The Engagement Process

Our engagements are deliberate.

We work with a small number of clients at a time, and each engagement follows a defined path from first conversation to delivered finding. The timelines below assume a client who can make stakeholders and documentation available without prolonged delay. Mature participation is what keeps an engagement on schedule.

01

Private Briefing

A confidential, no-obligation conversation to understand the mandate, the constraints, and the people involved. We use it to determine whether the engagement is one we are suited to, and whether we are the right firm for it.

Deliverables

A shared written summary of the mandate as we understand it, and an honest view of fit.

Timeline

A single session, typically within one business day of your request.

Required inputs

A general description of the problem and the regulatory environment. No protected material is exchanged at this stage.

02

Scoping and Proposal

We translate the briefing into a written engagement scope. This document sets out objectives, deliverables, timeline, fee basis, and the boundaries of the work, so that nothing is ambiguous once we begin.

Deliverables

A written scope and proposal, and a draft engagement letter.

Timeline

3 to 5 business days after the briefing.

Required inputs

Confirmation of objectives, the stakeholders who will participate, and any fixed deadlines the engagement must respect.

03

Onboarding and Access

Before substantive work begins, we put the formal and practical arrangements in place. This covers execution of the engagement letter and any non-disclosure agreement, and the setup of a secure environment for the exchange of documents.

Deliverables

An executed engagement letter and NDA, a secure data room, and a confirmed schedule of stakeholder sessions.

Timeline

1 to 2 weeks.

Required inputs

Signature authority on both documents, and a named internal point of contact who can coordinate access and scheduling.

04

Assessment and Analysis

The core of the engagement. We conduct stakeholder interviews, review documentation, and map your controls against the relevant obligations, building a clear picture of where risk sits and where gaps exist. For organizations operating across the Canadian and United States line, jurisdictional exposure is examined as part of this work rather than as an afterthought.

Deliverables

An internal working analysis and a preliminary register of findings.

Timeline

2 to 6 weeks, depending on scope and the number of systems in review.

Required inputs

Access to relevant documentation, availability of named stakeholders for interview, and timely answers to written follow-up questions.

05

Findings and Recommendations

We deliver our conclusions in a form a board can act on. The findings memorandum is written for accountable readers, general counsel, risk committees, and senior management, and is paired with a remediation roadmap that ranks what matters by consequence and sequence.

Deliverables

A board-ready findings memorandum, and a prioritized remediation roadmap with indicative timelines.

Timeline

1 to 2 weeks after the close of assessment.

Required inputs

Availability for a findings presentation, and confirmation of who should receive the final materials.

06
Optional

Remediation Support

For clients who want it, we remain engaged through execution, advising on control design and reviewing progress against the roadmap. This phase is scoped separately, and only when there is a clear reason for our continued involvement.

Deliverables

Ongoing advisory, control design review, and periodic progress checkpoints.

Timeline

Defined by the remediation plan, typically on a monthly retainer.

Required inputs

An internal owner for the remediation program, and access to the teams responsible for execution.

Ready to begin?

Every engagement begins with a private briefing.

If the problem above resembles yours, we would welcome a confidential conversation about it.

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