The work

What the engines have done

Every number here carries the method it was counted by. Where a figure is modelled rather than counted, it says so. Where something failed, it is in the story.

An executive search firm

Version one, then the Engine Room: six engines, one login.

Case study in preparation. Published once the client has signed off the name, the quotes and the figures.

50+ (2x increase) live searches at peak this quarter, against a normal peak of about 25, with the same team
15 steps to 2 to prepare a candidate presentation, and three to eight hours down to about five minutes, by the team's own estimate
One login a day, where the work used to live across Word, the pitch book, the CRM, Excel, a contact-finding tool and more

An education staffing group

Operations first, then sourcing, intelligence, compliance and new business. And the reactivation wave that was slowed to match what the team could absorb.

Case study in preparation. Published once the client has signed off the name, the quotes and the figures.

14 days to 5 time to placement, before and after the engines
Almost 5,000 recorded interviews searchable in plain English, with every answer linked to its source
107 of 5,651 dormant candidates re-engaged in one wave; 49 placed or booked
2,000+ hours a year of validated savings from the earlier phases

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How these were counted

Every figure above, with the method it was counted by. Technical on purpose: it is the part a sceptic reads.

Footnote

How we count

Methods

The client's own live-search count, confirmed by the client by phone 14 Oct 2026. 40 or more was verified to source 15 Sep 2026.

50+ (2x increase)

Measured in user interviews with the client's team before and after, with some variance in step counts between staff. A strongly educated client estimate, published as an estimate. Confirmed by the owner 14 Oct 2026.

15 steps to 2

The client's own description of its Engine Room; the list of tools replaced is the owner's, 14 Oct 2026, with the client's agreement to anonymised publication.

One login

The client's own time-to-placement measure, before and after the engines. Founder-confirmed 14 Oct 2026; the period and the counting method are to be filed with the client's written count.

14 days to 5

Count of recorded registration interviews indexed, June 2024 to October 2026. The September count (more than 4,500) was confirmed by the client 16 Sep 2026; the October count is founder-confirmed 14 Oct 2026.

Almost 5,000

Wave one of a reactivation campaign. A status change was confirmed per candidate; placed or booked was counted separately from replied.

107 of 5,651

The client's own figure for the earlier phases, confirmed by the client in writing 14 Oct 2026 as 2,000 hours a year.

2,000+ hours

Wave one of a reactivation campaign. A status change was confirmed per candidate; placed or booked was counted separately from replied.

Said on the proposal review call, 21 Nov 2025 (recording on file, 08:27). Two asides cut; the words are otherwise as spoken. Approved for anonymised publication by the group's MD, 14 Oct 2026.

Quote

Shortlist Engine, in daily use since March 2026. Approval step and test count verified to the repository 15 Sep 2026.

Every page

Said on a weekly call, 18 Sep 2026 (recording on file, 10:49). As spoken. Approved for anonymised publication by the MD, 14 Oct 2026.

Quote

Almost 5,000 interviews searchable.

Wave one of a reactivation campaign. A status change was confirmed per candidate; placed or booked was counted separately from replied.

107 of 5,651 dormant candidates re-engaged; 49 placed or booked.

The client's own live-search count, confirmed by the client by phone 14 Oct 2026. 40 or more was verified to source 15 Sep 2026.

50 or more live searches carried at peak this quarter, against a normal peak of about 25.

Said by the client's MD on the discovery call, 24 Sep 2025 (recording on file, 05:43). Fillers and the business's name cut; the words are otherwise as spoken. Approved for anonymised publication by the MD by phone, 14 Oct 2026.

Quote