A map of the real process.
How the work moves, which rules apply, where judgment enters, and who owns the decisions — with the state of each piece: available, scattered, outdated, or in someone's head.
An optional starting point
Start with one process you want AI to help run.
The Context Debt Audit examines how one real process works today — what people know, which rules apply, where the trusted information lives, and who makes the calls. Then it shows what AI would need to understand to help, which gaps matter most, and where to start.
An audit is one way to work together, not a requirement. You can also start with a focused project or ongoing technology leadership.
What you get
Not another maturity score. A practical view of the work.
The gaps that matter.
Which missing context stops AI from helping at all, and which just slows it down — tied to its effect on the work, in operating terms.
A practical starting sequence.
What to make clear first, who should own it, and what that prepares the business to do next.
When to use it
You'll recognize the moment.
- People use AI every day, but the process still runs the way it did.
- Important work depends on one or two people who know the exceptions.
- Your teams can't agree which policy, rule, or source is current.
- You're considering agents or automation and can't yet write down what they'd need to know.
- A process is slow or expensive mostly because people spend their time searching, checking, and coordinating.
One process. One sponsor. A defined boundary. We begin with a process that matters and a sponsor who can say what decision the business needs to make. Together we draw the boundary so the work stays an audit, not a documentation program — scope, schedule, and terms agreed before anything begins.
The method
Five steps. One honest picture.
PickTraceCompareConfirmSequence
- 1
Pick the process and the decision.
Something real — moving a quote to a paid invoice, onboarding a customer, handling a renewal. The sponsor defines what AI should help with and what the audit needs to settle.
- 2
Learn how the work really happens.
We talk to the people who run it and trace the flow, the handoffs, the rules, the exceptions — including the parts that only exist because someone remembers them.
including what only Dana knows - 3
Compare that with what AI can actually use.
What the process requires versus what's reachable, current, and trustworthy. This is where the gaps surface: missing, scattered, outdated, conflicting, locked behind access — or known only to Dana.
- 4
Confirm the findings with the people who own them.
Process, policy, and system owners review what matters. Evidence stays separate from interpretation; disagreements stay visible. AI helps with the analysis — it doesn't decide what's true for your company.
owners decide what's true — not the AI - 5
Decide where to start.
The readout connects detail to action: the process view, the gaps, the evidence behind them, and a sequence of first moves. What happens next is your call.
Your people provide the truth. We make it examinable. The sponsor keeps the work tied to a real decision. The people who know the process explain how it operates. Owners confirm what's authoritative. Artisanaltek brings the method — challenging assumptions, tracing evidence, and turning what your company already knows into something it can act on.
The boundary
What the audit is — and isn't.
It is
- A bounded assessment of one real process
- Evidence your owners have confirmed
- Complete when it supports the decision you scoped
- Yours to act on — with us or without us
It isn't
- A
certificationof the company - A substitute for security, privacy, or legal review
- A guarantee that every issue gets found
- An obligation to buy anything after it — if the right next step is nothing, the readout will say so
Working paper — self-assessment sketch
UnofficialSketch your own process.
Answer three questions about each of five steps. The sketch highlights where your answers suggest missing information, unclear ownership, or access problems.
Your answers stay in this tab unless you download a copy. The worksheet does not send them to a server or save them between visits. Use generic step names, not confidential or personal details.
One process. A clear question. Scope and timing agreed before work begins.
Discuss an audit