AI WAYFINDER

The practical pathway to AI readiness

From Brink & North - specialists in government change management

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AI is already here.
Most organisations aren't ready.

Staff are using AI without guidance, creating shadow AI risk. Specialists are working in silos. Executives don't know what decisions to make.

Traditional consultancies write frameworks that sit on shelves. We take a different approach.

We ask everyone - from frontline staff to executives - what they think, what they need, what concerns them.

Then we turn those insights into clear decisions and immediately usable systems.

For Australian Government agencies:
You also have the APS AI Plan mandate with tight deadlines.

See how we can help

HOW AI WAYFINDER WORKS

  • CONSULT

    Staff complete a short anonymous survey about their AI use, concerns, and risks.

    Specialists (Legal, Privacy, Cyber, ICT, HR, Risk, Policy) complete domain assessments to surface safeguards, risks, and coordination needs.

  • ALIGN

    Specialists come together in an alignment workshop to coordinate on risk and incident protocols. We synthesise and analyse all data (AI assisted) to identify patterns and decision-ready insights.

  • DECIDE

    Executives complete two decision workshops that translate staff and specialist insights into firm AI principles, safe use practices, investment and support priorities, and governance structure.

  • ACT

    You receive ready-to-use systems and tools based on your decisions:

    • AI Action Plan
    • Use Case Management System
    • Governance Pack
    • Coordinated Protocols
    • AI Impact Assessment Canvas

 Whether you're a small team or a whole organisation, we have a service designed for where you are.

THREE WAYS TO BUILD YOUR AI PATHWAY

  • AI READINESS SPRINT

    Fast clarity for teams

    Who is it for?

    - Small organisations (<100 staff)
    - Individual teams or branches
    - Groups that want to move quickly

    What you get

    - Staff Insights Report
    - Team AI Action Plan
    - Template Toolkit

    Timeline - 2 weeks

  • GOVERNANCE FOUNDATIONS

    Complete governance framework

    Who is it for?

    - Medium to large organisations
    - Australian Government agencies implementing the APS AI Plan
    - Leaders ready for enterprise-wide decisions

    What you get

    - Staff Insights Report
    - AI Action Plan
    - Use Case Management System
    - Coordination Protocols
    - AI Governance Pack
    - AI Impact Assessment Canvas

    Timeline - 6 weeks

  • WAYFINDER + LAUNCH

    Governance Foundations & implementation support

    Who is it for?

    - Medium to large organisations
    - Australian Government agencies implementing the APS AI Plan
    - Organisations ready for enterprise-wide decisions

    What you get

    - Everything in Governance Foundations
    - 3 checkpoint sessions over 90 days
    -Post-implementation support

    Timeline - 4 months

 Implementing the APS AI Plan?

The APS AI Plan sets clear mandates with tight deadlines:

  • Chief AI Officers appointed by 2026

  • Mandatory AI training for all staff by December 2026

  • AI Impact Assessments for all in-scope use cases

  • Clear accountability structures

  • Strategic positions on AI communicated to staff

The danger is spending six months interpreting requirements and writing frameworks in policy teams, isolated from the specialists who'll need to operate them.

By the time Legal, Policy, Cyber, Privacy, ICT, HR, and Risk see the framework, it doesn't fit their reality.

The frameworks look good on paper, yet don’t create alignment between the key governance players.

AI Wayfinder – Governance Foundations delivers APS AI Plan compliance in six weeks.

We turn mandates into operations:

  • Structured consultation aligned with policy requirements

  • Decision frameworks that turn staff input into executive clarity

  • Systems ready to use on day one, not recommendations to explore

You’ll be operational while other agencies are still writing tender documents.

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 Built by people who understand Government

Lou Maconachie and Robin Hilder spent the last decade working in the Australian Government before co-founding Brink & North.

Together they established the APS Change Management Centre of Excellence and co-developed the Change Canvas - a practical tool now used by 40+ government agencies across Australia.

What makes us different:

  • We've lived the government constraints: security classifications, procurement processes, risk-averse culture

  • We hold NV1 security clearance and understand PROTECTED environments

  • We're specialists in cutting through bureaucracy to deliver clear, simple actions

  • We build operational systems, not academic frameworks

Our philosophy: If it’s not simple and easy to use, we haven’t finished designing.

 Let’s talk about your AI pathway

Book a 30-minute briefing. We’ll walk you through the methodology and answer your questions.

No sales pitch. Just an honest conversation about whether AI Wayfinder is right for you.

book a briefing