Expert-services micro-firm

Run the firm

40 primitives in this stage — 34 skills · 6 agents. Concept-stage catalogue, kept vendor-agnostic.

Agent

Roll the weekly load forecast automatically

I don't want to re-run the forecast manually every Monday — I just want to see what's changed since last week.

Agent

Monitor the rolling utilisation signal and raise early warnings

By the time I notice someone is overloaded it's already too late to do anything except apologise — I need the signal before it becomes a crisis.

Agent

Track certification progress across the cohort

I have three people at different stages of onboarding and I lose track of who needs what — I find out someone was stuck two weeks ago only when they mention it in passing.

Agent

Payment-chase (dunning) agent

Chasing overdue invoices is the most uncomfortable part of running the firm — I put it off and then the conversation gets harder the longer I wait.

Agent

Ongoing compliance-monitoring and triage agent

Individual deviation reports go into a log and then nothing happens — I need something that actually looks for the patterns accumulating across weeks and tells me what to do about them.

Agent

Assemble the annual strategy review prep pack

Every year I spend the first hour of the strategy session finding where I put last year's decisions — by the time I've assembled the context there's no time left to actually think.

Skill

Translate pipeline into a short-horizon capacity forecast

I can see four engagements on the horizon but I have no idea if my two analysts can actually absorb them — I need a real read before I say yes to anything.

Skill

Propose a staffing allocation across the engagement load

I know roughly who needs to go where but I always miss the collision that's hiding two weeks out — I need a reasoned draft I can actually pressure-test.

Skill

Draft the assignment and timeline communication to the team

Once I've decided who's on what I always dread writing it out — every person needs their own clear version and I either over-explain or leave people confused.

Skill

Diagnose whether an overload signal is transient or structural

The system flagged someone at 130% but I don't know if that resolves itself next week or if I have a real hiring problem.

Skill

Generate timeline-adjustment options under capacity strain

I know the timeline is going to slip but I can't see all the knock-ons clearly enough to propose anything concrete to the client or team.

Skill

Write the adjustment decision and rationale for principal and team

I've decided what to change but I always end up writing a muddled explanation — people need to understand the logic or they'll just push back anyway.

Skill

Reconcile ambiguous availability discrepancies

Every time I refresh the model I hit at least two entries that can't both be right — and I don't have time to chase everyone for clarification.

Skill

Draft the analyst role brief and job post

I always start a hiring round by staring at a blank doc because I can't remember what we actually need — and then the post ends up too generic to filter anyone.

Skill

Screen a CV against the role brief

I have forty applications and two hours — I need a fast, consistent read on each one that I can defend if challenged.

Skill

Generate a tailored phone-screen question guide

I keep running the same generic interview questions and then being surprised by who fails in practice — I need questions that probe what actually worried me about this person's CV.

Skill

Design a method work-sample task

Every trial task I've designed has either been too abstract to reveal real skill or too close to client work I shouldn't share — I need something that genuinely tests the method.

Skill

Evaluate a candidate's work-sample against the quality rubric

I know roughly whether the work is good but I can never articulate why clearly enough to defend the decision — especially when a candidate pushes back.

Skill

Draft the offer letter and contract terms

We've agreed the deal verbally but I always fumble the paperwork — I need a clean offer document in their inbox by end of day before they talk to anyone else.

Skill

Generate the day-one logistics checklist

Every new person's first day is slightly chaotic because I forget a different system access each time — I need the full list before they walk in the door.

Skill

Build a personalised onboarding training plan

My onboarding is ad hoc — I show people things as they come up and then hope it sticks, but I never know if they've actually covered the method systematically.

Skill

Give feedback on supervised practice output

I can see that the work isn't quite right but I can't always articulate what specifically is off — and vague feedback just frustrates people without actually improving their output.

Skill

Draft invoice from delivered milestone

I always delay invoicing because assembling the numbers from three places takes longer than I expect and I'm never confident the figures are right.

Skill

Categorise ambiguous transaction

I have a pile of transactions my accounting software flagged as unclear and I keep pushing the bookkeeping back because I don't trust my judgement on the edge cases.

Skill

Prepare tax filing pack

I always approach the tax lodgement deadline in a mild panic because I've never been sure I've included everything or treated the deductibles consistently.

Skill

Evaluate tool selection or switch

I know something in the stack isn't working but I always end up just tolerating it because the switching cost feels unknown and probably high.

Skill

Diagnose tool or integration failure

Something in the stack stopped working and I'm losing an hour just figuring out whether it's a permissions issue, an API change, or something I broke.

Skill

Review and redline client contract

A client just sent me their standard contract and I don't have time to read it properly but I also can't sign it without knowing what I'm agreeing to.

Skill

Track compliance and statutory obligations

I renew my professional indemnity insurance by accident every year — I only notice when I get the automated email and I'm never sure what else I might have missed.

Skill

Spot-check an in-flight output against the prescribed method

I worry that my analysts are doing it their own way rather than the firm's way — but I only find out when a client mentions something unexpected in the debrief.

Skill

Classify a deviation by cause and recurrence

I've noticed the same kind of mistake three times but I haven't written it down consistently enough to know whether it's one analyst or a method problem.

Skill

Draft the compliance status brief for the delivery team

I have the review findings but turning them into something useful for the team without it feeling like a telling-off is harder than the review itself.

Skill

Write the escalation brief for a method-level gap

I know there's a pattern but every time I try to write it up for someone else to act on I end up describing the symptoms without giving them enough to actually fix it.

Skill

Assess compliance trajectory and set monitoring frequency

The numbers have moved but I can't tell whether the trend is genuinely improving or just noise — and I don't know if I should be reviewing more or less frequently.

Skill

Make and document the keep/retire/add decision per line

The numbers tell me one thing about the underperforming line but I'm not sure the strategic logic supports retiring it — I need to make the call and write down why.

Skill

Surface candidate new service lines from demand signals

I keep hearing the same request from clients that we can't currently serve — I need to know if that's a real pattern or just recency bias before I commit to building a new line.

Skill

Choose pricing model and set headline rate schedule

I've been quoting from instinct for two years and every time I win a deal I wonder if I left money on the table — I need a policy I can apply consistently.

Skill

Decide growth direction and set the capacity ceiling

I've been saying I want to grow for three years but I've never actually written down what that means or committed to a specific ceiling — so nothing changes.

Skill

Define the in/out ICP and focus parameters

I say yes to every client who looks interesting and I'm spread across too many different types of work — I need to commit to an ICP and actually hold to it.

Skill

Write the one-page strategy note and decision log

I run the review, make a bunch of decisions, and then six months later I can't remember what I actually decided or why — I need a crisp record that I'll actually use.