Phase 01
Strategize. The TOM design is part of the AI Strategy Canvas. We define the hub roles, the spoke patterns, and the hand-off plan from Rubix-led to client-led operation.
Rubix-developed
Hub-and-Spoke CoE.
Target operating model that compounds, not centralizes.
Category
Rubix-developedWhen we recommend it
Every enterprise-scale Phase 01 with more than 5 use cases on the roadmap. Below that, a centralized model is fine and cheaper.
What it is
The framework, what it covers, and the problem it addresses.
A target operating model where a central hub owns the AI platform (infrastructure, governance, evaluation, ops) and the function-specialist spokes embed in business functions (HR, Finance, Sales, Operations) to deliver use cases. The hub is what makes use cases compound; the spokes are what make them land.
Why it matters
The reason this framework exists in the Rubix toolkit, and why omitting it is the wrong shortcut.
The two failure modes for enterprise AI operating models are over-centralization (a CoE that owns everything and ships nothing because it cannot keep up with function demand) and over-decentralization (every function builds its own platform and the firm pays eight times for the same capability). Hub-and-Spoke is the documented pattern that avoids both. It's what makes a 12-use-case portfolio feasible.
In the Kingdom and the GCC
Regional context. PDPL, SDAIA, Vision 2030, Saudization, and the operating realities that shape how this framework lands here.
Many KSA enterprises are diversified groups with strong-brand operating companies. The Hub-and-Spoke model fits this structure naturally: the group hub owns the platform and governance, each operating company has function-specific spokes that own the use cases. The model is also what makes Saudization-aligned capability building tractable, since the spoke roles are where new Saudi talent is grown.
How Rubix applies it
The phases of the Rubix Way where this framework is operationalized, and what we do with it there.
Phase 03
Scale. The hub stands up. Spokes embed function by function. By month 12, the client team is running the hub at 80% internal capacity.
Common pitfalls
The failure modes we have seen up close, written so the next engagement avoids them.
- 01
Designing the hub as a 'team of AI experts.' The hub is a platform team plus a governance team plus an evaluation team. It is not a consulting bench inside the firm.
- 02
Spokes that report to the hub, not to the function. Spokes that are loyal to the hub never ship. Spokes loyal to the function deliver and bring the hub credibility.
- 03
No exit plan from Rubix to client team. If our hours per month are not declining, we are doing the wrong work.
Related frameworks