Practice 09 of 11
Data, analytics & automation reliable data, repeatable operations
Dashboards, analysis, financial models, document analysis, automation and data pipelines that connect reliable information to decisions, with validation first and a handover your team can run.
Discuss a projectLed byMichael Gagakuma 11 services 4 free tools
The practice
Dashboards, analysis, financial models, document analysis, automation and data pipelines that connect reliable information to decisions, with validation first and a handover your team can run.
Practice 09 of 11
When organisations call us, and where we stop.
The situations this practice exists for, and the lines we do not cross.
When to call
- Meetings start with arguments about the numbers
- Reporting is rebuilt by hand every month
- A decision needs analysis nobody has time to do
- Staff copy data between systems all day
Our boundaries
- Validation comes before visualisation; exceptions are shown, not hidden.
- We do not audit accounts or give investment advice.
- Some tasks should stay manual; we say which.
Services in this practice.
Each one starts with a defined first scope and a fixed fee agreed in writing.
- 09.01 Market, competitor and brand radarWe produce one sector radar issue that answers your live commercial questions from public and permitted sources, then agree recurring coverage only if it earns its place.
- 09.02 AI agents and workflow automationWe automate one recurring task end to end, with error recovery, run logs and a tested handover, before touching the next one.
- 09.03 Marketing, GA4 and brand-sentiment analyticsWe diagnose one tracking or campaign-measurement problem using your actual account data and a clear test plan, then fix it or tell you exactly who should.
- 09.04 KPI dashboards and Power BIWe reconcile one dataset into a useful KPI view with agreed definitions and refresh logic, and teach your team to maintain it.
- 09.05 Fractional data analystWe answer one management decision with the data you already hold, then offer recurring, bounded analysis cycles once the first sprint has proved useful.
- 09.06 Donor results dataWe reconcile your programme results data and deliver one usable analysis, dashboard or reporting cycle, with every figure traceable to its source.
- 09.07 Management, board and investor reportingWe produce one board reporting cycle from approved figures, with a clear narrative, exceptions highlighted and a finance review step before anything is circulated.
- 09.08 Document analysis at scaleWe compare a defined set of documents and return cited findings, a list of extraction exceptions and a hand-checked validation sample, so you can trust what AI-assisted review found.
- 09.09 Financial models and cash-flow scenariosWe build and test a bounded cash-flow or scenario model with explicit assumptions and an independent formula review, so the numbers can be challenged and still stand.
Also within this practice
Mapping & Location Intelligence (site selection, coverage, asset and farm mapping)
Location analysis from open data for site selection, coverage and asset or farm mapping, with coordinate checks and uncertainty stated. It is not a land survey.
- Mapped layers with sources and dates
- Coordinate and coverage checks
- A note on uncertainty and limits
Data Plumbing: Databases, Pipelines & API Integrations
We connect one source to one destination, such as a form to a database or a system to a dashboard, with validation, retries and sanitised logs.
- A working, monitored connection
- Validation rules and error handling
- Operating log and runbook
How the work runs.
Inputs, then validation, then analysis/build, then acceptance, then operation. Each stage ends in something you review.
Stage 1 of 5
Inputs
List the inputs, owners and access.
Review pointInputs confirmed.
Stage 2 of 5
Validation
Validate the data and log exceptions.
Review pointValidation record shared.
Stage 3 of 5
Analysis/build
Analyse or build.
Review pointBuild or analysis reviewed.
Stage 4 of 5
Acceptance
Accept with the people who will use it.
Review pointAcceptance tests passed.
Stage 5 of 5
Operation
Hand over for operation, with a runbook.
Review pointRunbook handed over.
Try the method before you buy.
Free working tools from this practice. Results on screen straight away; the full report by email if you want it.
Free tool Automation ROI calculator
Work out what automating a recurring task is really worth once review time, exceptions that still need a person, maintenance and running costs are subtracted. The calculator shows monthly savings, the break-even point and the input that matters most.
Open the tool
Free tool Cash flow forecast template
Start from your cash today, add monthly receipts and payments with growth rates and any one-off items, and see the balance month by month in three scenarios. The planner shows your runway and reconciles every month so the numbers always add up.
Open the tool
Free tool KPI dictionary template
Define each indicator once: the decision it informs, the formula, unit, numerator and denominator, source, owner and how often it updates. The planner flags incomplete definitions and lays out the dashboard those indicators need.
Open the tool
Free tool Donor report reconciliation tool
Paste your results records and the totals you plan to report. The workbench sums each indicator from the records, compares it with the reported total, and logs every missing, duplicate or impossible value instead of quietly fixing it. Try it with synthetic data first.
Open the toolDocumented experience.
Roles held by our principals, each with its source. Demonstrations are labelled as demonstrations.
Individual experience of our principals, before or outside GKM Strategic Advisory & AI. Not GKM contracts.
Who answers for the work
Who commissions this work
- Corporates & large employersBusinesses↗
- Retail, e-commerce & multi-location businessesBusinesses↗
- Technology, SaaS, telecoms & fintech companiesBusinesses↗
- Agencies & consulting primesBusinesses↗
- Governments & public institutionsInstitutions↗
- Founders, owner-managers & family-business successorsIndividuals↗
- Foundations, philanthropies & impact fundsInstitutions↗
- Health organisations & care providersInstitutions↗
- Investors, development financiers & portfolio teamsBusinesses↗
- Exporters, importers & supply-chain businessesBusinesses↗
- Agribusinesses, cooperatives & producer networksBusinesses↗
- SMEs & mid-market firmsBusinesses↗
What needs to move forward?
Tell us the decision, the challenge or the opportunity. We reply with a scoped approach, a named principal and a fee before any work begins.
No charge to submit an enquiry.