# SME Lite Path — Compressed Consulting Route for Small & Medium Enterprises

> 🌐 Languages: [繁體中文](SME_LITE_PATH.md) ｜ English (this file)

## 1. Purpose

The Tiger AI 8-stage consulting flow was originally designed for **enterprise scale** (500+ headcount / cross-departmental / 8-figure budget / 24-month rollout). For SMEs (50-300 headcount) and micro-organizations (SOHO, < 20 headcount), applying it directly crushes them on three fronts:

1. **Too many stages** — 8 stages each requiring deliverables; SME CEOs don't have that time
2. **Deliverables too heavy** — a 14-chapter consulting report overloads SMEs; nobody reads it
3. **Gates too formal** — SMEs have no cross-departmental committees; 3 gates become 3 dead-ends

This document provides **two officially sanctioned compressed routes**:

- **SME Lite Path (4-stage compressed)** — for 50-300 headcount
- **SOHO Path (2-stage minimal)** — for < 20 headcount or solo practitioners

These are **not** "watered-down" or "discount" versions. They preserve the **core logical loop** of the 8-stage flow (benchmark → gap → goal → transform & change), but reduce the workload of each cell by an order of magnitude.

## 2. Position in the Methodology

| Axis | Mapping |
|---|---|
| Three-phase service flow | Spans **Diagnostic + Strategy + Build** (compressed into one engagement) |
| Eight-stage consulting structure | **All Stages 1-8 covered**, but each stage is 5-10× less effort |
| L1-L5 maturity | SME primarily **L1→L3** (no L4-L5 push); SOHO primarily **L1→L2** |
| Engagement lifecycle | Pricing corresponds to USD 10K-50K (SME) / USD 1.5K-7K (SOHO) |

> **Core principle: compress but don't omit.** Each cell's effort drops, but **every cell still gets done**. Completely skipping any cell = AI slop (built but not validated).

## 3. Three Routes at a Glance

| Dimension | Enterprise (original) | **SME Lite Path** | **SOHO Path** |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Applicable size** | 500+ headcount | 50-300 headcount | < 20 / solo |
| **Stage count** | 8 stages | **4 stages (merged)** | **2 stages** |
| **Phase hours** | A 2wk + B 4wk + C 24mo | A 3d + B 2wk + C 3-6mo | A 1d + C 1mo |
| **Deliverables** | 14-ch report + sign-offs + Roadmap | 1-pg diagnostic + 1-pg roadmap + weekly | 1-pg memo + 1 demo |
| **Gates** | 3 formal (A/B/C) | 1 CEO conversation | None, ship-and-iterate |
| **Target L span** | L1 → L4 | **L1 → L3** | **L1 → L2** |
| **Consulting fee range** | USD 200K – 1M | **USD 10K – 50K** | **USD 1.5K – 7K** |
| **Typical clients** | Mfg / finance / government | Mfg SME / marketing agency / clinics / regional retail | Solo studios / 1-2 person teams / creators |

---

## 4. SME Lite Path (4-Stage Compressed)

### 4.1 4 stages mapped to original 8

| SME Stage | Covers original | Effort | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| **S1. Baseline + Benchmark** | Stage 1 As-Is + Stage 2 Reference Model | Half-day | 25-question self-assessment + 3 peer-case cards |
| **S2. Find the pain** | Stage 3 Best Practice + Stage 4 Gap + Stage 5 Problem | 1 day | Top 3 pain list + 1 primary pain selected |
| **S3. Set 90-day goal** | Stage 6 Phased Goals + Stage 7 To-Be | Half-day | 90-day roadmap + KPI + PoC spec |
| **S4. Build + Iterate** | Stage 8 Implementation | 3 months | Weekly demo + bi-weekly tuning + closing report |

### 4.2 S1: Baseline + Benchmark (half-day)

**Purpose:** know where the client is and what the industry looks like — **without** running a full EA 4-layer analysis.

**Do:**

1. **Client fills 25-question self-assessment** (compact version of `01_Assessment/AI_MATURITY_QUESTIONNAIRE.md` — pull 25 core items)
2. **Consultant on-site walkthrough, 2 hours** — observe actual workflow, interview 1 CEO + 1 IT lead + 1 frontline user
3. **3 peer-case benchmarks** — pull 3 same-industry cases from `04_Scenarios/SAMPLE_CLIENT_CASE_*.md` and show the client "here's what others do"

**Output: 1-page Diagnostic Card (template §10)**

Skip:
- ❌ No full Enterprise AI Reference Model 4-layer analysis (1-page diagram is enough)
- ❌ No detailed As-Is report (bullet list is enough)

### 4.3 S2: Find the pain (1 day)

**Purpose:** from current state + peer benchmarks, **select 1 primary pain point** (not 3, just 1) so all resources concentrate.

**Do:**

1. **Pain workshop (half-day)** — CEO + 2-3 key managers, list "5 most painful work items"
2. **Pain ROI evaluation (half-day)** — for each: frequency? time consumed? annual savings if solved? AI tractability?
3. **CEO picks 1** — not 3, just 1. Others become backup queue.

**Output: Top 3 pain list + Primary pain selection document (template §10)**

Skip:
- ❌ No full Gap matrix (10 dimensions × 5 levels)
- ❌ No Problem Definition report
- ❌ No formal Gate B committee — CEO sign-off IS the gate

### 4.4 S3: Set 90-day goal (half-day)

**Purpose:** convert the primary pain into **1 PoC measurable in 90 days** — not a 24-month roadmap.

**Do:**

1. **PoC spec (2 hours)** — use the template from `02_Course_Design/POC_SCENARIO_SPECS.md`: trigger / input / AI step / systems / output / acceptance / KPI / person-days / deployment mode
2. **90-day roadmap (2 hours)** — split into 3 × 30-day sprints, each with explicit output
3. **KPI setting (30 min)** — 1-2 quantifiable metrics (time / cost / satisfaction)

**Output: 90-day Roadmap + KPI + PoC spec (template §10)**

Skip:
- ❌ No full To-Be EA design
- ❌ No 24-month planning
- ❌ No formal RFP / procurement process

### 4.5 S4: Build + Iterate (3 months)

**Purpose:** no big-bang launch. **Weekly demo + bi-weekly tuning + monthly review** — let the client watch AI grow.

**Do:**

| Week | Action | Output |
|---|---|---|
| W1 | PoC v0.1 start | Hello World demo |
| W2 | PoC v0.2 system integration | One system integration |
| W3 | PoC v0.3 + bi-weekly review | Bi-weekly review note |
| W4 | M1 monthly review | Monthly review meeting + course correction |
| W5-W8 | Repeat, PoC v0.4-v0.7 | Same |
| W9-W12 | PoC v1.0 launch + KPI measurement | Launch + closing report |

**Gate (compressed):** monthly 1-on-1 with CEO = monthly review gate. CEO Go = Go; not Go = Pivot / Stop.

**Output:**
- Launched PoC (single pain point solved)
- KPI data (before/after)
- 1-page closing report (template §10)

---

## 5. SOHO Path (2-Stage Minimal)

### 5.1 Applicable

- Solo practitioners / 1-2 person studios
- Micro-teams < 20
- Budget USD 1.5K-7K
- Goal: use AI to replace one high-frequency / repetitive work item

### 5.2 2 stages

| Stage | Contents | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| **Pain conversation** | "What's the work you most don't want to do" → lock 1 | 1 hour |
| **Build and show** | Hand over tool / Skill / simple workflow; no report | 1 week |

### 5.3 SOHO SOP

```text
1. 30-min interview: "What's the 1 task in your day/week you most dread"
2. Consultant judges on the spot: solvable with L1 tools (OpenWebUI Prompt) + L2 Skill?
   ├─ Yes → Step 3
   └─ No → refer to bigger consulting firm or self-study resources; don't take the case
3. Consultant builds v0.1 demo in 1 week
4. Client tries for 1 week
5. Consultant fine-tunes 2-3 days
6. Delivery + 1-page operation manual
```

Skip:
- ❌ No formal report
- ❌ No maturity assessment
- ❌ No EA / Architecture diagram

**SOHO value comes from speed, not completeness.**

---

## 6. Gate Compression Rules

| Original Gate | Enterprise | SME Lite | SOHO |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Gate A** (diagnostic exit) | Formal Steering Committee + sign-off | CEO 1-on-1 + email confirmation | Not needed |
| **Gate B** (strategy exit) | Cross-dept committee + Ideal Practice sign-off | CEO picks 1 primary pain + verbal confirmation | Not needed |
| **Gate C** (quarterly review) | Quarterly Steering Committee + KPI report | Monthly CEO 1-on-1 + bi-weekly demo | Client trial + satisfaction reply |

**Core principle:**

- **Gates cannot be omitted** — else AI slop
- But **gate form** can compress with org size
- Minimum viable gate = **single decision-maker (CEO / owner) explicit Go/No-Go**

## 7. When to Upgrade to Full 8-Stage (Triggers)

If an SME client triggers any of the following, **upgrade to the full 8-stage flow** — don't force the Lite Path:

| Trigger | Why upgrade |
|---|---|
| Headcount crosses 500 | Cross-dept coordination exceeds single-CEO sign-off capacity |
| AI investment crosses L3 → L4 | L4-L5 need formal governance, not just CEO |
| ≥ 3 PoCs running simultaneously | Resource allocation needs formal Phase B strategy |
| External stakeholders (investors / legal / regulators) | Need full deliverables for external audience |
| Annual AI budget > USD 150K | Budget scale needs formal RFP and procurement |
| Entering regulated industry (finance / medical / government) | Need full audit trail |

> Upgrading is not failure — it's **growth**. SME Lite Path is the "get running" entry; when the company grows to a certain size, upgrade to the full version to maintain quality.

## 8. Pricing Correspondence

| Route | Consulting fee range | Value delivered |
|---|---|---|
| SOHO Path | USD 1.5K – 7K | 1 PoC solving 1 pain |
| SME Lite Path | USD 10K – 50K | Full 4 stages + 3-month PoC |
| Enterprise (full 8-stage) | USD 200K – 1M | Full 24-month rollout + cross-dept L1-L4 |

**Pricing rule:**

- SME Lite Path base: USD 10K (4-stage diagnostic + strategy)
- Each additional PoC + 1 month implementation = +USD 10K
- Cap: USD 50K (5 PoCs) — beyond which upgrade to Enterprise

---

## 9. Sales Scenarios: Client Says "Your Method Is Too Heavy"

### 9.1 Real scenarios

| Client quote | Consultant response |
|---|---|
| "We can't digest 8 stages" | "Right — we have an SME Lite Path: 4 stages, 3 months, USD 10K-50K. For your size we'd go this route." |
| "We just want to try 1 AI PoC, not the full thing" | "Then go SOHO Path: 1 week demo, USD 1.5K-7K." |
| "Nobody reads 14-chapter consulting reports" | "SME Lite is just 1 diagnostic page + 1 roadmap page + monthly weekly notes; 5 minutes to read." |
| "We don't have an IT department" | "Lite Path is designed to run with just CEO + 1 key manager; no IT department needed." |
| "24 months is too long" | "Let's prove ROI with a 3-month PoC first; then decide whether to do more." |

### 9.2 Do not

- ❌ Don't force the full 8-stage on an SME (the client will run away or do a half-baked failure)
- ❌ Don't upsell for fee size (don't push a 600-person company to USD 200K when USD 50K fits)
- ❌ Don't treat SOHO clients as cheap leads (deliver well at USD 1.5K-7K; they grow back as bigger clients)
- ❌ Don't fail to tell an SME client "you should upgrade later" (honest long-term relationship > one-time fee)

---

## 10. 4 Built-in Templates (S1-S4 Worksheets)

### 10.1 S1 Template: 1-page Diagnostic Card

```markdown
# [Client] AI Maturity Diagnostic Card / [Date]

## 1. Company basics
- Headcount: ______
- Primary business: ______
- Existing AI tools: ______ (none / personal ChatGPT / department-shared / org-wide)

## 2. Self-assessment result (25-q compact)
- Total score: ___ / 100
- Estimated maturity: L___ (L1 Personal Chat / L2 Skill / L3 Workflow)
- Top 3 strengths: ______
- Top 3 gaps: ______

## 3. Peer benchmarks (3 cases)
| Peer case | Their maturity | Their tools | Implication for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | L3 | n8n + GPT-4 | ______ |
| B | L2 | Claude Skill | ______ |
| C | L1 | OpenWebUI | ______ |

## 4. Consultant initial recommendation
- Short-term (90 days): ______
- Mid-term (6 months): ______
- Long-term (12 months): ______
```

### 10.2 S2 Template: Primary Pain Selection Document

```markdown
# [Client] AI Primary Pain Selection / [Date]

## 1. Pain candidates (from workshop)
| # | Pain description | Frequency | Time consumed | Annual savings if solved | AI tractability | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ______ | daily/wkly/mo | ___ hr | $___ | high/med/low | __ |
| 2 | ______ | ... | ... | ... | ... | __ |
| 3 | ______ | ... | ... | ... | ... | __ |
| 4 | ______ | ... | ... | ... | ... | __ |
| 5 | ______ | ... | ... | ... | ... | __ |

## 2. CEO-selected primary pain
**Selected: [Pain #__]: ______**

Selection reasons:
- ROI: ______
- Feasibility: ______
- Business priority: ______

## 3. Backups (switch if primary PoC fails)
- Backup 1: [Pain #__]
- Backup 2: [Pain #__]

## 4. CEO signature
__________________ Date: ______
```

### 10.3 S3 Template: 90-day Roadmap + PoC Spec

```markdown
# [Client] 90-day AI Roadmap / [Date]

## 1. PoC spec
- Name: ______
- Trigger: ______ (what event starts it)
- Input: ______ (what data comes in)
- AI step: ______ (what the LLM does)
- Integrated systems: ______ (what tools)
- Output: ______ (to whom, what form)
- Acceptance: ______
- KPI: ______ (1-2 quantifiable metrics)
- Person-days estimate: ______
- Deployment mode: cloud / hybrid / on-prem

## 2. 90-day roadmap
### Sprint 1 (M1, Day 1-30)
- Goal: ______
- Output: ______
- KPI interim value: ______

### Sprint 2 (M2, Day 31-60)
- Goal: ______
- Output: ______
- KPI interim value: ______

### Sprint 3 (M3, Day 61-90)
- Goal: ______
- Output: ______
- KPI final value: ______

## 3. Risk register
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ______ | H/M/L | H/M/L | ______ |

## 4. Budget
- Consulting fee: ______
- Tool licensing: ______
- Internal effort: ______ person × ___ month = ___ person-months
```

### 10.4 S4 Template: 1-page Closing Report

```markdown
# [Client] AI PoC 90-day Closing Report / [Date]

## 1. What was built
- PoC name: ______
- Pain solved: ______

## 2. KPI result
| Metric | Baseline | Target | Actual | Achievement % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ______ | ___ | ___ | ___ | ___% |

## 3. Lessons
- Top 3 success factors: ______
- Top 3 failures / difficulties: ______

## 4. Next steps recommendation
- Scale this PoC? □
- New PoC? □ (backup primary: ______)
- Upgrade to full 8-stage? □ (trigger: ______)
- Pause AI? □ (reason: ______)

## 5. Consultant + CEO sign-off
Consultant: ______ Date: ___
CEO: ______ Date: ___
```

---

## 11. Worked Examples

### 11.1 Example A: 50-person manufacturing SME

**Client:** ABC Packaging, 50 people, traditional packaging manufacturer. CEO wants AI but "doesn't know where to start."

**SME Lite Path run:**

| Stage | Duration | What was done | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | Half-day | 25-q + interviewed CEO/plant lead/sales + 3 peer cases | 1-page diagnostic: L1.5, recommend starting with quote automation |
| S2 | 1 day | Workshop listed 5 pains + ROI eval | Selected "quote from RFQ to send: 4 hours → 30 min" |
| S3 | Half-day | PoC spec: customer email RFQ → AI extracts specs → looks up material price → drafts quote → sales fine-tunes & sends | 90-day roadmap, KPI: quote time 4h → 30min |
| S4 | 3 months | W1-W12 PoC run | Post-launch KPI 25-min average (target met); sales closed 3 extra cases per week |

**Consulting fee:** USD 15K (USD 10K base + USD 5K for 1 PoC).

**Client reaction:** "More substantive than any consultant we've hired. No fluff, no scaring."

### 11.2 Example B: 8-person marketing agency (SOHO Path)

**Client:** XYZ Creative Studio, 8 people, social media management. Founder spends "4 hours/week writing client monthly reports, wants to replace with AI."

**SOHO Path run:**

| Stage | Duration | What was done | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain conversation | 1 hour | Interviewed founder + read historical monthly report | Confirmed feasible: pull social data + template fill + AI writes commentary |
| Build and show | 1 week | Built n8n + Claude pipeline: Meta API + Google Analytics + monthly report template + AI writes insight | v0.1 demo running |

**Delivery:** n8n workflow + 1-page operation manual. Saves 16 hours/month forever.

**Consulting fee:** USD 4K.

**Client reaction:** "Will definitely come back for bigger needs."

---

## 12. FAQ

**Q1: SME Lite Path done, client wants more — what next?**
→ Check upgrade triggers (§7). If none triggered, run next PoC (+USD 10K each). If triggered, recommend upgrade to Enterprise (USD 200K+).

**Q2: SOHO client asks "can you also do SME Lite for me"?**
→ Check headcount. < 20 stays SOHO; 20-50 can do SOHO Path Plus (USD 3K-10K, 2 PoCs); 50+ goes SME Lite.

**Q3: SME Lite Path runs to S2 and reveals the client shouldn't do AI at all?**
→ Tell them honestly "not recommended at this stage," refund S3-S4, collect only S1+S2 (USD 1.5K-3K). **Long-term relationship > one-time fee.**

**Q4: SME client wants to run Lite Path themselves without a consultant?**
→ Welcome. This methodology is Apache 2.0; all templates are freely usable. Consultant value is expert judgment (S2 pain ROI eval / S3 PoC feasibility) — DIY can hit potholes but can still get it done.

**Q5: Can SME Lite "half-day" really be done in half a day?**
→ Assumes experienced consultant + prepared client (questionnaire filled in advance / interview targets pre-scheduled). If not prepared, extend to 1-2 days, but don't drag past 1 week — drags lose the Lite value.

---

## 13. Related Files

- `00_Overview/EIGHT_STAGE_FLOW_STORY.md` — full 8-stage (Enterprise)
- `00_Overview/AI_TRANSFORMATION_STORY_AND_STRUCTURE.md` — L1-L5 two-axis model
- `01_Assessment/AI_MATURITY_QUESTIONNAIRE.md` — source of 25-q compact
- `02_Course_Design/POC_SCENARIO_SPECS.md` — PoC spec template
- `04_Scenarios/SAMPLE_CLIENT_CASE_*.md` — peer case library
- `06_Delivery/ENGAGEMENT_LIFECYCLE.md` — engagement lifecycle

---

**Version:** v1.0
**Date:** 2026-05-18
**Author:** Tiger AI Morris Lu 盧業興
**License:** Apache License 2.0
