, solution architect, engineering and control owners

Explore BLUEPRINT
04 / COMPASS

Which technology fits the workflow and constraints?

Compare platforms and integration options against the process, constraints and support needs.

Platform & Integration Advisory

Evidence to review

Platform and integration decision record

Who reviews this stage?

Architecture and platform owners review compatibility and access; procurement and operations review assumptions, entitlements and support implications.

For: Enterprise architecture, platform team, procurement, security and operations

Explore COMPASS
05 / FOUNDATION

Who owns the decisions, controls and operation?

Agree automation governance, ownership and engineering standards, with a Center of Excellence (CoE) model where needed.

CoE Governance & Operating Ownership

Evidence to review

Ownership and approval map

Who reviews this stage?

Business, IT and support owners agree delivery responsibilities, release authority, escalation and the level of governance the scope needs.

For: Automation lead, process owners, IT and security, release and support owners

Explore FOUNDATION
06 / BUILD & RUN

Is the workflow ready to release and operate?

Build, test and release the workflow, with an agreed handover and production support model.

Implementation, Acceptance & Production Support

Evidence to review

Release package and acceptance record

Who reviews this stage?

Business users accept the workflow against agreed criteria. The release owner confirms readiness, and the operating owner accepts the support handover.

For: Process owner and users, engineering, IT release owner and support team

Explore BUILD & RUN
Apply the method to your scope

Start with what
you already know.

An engagement can cover selected stages. We review existing work and agree which decisions still need validation.

A new opportunity.

Begin with process discovery and feasibility to establish the workflow, baseline and business case.

Start with discovery

A design in hand.

Review assumptions, interfaces and acceptance criteria before agreeing the implementation scope.

Explore solution design

Automation in production.

Assess access, documentation, incidents and operating ownership before taking on support.

Explore managed support
A method that learns with the work

Keep the structure.
Leave room to learn.

BLUEPRINT and COMPASS can iterate together. Revisit GATE when assumptions change, and use BUILD & RUN evidence to guide the next opportunity.

Governance starts at discovery and continues through delivery and operation.

Explore the services behind the method
Free automation savings calculator

Bring a clearer baseline
to the first conversation.

Estimate manual effort and potential capacity, then identify questions to explore with your team.

No email needed. Assumptions shown with your estimate.
Try the calculator
Let’s find your starting point

Where could your
next step take you?

Bring the workflow and any work already completed. We’ll discuss the open questions and a suitable place to begin.

Book a strategy session

Talk directly with an automation practitioner.