Escape the Discovery Trap: A Smarter, Faster Approach to Data Strategy

If you've ever commissioned a data strategy and ended up with a deck of PowerPoint slides, a long list of things you already knew, and no clear path to action—you're not alone.

Across industries, we hear the same frustrations: strategy projects that overpromise, take months to deliver, and leave leadership teams no closer to decisions that matter. Instead of unlocking value, they consume it—burning stakeholder time, gathering already-available insights, and delivering theoretical outputs with little practical utility.

At Beyond, we believe it’s time for a better way.

The Problem: Data Strategy as an Academic Exercise

Too many data strategy programmes fall into the same traps:

• Endless “discovery” sessions that resurface what’s already known

• Stakeholder interviews that assume people can articulate what they want from data and AI

• Strategies treated as one-off deliverables, frozen in time before delivery ever begins

What starts with enthusiasm often ends in discovery purgatory—where momentum is lost, decisions are deferred, and everyone is left waiting for the next PowerPoint pack.

Our Approach: Fast, Practical and Built to Move

At Beyond, we treat strategy as a springboard for action—not an academic exercise. We’ve designed an approach that’s leaner, sharper, and genuinely useful. It works because of how we’re set up.

We’re not a functionally siloed professional services firm, where each discipline competes to land its workstream. We’re a data studio—a collaborative space of practitioners who draw on deep expertise, diverse perspectives, and a shared commitment to building things that actually work.

Our people don’t just design strategy—they implement it. That blend of pragmatism, experience, and creative drive is what makes our approach so different. We want to get going. And we know how.

Three Ways We Short-Circuit Traditional Strategy Purgatory

1. We start with what’s already known

We don’t waste your time collecting information that’s already available in board packs, roadmaps or KPIs. We show up having done the homework—so we can get to the “what now?” far quicker.

2. We uncover real needs, not just surface-level requests

We don’t just ask for stakeholder requirements—we look at how decisions get made, where the pressure points are, and where data and insight can genuinely change outcomes. It’s about solving problems that matter, not creating work that sounds good.

3. We treat data strategy as a dynamic tool, not a finished product

We believe a strategy only needs to be “right enough” to start delivering value. It’s a process, not a PowerPoint. We prioritise momentum, iterate in real time, and keep it tightly aligned to the business as it evolves.

What You Get with Beyond

You don’t get a strategy that needs another strategy to implement it.

You get:

• A clear, pragmatic data and AI strategy tied directly to your business goals

• Focused data, AI, and generative AI use cases that are ready to develop

• A delivery model and operating principles you can actually work with

• And early traction—because we start delivering value before most firms finish discovery

  
  

Why Our Studio Model Makes It Possible

Our way of working isn’t an accident. It’s the result of how we’ve built Beyond.

We don’t organise ourselves by function or silo. We don’t have competing revenue lines or internal handoffs. Instead, we operate like a creative data studio - pulling together the right blend of talent, energy and expertise to shape, test and refine strategy in real time.

We’re strategists who think like operators. Analysts who care about brand. Technologists who understand commercial reality. And we come together around a shared belief: that data and AI strategy should unlock momentum—not delay it.

For Leaders Who Don’t Have Time to Waste

If you're tired of consultancy models that feel bloated, slow, and out of touch—let’s talk.

Whether you’re starting a new enterprise data strategy, exploring an AI transformation plan, or figuring out how to make generative AI work in your organisation, we bring energy, clarity and a strong bias to action.

We don’t just design your strategy. We help you make it real.

Reach out to find out more at https://www.puttingdatatowork.com/contact-us