Case Study - AI Strategy & Advisory

The problem: AI tools were increasingly appearing across the team's workflow with no consistent guidance on what was safe to use, how, or under what conditions. The organisation handles sensitive education data on behalf of local authorities and multi-academy trusts so the stakes for getting this wrong are high. Leadership needed a clear picture of the risks, a defensible usage policy, and concrete direction on where AI could genuinely add value to existing processes.

What was done: An internal review was conducted covering the AI tools in use or under consideration, assessing each against data protection requirements, security posture, and the sensitivity of the data involved. This produced a policy framework setting out acceptable use, prohibited practices, and guidance for staff, grounded in the specific context of the organisation's data rather than generic AI advice. Alongside the policy work, targeted research was carried out into both off-the-shelf AI solutions and the viability of custom-built tooling for the organisation's core workflows, with recommendations matched to their actual technical capacity and operational constraints.

The result: The organisation moved from ad hoc AI use with no governance to a documented policy and a prioritised roadmap for AI adoption. Staff had clear guidance; leadership had a credible basis for decisions. Several of the custom tooling recommendations were subsequently taken forward for development.