Questions people ask
Why is the diagnostic not free?
The snapshot and the first conversation are free. The diagnosis itself is real work: interviews, a look at your systems and data, and a written report. It is paid so that you get a plan with a price on it instead of a guess, and you keep it whether or not you hire us to build.
Can you just tell us what the build will cost?
We could guess, but you would be paying for our guesswork with a padded number. The diagnostic makes the price exact, and the prices in the plan are held for 30 days.
This feels expensive.
Compare it with what the problem costs you now, in staff hours, errors and missed funding. Every proposal has three options, so you choose how far to go. If the full assessment is the hurdle, a Gap Session is the smaller first step.
We are not ready for AI.
Most organizations are not, and that is fine. Often the right answer is to clean up and connect your data first. The assessment is a readiness review, not a commitment to AI.
We already have an IT person.
Good, they will be an asset. IT keeps systems running. We diagnose why the operation is not working and build what is missing, alongside your IT person, not instead of them.
This needs board approval.
Of course. We provide a one-page board summary, and Dr. Herrera can present. See For board chairs.
We only have grant money.
Many funders treat systems work as capacity building. We write the scope in language that fits your grant reporting. Confirm with your funder first. See Funding the work.
Another firm quoted less.
Ask whether it is a fixed price for the same outcome or an estimate, and what happens when the scope changes. Our builds are fixed fees, and the diagnostic defines the scope before you commit.
Is our data safe?
Data handling is part of every diagnostic. Minimum access, nothing sensitive in public AI tools, and agreements in place where required. See How we handle your data.
Who else have you done this for?
Systems Dr. Herrera built are running in production at real organizations. We keep client names confidential, which is the same discretion you will get.
Now is not a good time.
Tell us what would make it a good time: a board meeting, a funding decision, a new hire. We will check back then and not before.
Do you bill by the hour?
No. Hourly billing rewards slow work. You get a fixed price, and our speed works in your favor.
How did you find us?
From your public filings. We study Greater Houston nonprofits' public records and write only when we see something worth sharing.
How do I stop hearing from you?
Reply "no thanks" or "unsubscribe" to any email. We stop the same day, permanently.
Plain-language glossary
- Automationsoftware that does a repetitive task on its own, like moving data from a form into your database or sending a report every Monday.
- Integrationconnecting two systems so they share information without anyone retyping it.
- Data migrationmoving information from spreadsheets or an old system into a new one, cleaned up, so nothing is lost or duplicated.
- Dashboardone screen with the numbers leaders need, updated automatically.
- AI assistant (with sources)AI that looks up your own documents before it answers, and shows where the answer came from.
- AI agentsoftware that completes a multi-step task within set limits, with a person approving the result.
- MCPan open standard that lets an AI tool use your approved systems in a controlled way.
- Production softwaresoftware real people use every day for real work, not a demo.
- Care planongoing maintenance, monitoring and small improvements after launch.
- Fractional technology leada part-time chief technology officer who makes technical decisions, oversees vendors and builds.