Optimal Business Design
AI results you can prove

70% of executives expect AI to transform their operations. 6% have measurable results.

Optimal Business Design closes this gap for financial institutions, manufacturers, retailers, and PE portfolios. Twenty-five years of enterprise process architecture, applied to the two questions that determine whether AI pays off: whether your operations are built for it, and whether you can prove the gains are real.

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JZ
"If you want to make sure actual work gets done, put Sasha in charge."
John Zachman · Creator of the Zachman Framework
Network visualization of an AI-enhanced business architectureSasha Aganova, Founder and CEO of Optimal Business Design
Sasha Aganova
Founder & CEO · Her story

Experience includes

TD Bank Group logoBlue Shield of California logoCIBC logoServus Credit Union logoSGI logoPartnerRe logoCavendish Farms logoMars logoNovo Nordisk logoJ.D. Irving logoRoyal Canin logoLantic / Rogers Sugar logoAmeren logoSuncor Energy logoTennessee Valley Authority logoOntario Power Generation logoGovernment of British Columbia logoRPRA logoHudson's Bay logoLoblaws logoYellow Pages logoBrookfield logoBCIT logoTD Bank Group logoBlue Shield of California logoCIBC logoServus Credit Union logoSGI logoPartnerRe logoCavendish Farms logoMars logoNovo Nordisk logoJ.D. Irving logoRoyal Canin logoLantic / Rogers Sugar logoAmeren logoSuncor Energy logoTennessee Valley Authority logoOntario Power Generation logoGovernment of British Columbia logoRPRA logoHudson's Bay logoLoblaws logoYellow Pages logoBrookfield logoBCIT logo
Why AI initiatives fail

Most AI initiatives fail before the technology gets a chance.

MIT's 2025 enterprise study identified the cause as workflow integration and organizational readiness rather than the models themselves. Gartner reached the same conclusion from the other direction, recommending that workflows be redesigned from the ground up. The pattern is consistent: companies point AI at processes that were never engineered to receive it.

95%

of organizations show no P&L impact from AI spend

MIT · The GenAI Divide, 2025

>40%

of agentic AI projects forecast cancelled by 2027

Gartner, June 2025

6%

of GPs see the AI impact they expected today

McKinsey Global Private Markets, 2026

What you get

Your AI results depend on the operational foundations that are hardest to get right: operating model, data flows, workflows, decision logic, and accountabilities. We rebuild those foundations so your AI investments pay off, and we build everything to regulatory and audit requirements, so you stay compliant.

Key services

Three services.

Every engagement is principal-led and fixed-fee wherever we can scope it, and built to withstand operational, regulatory, and financial scrutiny.

For operations leaders

Workflow Redesign & AI Readiness

We deliver end-to-end workflow redesign and AI readiness. By defining handoffs, rules, and accountabilities across people, agents, and systems, we eliminate friction and lock in durable gains. In past redesigns, clients have cut cycle times by roughly 50 percent and reduced manual tasks by more than 60 percent.

Start with the Assessment
For regulated institutions

AI Regulatory Compliance & Governance

AI is now a governed capability, and the standard depends on who inspects you: ISO 42001 for certification, NIST's AI framework for enterprise customers, and sector regulators beyond both. For federally regulated financial institutions, that means OSFI's E-23 model-risk guideline, in force May 1, 2027 and covering every model AI included, E-21 operational resilience, and Europe's DORA where EU operations or clients are in scope.

AI governance and OSFI services
For PE firms

Private Equity Value Creation

We size the operations and AI opportunity in diligence and convert it into the value creation plan, so it shows up in EBITDA across the first hundred days, not just the deck. Then we stay to deliver: implementing the operational improvements and AI tools, installing the governance to run them, and holding the gains through the hold period. Every gain is documented and owner-assigned for LP reporting and exit diligence. Designed for sub-$1B funds and roll-up platforms.

PE services
Proof
"Whenever I need help with process, sociological and cultural change, or project management, I call on Sasha. She is not only a good friend, but also a real pro. If you want to make sure actual work gets done, put Sasha in charge."
John Zachman
Founder of the Zachman Framework™
John Zachman, founder of the Zachman Framework, with Sasha Aganova
"A rare blend of intellectual horsepower, strategic creativity, and pragmatism. She delivers clear, actionable solutions, always grounded in deep analysis."
Jaclyne Sutton
CEO, Compass Food Sales
"An incredible ability to work at all levels of the organization, with a roll-up-the-sleeves attitude. Her process expertise underpins her drive for results."
Agostino Nigro
President, Weston Wood Solutions
"Every deliverable was of solid, concrete value. As someone with high standards and expectations, I would highly recommend Sasha."
Sophie Wu Häberli
Head of Project Management & Solution Delivery
How an engagement works

Briefing, assessment, delivery.

Step 1 · No charge

Briefing (30 minutes)

A focused conversation about the deadline, the operation, or the deal on your desk. You leave with our read on where you stand and what we would examine first.

Step 2 · Fixed fee

Assessment (3 to 5 weeks)

A scored baseline, a ranked opportunity or gap list, and a roadmap with defined phases.

Step 3 · Principal-led

Delivery

Re-engineering sprints, compliance builds, or a retainer, principal-led throughout, with a named specialist bench for surge and specialist work.

Featured
In force May 1, 2027

What OSFI expects your model inventory to contain under E-23

The guideline covers every model at every federally regulated institution, AI and ML included. This guide walks through the inventory structure, risk-rating logic, and evidence OSFI's supervisory teams look for.

Read the guide
15 questions · Benchmarked

The Regulatory Readiness Scorecard

Fifteen questions scored against E-21 and E-23 expectations, returned with a benchmark against peer institutions. Know where you stand before the supervisor asks.

Get your score
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The next budget cycle, exit process, or regulatory review will ask questions about your operations and your AI investment.

A 30-minute briefing is enough to know where you stand.

Book a briefing