Methodology

The Axiom Method

A repeatable operating framework designed to turn fragmented software evidence into quantified executive decisions without manufacturing certainty where the evidence is weak.

Discover

Reconcile invoices, expense records, contracts, vendor lists, usage exports, owners, integrations and business workflows.

Normalize

Create a clean system of record: product, vendor, owner, purpose, annualized spend, seat count, utilization, renewal and dependency.

Diagnose

Evaluate value, usage, overlap, fit, switching risk, contract flexibility, operational dependency and automation potential.

Benchmark

Check realistic current alternatives and economics. List price alone is never treated as a complete business case.

Optimize

Assign KEEP, RIGHTSIZE, RENEGOTIATE, CONSOLIDATE, REPLACE, RETIRE or AUTOMATE.

Quantify

Calculate gross opportunity, transition cost, net Year-1 impact and recurring annual impact separately.

Prioritize

Sequence changes according to impact, confidence, risk, dependencies and implementation burden.

Validate

Do not call an opportunity “realized savings” until the change has actually been implemented and verified.

Savings taxonomy

Four states. No inflated savings claims.

Identified opportunity

Evidence indicates a change could create value. No client decision has been made.

Approved savings

Leadership has accepted the recommendation and its economic assumptions.

Implemented savings

The contract, seat, product or workflow change has actually been executed.

Verified realized savings

Post-change evidence confirms the expected cost reduction or capacity recovery occurred.

Confidence

Recommendations carry confidence, not theater.

Confidence	Meaning	Typical evidence
High	Evidence directly supports the recommendation and economics.	Invoices/contracts + usage + owner confirmation + dependency check.
Medium	Recommendation is plausible but a material assumption still needs validation.	Spend and workflow evidence present; usage, renewal or migration detail incomplete.
Low	Potential opportunity worth investigating, not executing yet.	Partial records, inferred overlap or unconfirmed operating dependency.

Commercial relationships do not change this method. Affiliate status is treated as a monetization attribute after the recommendation is formed, not as an input to recommendation quality.