A sample Opportunity Map

Observed. The operations lead exports positions each morning, compares them to model targets in a spreadsheet, and emails advisors a list of accounts outside tolerance. About 90 minutes on a normal day, longer after market moves.

Why. The custodian file, the models, and the tolerances already exist. What is missing is the glue: reconcile the file, flag drift and cash needs, draft the trade list. Nothing on the market does it against this firm's sleeve structure without replacing the accounting system.

Human gate. The draft list stops. An advisor or the operations lead releases it, and the record shows who and when.

Observed. Client service tracks open items in the CRM by hand. Items returned not-in-good-order are noticed when the custodian emails, often days later, and chased twice because two people own the same task.

Why. The custodian already publishes status. Pulling it into the CRM and assigning one owner per item removes the double chase. No new vendor needed.

Human gate. Outbound client messages about missing items are drafted, not sent. Client service approves each one.

Observed. Fees are calculated in the accounting system, then checked against household agreements in a spreadsheet. Exceptions (new accounts mid-quarter, fee breaks, terminated households) take two people most of a week.

Why. The exceptions follow rules the firm can write down. A reconciliation that applies those rules and lists only the accounts that break them turns a week into an afternoon of review.

Human gate. Nothing is invoiced from the output. The CCO signs the exception list before billing runs.

Observed. Advisors assemble a prep packet before each review: holdings, performance, open tasks, last meeting notes. About 45 minutes per meeting.

Why. Several planning and CRM vendors already generate prep packets from the systems this firm uses. Configuring one is cheaper than building, and the output is read by an advisor before anything reaches a client.

Human gate. Advisor reviews the packet. No client-facing output.

Observed. Advisors use a public chatbot to draft routine client emails. No policy on what may be pasted in, and no record of what was.

Why. Drafting help is useful and cheap. The gap is not tooling, it is a written rule on which data may leave the firm and a record that the rule is followed. That belongs in the governance work, not a build.

Human gate. Already human: the advisor edits and sends every message.

Observed. The CCO cannot list every AI tool in use at the firm or say which client data each one can see.

Why. An inventory, an approval matrix, and the logs from the systems above give the CCO a file to hand an examiner. Light to build, and it makes every other item on this page defensible.

Human gate. The CCO owns the inventory and approves each new tool.