The board wants a plan before it funds builds.
One project is easy to approve. The second and third need a plan the board has already seen and agreed to.
Why CEOs call us
Everyone wants an AI plan. Few credit unions have one.
Your staff are already using AI tools. Your vendors are switching on AI features. Your board wants to know what the plan is, who owns it, and what it will cost. Most credit unions can’t yet answer all three.
AI is already in the building.
Staff use public chat tools, and vendors ship AI features without a project. Good practice is to know what’s in use, who owns it, and where a person stays in the loop before anything new goes live.
The CEO and the board often see it differently.
When management and directors score the same question differently, that gap is usually the most useful finding. We put it on its own page.
How this is different
Not a deck. A plan with its first fix already scoped.
A typical strategy engagement ends with recommendations and a bigger proposal. Ours ends with a ranked list of work your board can vote on, and the first item scoped and priced by the engineer who will build it.
Recommendations, then a bigger proposal
WHO DOES THE WORKAnalysts, after the partner pitch
WHAT YOU OWNA deck of recommendations
THE FIRST STEP“Phase two” proposal
RESULTSProjected
YOU WALK AWAY WITHRecommendations
A plan, and a first build
WHO DOES THE WORKA former credit union COO, with the engineer who will build the first fix
WHAT YOU OWNA scored readiness map, a ranked roadmap, and every opportunity on record
THE FIRST STEPThe First Fix, scoped and fixed-price, ready for the same board meeting
RESULTSEstimated until measured, then measured the same way before and after
YOU WALK AWAY WITHA plan and a first build your board can approve together
An illustrative comparison of a typical engagement shape, not a specific firm.
How it works
Brief. Plan. Build. Stay.
01
Brief the board · 2–3 weeks.
A 60-minute conversation with your CEO, a 10-question anonymous survey for directors, and a half-day session: what AI is in a credit union, what the board should ask, hands-on time with an approved tool, and how an agent is controlled. You get a written next step.
02
Assess and plan.
Interviews, document and systems review, and a six-domain readiness score. Then a ranked roadmap with gates the board signs off. Each opportunity is written up the way the Opportunity Hub records it, with a Payback Lens™ estimate marked “estimated.”
03
Scope the First Fix · before your board meets.
The top-ranked item is scoped by a named Innorve engineer, with a baseline plan and one fixed fee in a statement of work. Your board sees the plan and the first build together.
04
Govern and stay · as you build.
Put the policy, inventory and owners in place with our AI governance work, done for you or coached. Keep an advisor on retainer to re-rank the roadmap each quarter on measured results and write the board report.
You can stop after any step. Every deliverable is yours.
Three ways to start
Start here
The plan
Stay with us
Start small. Stop whenever you like.
Board & Executive AI Briefing
Fees are fixed and quoted after a short scoping call — book a board briefing.- A CEO conversation and an anonymous board survey
- A half-day session for the board and executives, with hands-on prompting and how agents are controlled
- A readiness pulse by domain, and the CEO-to-board gap on its own page
- One written next step
Readiness Assessment + AI Roadmap
Fees are fixed and quoted after a short scoping call — book a board briefing.- Interviews, document and systems review, and a scored readiness report across six domains
- A maturity map: where you are today, and a target date you choose
- Ranked opportunities, each with a Payback Lens™ estimate that stays “estimated” until measured
- A board-ready roadmap with gates
- The First Fix scoped by the engineer who will build it, before your board meets
AI Advisor on retainer
Fees are fixed and quoted after a short scoping call — book a board briefing.- Quarterly roadmap re-ranking on measured results
- AI committee attendance and a quarterly board report
- Vendor and governance oversight
Need the policy, inventory and owners in place first? AI governance comes two ways: done for you, or coached so your team owns it. See AI governance →
How the fee works
A fixed fee, quoted after we look.
Fees are fixed and quoted after a short scoping call — book a board briefing. The fee in the statement of work is the fee. If the agreed scope takes us longer, that is our cost. We never charge on projected savings, and we don’t bill hours you didn’t approve.
Book a board briefing
Where the plan goes
Your roadmap, kept in the Hub’s format.
Every opportunity from your Assessment is written up the way the Opportunity Hub records it: the problem, who raised it, how each figure is known, and who decides. When you’re ready to build, the roadmap is kept in the same format as an Opportunity Hub record, and moved into your Hub when we set it up. The ranking changes as results come in, not as opinions change.
BRIEFED→
RANKED→
SCOPED→
BUILT→
MEASURED→
RE-RANKED
01
Briefed.
Your board’s questions and the CEO-to-board gaps, in writing.
02
Ranked.
Each opportunity with a Payback Lens™ estimate, marked “estimated.”
03
Scoped.
The top item scoped by a named engineer as a First Fix, with one fixed fee.
04
Built.
On your systems, with your team. Your credit union runs it under its own change control.
05
Measured, then re-ranked.
Measured the same way before and after. The next item is chosen from the results.
After the First Fix, keep going one project at a time, or with an extended team working the top of the board. The roadmap stays in the Hub’s format until your Hub is set up. See how we work →
Who leads it
Someone who has run a credit union.
Angela Faust
Advisory lead · PMP, CUCO
A former credit union COO who has governed AI from the inside
Angela Faust, PMP, CUCO, is based in Allen, Texas. She spent 21 years at Credit Union of Texas, rising from collections to SVP and Chief Operations Officer from November 2022 to August 2026. Before that she was chief administrative officer, VP of strategic execution, VP of operations, director of product development, and director of risk management.
- Governed AI from the inside. She built an enterprise AI governance framework that positioned the credit union to be AI-first.
- Ran the operations we automate. As COO she owned HR, talent development, the member services call center, lending sales and service, collections, risk, development, and more.
- Delivered the conversions. A core conversion, two online banking conversions, and CRM and collections platforms. She holds the PMP from the Project Management Institute and the Credit Union Compliance Officer credential (CUCO) from America’s Credit Unions.
- Still in the work. MBA, UT Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management. She is beginning a Doctor of Business Administration there, researching AI adoption and organizational behavior. In 2026 she founded ProPlan Scholar, an AI-powered study planner for the web and iOS. She serves on advisory boards.
ASK HER ABOUT
What your board should ask before it funds AI.
Angela leads the decisions. A named Innorve engineer scopes and builds the work. Nobody confirms their own work.
Straight answers
What you won’t hear from us.
A guaranteed return.Payback figures stay estimates until we measure them, the same way before and after. We never charge on projected savings.
That you’re compliant, or how your exam will go.We organize the plan around good practice and what examiners already evaluate. The outcome is theirs.
That we already know your process.We learn it from your people, your documents and what we observe. Nothing is ranked before we’ve looked.
That AI will decide for you.AI proposes. A named person at your credit union decides, and their decision is on the record.
That we’ll run it in your production.We build with your team on your systems. Your credit union runs every change under its own change control.
That you need a platform first.Most of a good AI plan is people, decisions and paperwork. When software is the right answer, we say which and why, and we disclose any interest we have in it.
That our maturity scale is an industry standard.It’s Innorve’s assessment method. We don’t compare you with peers unless we cite a named public source.
Questions.
Do we need Advisory before a First Fix?
No. If you already know the work that takes too long, start with a first read or the First Fix. Advisory is for when you don’t know where to start, or your board wants a plan first.
Does NCUA require an AI plan?
NCUA has no AI-specific rule and no separate AI exam. Its AI FAQ names five areas examiners evaluate. We use them to organize the plan, and we call the result an exam preparation file, not an approval. Whether a rule reaches your credit union is a question for your counsel.
What does the board actually get?
A readiness pulse, the CEO-to-board gap, and a written next step from the Briefing. From the Assessment and Roadmap: a scored readiness map, a ranked roadmap with gates, and the First Fix scoped before your board meets.
Is the maturity score a benchmark?
No. It’s Innorve’s five-level assessment method, scored from CEO interviews, the board survey, a staff survey and document review. Every score says how it is known.
Will you promise savings?
No. Payback figures are estimates until they’re measured, and the measurement is confirmed by your finance team. We never charge on projected savings.
Do you deploy anything into our production?
No. Innorve engineers build with your team on your systems, and your credit union runs every change under its own change control.
Who owns the work?
You do: policies, scores, roadmaps and every opportunity record.
Can several credit unions start together?
Yes. A league, association or user group can host one Briefing for several boards. We scope the work once.
Is this legal advice?
No. It’s how we organize the plan and the evidence. Questions about what binds you are for your counsel.
General information, not legal advice. Not an NCUA publication. Fees are fixed for the scope agreed in writing.