Background
Layer 1: Foundation

Advisory & Governance

Build the strategic foundation for responsible, scalable AI adoption that delivers measurable business value while managing risk.

6-8 weeks

Typical engagement duration for readiness assessment and governance framework design

Why AI Governance Matters Now

Organizations rushing to adopt AI without proper governance face significant risks: regulatory violations, data breaches, reputational damage, and wasted investments in solutions that don't scale. Meanwhile, competitors with structured approaches are deploying AI faster and seeing better returns on investment.

Our Advisory & Governance practice helps enterprise leaders navigate this complexity. We work with CTOs, CIOs, Chief Data Officers, and compliance teams to establish frameworks that enable innovation while managing risk. Whether you're taking your first steps with AI or scaling existing initiatives, we provide the strategic guidance to do it right.

This service is ideal for organizations that need to build internal consensus, satisfy board requirements, meet regulatory obligations, or establish repeatable processes before scaling AI investments.

Business Impact

Accelerate Time to Value

Clear governance frameworks reduce project approval cycles from months to weeks. Organizations with established AI policies deploy significantly faster than those navigating approvals ad-hoc.

Streamlined approval processes reduce project kickoff delays

Mitigate Regulatory & Legal Risk

Proactive compliance strategies prevent costly violations. A single GDPR fine can reach €20M or 4% of global revenue. Our frameworks ensure AI systems meet industry standards from day one.

Proactive frameworks designed to meet audit requirements from day one

Build Stakeholder Confidence

Transparent governance creates trust with boards, customers, and regulators. Organizations with published AI ethics policies report higher customer trust and easier vendor partnerships.

Executive-ready documentation for board presentations and RFP responses

Enable Sustainable AI Practice

Center of Excellence structures and training programs build internal capabilities that outlast individual projects. Organizations with AI CoEs achieve significantly higher adoption rates.

Repeatable processes reduce dependency on external consultants over time

How It Works

Our proven 4-phase approach delivers comprehensive governance frameworks in 6-8 weeks, with ongoing support available as your AI initiatives mature.

1

Discovery & Assessment

1-2 weeks

Comprehensive evaluation of your current AI maturity, technology stack, data landscape, compliance requirements, and organizational readiness. We identify gaps, risks, and quick wins.

Key Activities:
  • • Stakeholder interviews (C-suite, IT, Legal, Data)
  • • Technology & data infrastructure review
  • • Compliance landscape mapping
  • • Skills gap and training needs analysis
Deliverables:
  • • AI Readiness Scorecard
  • • Gap Analysis Report
  • • Risk Register
  • • Prioritized Recommendations
2

Framework Design

2-3 weeks

Co-create tailored governance structures, policies, and processes aligned with your industry, regulatory environment, and risk appetite. All frameworks are designed to be practical and enforceable, not shelf-ware.

Key Activities:
  • • AI ethics & responsible use policy drafting
  • • Data governance framework design
  • • Model approval & review process creation
  • • Security architecture recommendations
Deliverables:
  • • AI Governance Policy Document
  • • Data Privacy & Security Playbook
  • • Model Lifecycle Management Framework
  • • Risk Assessment Templates
3

Implementation & Enablement

2-3 weeks

Rollout frameworks across the organization, train key stakeholders, establish governance committees, and set up ongoing monitoring mechanisms. We ensure adoption, not just documentation.

Key Activities:
  • • Governance committee formation & charter
  • • Stakeholder training sessions
  • • Tool & platform implementation
  • • Communication plan execution
Deliverables:
  • • Training Materials & Workshops
  • • Governance Committee Charter
  • • Implementation Roadmap
  • • Communication Templates
4

Continuous Improvement

Ongoing

Monitor framework effectiveness, adapt to regulatory changes, and evolve governance as AI capabilities and use cases mature. Optional quarterly reviews keep you ahead of emerging risks.

Key Activities:
  • • Quarterly governance effectiveness reviews
  • • Regulatory landscape monitoring
  • • Framework updates & refinements
  • • Executive reporting & dashboards
Deliverables:
  • • Quarterly Governance Reports
  • • Updated Policy Documents
  • • Compliance Status Dashboards
  • • Advisory Sessions (as needed)

What You Receive

Comprehensive deliverables designed for immediate use by technical teams, legal, compliance, and executive leadership.

Strategic Documents

  • • AI Readiness Assessment Report with maturity scores
  • • Comprehensive AI Governance Policy (50-75 pages)
  • • Executive summary for board presentations
  • • AI ethics & responsible use guidelines
  • • Center of Excellence operating charter

Compliance & Risk

  • • Data governance framework & privacy playbook
  • • Risk assessment templates & scoring rubrics
  • • Compliance checklists (GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2)
  • • Security architecture recommendations
  • • Audit preparation documentation

Operational Tools

  • • Model approval workflow & decision trees
  • • Vendor evaluation scorecards
  • • Project intake & prioritization frameworks
  • • Governance committee meeting templates
  • • Escalation & incident response procedures

Training & Enablement

  • • Stakeholder training materials & slide decks
  • • AI literacy programs for non-technical staff
  • • Best practices guides & knowledge base
  • • Communication templates for org-wide rollout
  • • Quarterly review & optimization workshops

Engagement Model

Duration

6-8 week initial engagement for assessment and framework design. Optional quarterly retainer for ongoing advisory and framework evolution.

Team Composition

AI governance consultant, compliance specialist, and industry subject matter expert. Executive advisor for C-suite alignment.

Your Commitment

10-15 hours/week from key stakeholders (IT, Legal, Compliance) for interviews, workshops, and document review. Executive sponsor engagement required.

How We Measure Success

Framework adoption: High stakeholder approval and engagement
Approval velocity: Measurable reduction in project approval time
Compliance readiness: Frameworks designed to pass external audits
Executive confidence: Board-ready AI strategy and governance

Risk Mitigation

We understand governance engagements can feel abstract. Here's how we ensure tangible value:

Phased Approach

Decision gates at end of Phase 1 (Assessment) and Phase 2 (Design) allow you to validate findings before committing to full implementation. No obligation to continue if our recommendations don't align with your priorities.

Practical, Not Theoretical

All frameworks are tested against real AI projects in your pipeline. We co-pilot at least one project through the approval process during Phase 3 to validate the framework works in practice.

Knowledge Transfer Built-In

Training and enablement ensure your team can operate independently post-engagement. We measure success by your team's ability to run governance processes without us, not by creating dependency.

Industry Expertise

We assign consultants with direct experience in your vertical (financial services, healthcare, etc.) and regulatory environment. No learning on your dime—we bring day-one expertise in your compliance landscape.

Industry-Specific Expertise

Financial Services

Deep expertise in banking regulations (SR 11-7), insurance compliance, and fintech governance. We understand model risk management, algorithmic bias requirements, and explainability needs for credit decisions.

SR 11-7FINRAMiFID IIModel Risk

Healthcare

HIPAA-compliant AI frameworks for clinical and operational use cases. Experience with FDA software as a medical device (SaMD) requirements, patient data privacy, and clinical decision support governance.

HIPAAFDA SaMDHL7 FHIR21 CFR Part 11

Manufacturing

AI governance for quality control, predictive maintenance, and supply chain optimization. Understanding of ISO standards, safety-critical systems, and OT/IT convergence security.

ISO 27001IEC 62443NISTIndustry 4.0

Retail & CPG

Governance frameworks for personalization, demand forecasting, and customer analytics. Focus on consumer privacy regulations (CCPA, GDPR), ethical AI for pricing, and responsible personalization.

GDPRCCPAPCI DSSConsumer Privacy

Why Choose RPT.ai for AI Governance

Production Experience, Not Theory

Our governance frameworks are informed by building and operating production AI systems, not academic research. We know what actually works because we've lived through implementation and scaled AI in regulated industries.

LLM Platform Expertise

Deep technical knowledge of leading LLM platforms including OpenAI, Anthropic, and open-source models. We help you evaluate, deploy, and govern the right AI solutions for your compliance requirements and use cases.

End-to-End AI Lifecycle Support

Unlike pure governance consultancies, we operate across all three layers (Advisory, Build, Operate). This means our governance frameworks are designed to support the full AI lifecycle, not just policy compliance.

Industry-Specific Templates

We maintain pre-built governance frameworks for financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and retail. This accelerates delivery and ensures we don't miss industry-specific requirements that generalist consultants often overlook.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different from hiring a Big 4 consulting firm?

Big 4 firms deliver comprehensive governance but often lack deep technical AI expertise and production system experience. We combine governance knowledge with hands-on AI implementation expertise. Our frameworks are designed by people who build and operate AI systems, ensuring they're practical and technically sound.

Do we need this if we're just experimenting with AI?

It depends. If you're running isolated pilots with non-sensitive data, you can likely start without formal governance. However, if you're in a regulated industry, handling customer data, or plan to move to production, establishing governance early prevents costly rework. We offer a lighter "AI Readiness Sprint" (2 weeks) for organizations in early exploration.

Will this slow down our AI initiatives?

The opposite. Organizations without governance face long approval cycles, legal bottlenecks, and project restarts due to compliance issues discovered late. Clear frameworks accelerate approvals by giving stakeholders confidence that risks are managed.

What if regulations change after you deliver the framework?

We design frameworks to be adaptable to regulatory evolution. Quarterly advisory retainers (optional) include monitoring regulatory changes and updating frameworks accordingly. For significant regulatory shifts (like new EU AI Act requirements), we offer framework update engagements at reduced rates for existing clients.

Can you help us pass a specific compliance audit?

Yes. If you have an upcoming SOC 2, ISO 27001, or industry-specific audit, we can provide targeted audit preparation services. This includes gap analysis, documentation preparation, and audit readiness workshops. We've supported clients through successful first-time AI compliance audits across multiple frameworks.

Do we need dedicated internal resources, or can you run this independently?

You need engaged stakeholders from IT, Legal, Compliance, and business leadership. Typical commitment is 10-15 hours/week for workshops, document review, and decision-making. We can't build effective governance in isolation—it must reflect your organization's culture, risk appetite, and strategic priorities.

Ready to build your AI governance foundation?

Schedule a 30-minute consultation to discuss your AI maturity, compliance requirements, and governance needs. We'll provide an honest assessment of whether now is the right time for a formal engagement.

No obligation. No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about your AI governance needs.