Our Methodology

Stop Wondering What Happens Next. Start Knowing.

Every engagement follows the same five-step process. No exceptions, no shortcuts, no surprises.

01

Discovery Call

What Happens

A 60-minute conversation — no charge, no obligation — where we map your current compliance landscape. We ask about your industry, your regulatory environment, your team structure, and the specific concerns that brought you to us. We listen more than we talk. By the end, we both have a clear picture of the situation and whether Creative Analytics is the right fit.

What You Get

Within 24 hours of the call, you receive a written summary of everything we discussed: the risks we identified, the questions that need further exploration, and an honest assessment of whether you need our help at all. Some businesses walk away from this call realizing their compliance posture is stronger than they thought. That is a good outcome too.

60 minutes, no cost, full clarity
02

Gap Analysis

What Happens

Sophie Chen and the relevant specialist spend one to three days conducting a thorough review of your existing compliance documentation, procedures, and practices. We compare what you have against what the regulations require — and against what best practices recommend. Every gap gets classified by severity: critical, significant, or minor.

What You Get

A detailed gap analysis report within 48 hours of completing our review. Each finding includes a plain-language explanation of what the gap is, why it matters, and how severe the risk is. No jargon, no ambiguity. You will be able to hand this report to anyone on your team and they will understand it. The report also includes our preliminary recommendations — not a sales pitch, just practical options.

48 hour turnaround on your gap analysis
03

Action Plan & Pricing

What Happens

We draft a step-by-step remediation roadmap organized by priority. Critical gaps first, then significant, then minor. Each step includes the deliverable (status report, process documentation, training materials, etc.), the timeline, and the cost — as a specific dollar amount, not an hourly estimate. You review the plan, ask questions, request changes, and approve each phase individually.

What You Get

A proposal document with line-item pricing that reads more like a construction estimate than a consulting agreement. You see the cost of the gap analysis phase, the documentation phase, the training phase, and the verification phase — each priced separately. No change order arrives without a phone call first. You approve every dollar before it is spent. In sixteen years of operation, this approach has resulted in exactly two billing disputes, both resolved in a single conversation.

100% of costs visible before work begins
04

Execution

What Happens

The assigned specialists begin working through the action plan phase by phase. Documentation gets built, procedures get rewritten, systems get implemented, and your team gets trained. The work follows a weekly cadence: Monday through Thursday for execution, Friday for reporting and review. You receive a status report every Friday at noon — not a vague summary, but a specific accounting of what was completed, what is next, and any issues that need your attention.

What You Get

Weekly status reports, completed deliverables at each milestone, and the comfort of knowing exactly where things stand at all times. We do not vanish into a black box. You see the work happening, review each output, and approve each phase before the next one begins. If something needs to change mid-project, we discuss it, re-price it, and get your approval before proceeding. The average engagement runs 8 weeks from approval to verification.

8 weeks average from approval to completion
05

Verification

What Happens

Before we close an engagement, we run a simulated audit against the same standards a real regulator would use. This is not a rubber stamp — it is a genuine stress test of the compliance framework we built together. If the simulated audit reveals any remaining gaps, we address them within the existing project scope at no additional cost. We do not consider a project complete until the simulated audit returns a clean result.

What You Get

A verification report documenting the simulated audit results, a compliance certificate for your records, and the confidence to walk into your next regulatory review knowing exactly where you stand. Our 93% first-attempt audit pass rate is measured at the client's actual audit, not our internal simulation — that number reflects real-world performance, not a controlled exercise. The 7% who do not pass on the first attempt typically face issues outside the scope of our engagement, and we help them address those too.

93% of clients pass their next audit first try

Ready to Start With Step One?

The discovery call is free, takes 60 minutes, and gives you a written summary of what we find. No pressure to proceed, no obligation to hire us — just a clear picture of where you stand.