DA Method: the order in which an operation is transformed
The DA Method is the three-phase route Daniel Aguilar uses to identify capital leaks, redesign the operating model and take the improvement to the P&L.
Three phases, each with its deliverable
- Phase 01
Discovery
60 minutes, free- Management vision and key operational flows.
- Technology map and current AI use.
Deliverable: Prospect viability and business pain points against management vision.
- Phase 02
Diagnosis
4 weeks (3 + 1 for the deliverable)- Strategic-financial and operational.
- Organizational structure, technology and security.
- Brand and digital presence.
- Processes suited to AI.
Deliverable: Root cause of losses and inefficiencies, maturity level and roadmap.
- Phase 03
Implementation
In phases- Strategy, infrastructure, automation and AI solutions with clear ROI.
- Process and resource optimization.
- Intellectual property and protected information.
Deliverable: Technology and AI architecture that maximizes net profit.
Typical roadmap
- 1 Weeks 1 to 3
Fieldwork and analysis
Management vision, key flows, technology map and current AI use.
- 2 Week 4
Deliverable
Root cause, maturity level and a roadmap prioritized by ROI and effort, with a benefit versus effort matrix.
- 3 Afterward
Implementation in phases
Owners, targets and tracking of captured value. Adoption by profile with usage measurement.
Three axes that accompany the phases
Clarity
Avoids technology investments disconnected from the board’s financial goals.
- OKRs and business goals
- Strategic roadmap for AI
- Initiative modeling and viability
Adoption
Removes organizational resistance and ensures people use the technology.
- Structured change management
- Workflow redesign
- Team agility and enablement
Profitability
Cleans up operating processes before automating them.
- Waste mapping and identification
- Analytical rigor in key processes
- Operating margin maximization
Every peso invested in technology must impact the profitability of the business.
Diagnostic partner, not a software vendor
Phase 01 objectively assesses operational viability before committing capital to technology. If the process is broken, fix it first. Automation and AI come in where rules, an owner and a metric already exist, as enablers of speed and margin.
- I do not sell licenses or implement AI on immature operations.
- I do not automate a broken process.
- I identify capital leaks.
- I redesign the Target Operating Model (TOM).
- I take the improvement to the P&L, with data governance and Shadow AI control.
Two starting points
We only move forward with executive sponsorship, a designated internal owner, and authority and budget assigned to decide.
Methodological framework
Strategy management
- BMC
- BSC
- OKR / ORC
- AI strategy
To take the board’s goal down to an owner.
Transformation and change
- McKinsey 7S
- Design Thinking
- Lean Change
So people use what gets built.
Portfolios and governance
- VMO
- Portfolio management (PMI methodology)
- Project management (PMI methodology)
- Agile / Scrum
To prioritize by value and track progress.
Operational excellence
- Lean Six Sigma (certified Black Belt)
- Kaizen and VSM
- Poka-Yoke and 5S
To eliminate waste before automating.
Let's start with a viability assessment
Free 60-minute Discovery. We move forward if there is an executive with authority and budget to decide, and a designated internal owner.