July Product Update: Work in the background

Advice production no longer needs to hold the adviser’s attention while the software works.

Software shouldn’t need an audience

Creating advice involves a series of decisions. Between those decisions, there is also a lot of waiting.

Athena gathers the client information. The adviser waits. Athena prepares the strategy. The adviser waits again. Eventually, the document is ready.

Paradino’s new advice workflow allows that work to continue in the background.

Advisers can move to another client or start something else in Paradino. A notification brings them back when their input is needed.

Begin with a brief

Every SoA or RoA now starts with a brief.

Choose the template, describe the work and select the client documents Athena should use.

For a straightforward RoA, the brief might read:

Draft an RoA for the proposed portfolio rebalance using the latest file note and product comparison.

If no documents are selected, Athena can search the client Knowledge Base for relevant material. Selecting the sources gives Athena a narrower starting point.

This matters because more information is not always more useful. An old file note may conflict with the latest fact find. Several versions of the same research can make the current position harder to identify.

A concise brief reduces that ambiguity before the work begins.

Plan before writing

Athena does not begin by filling the template.

It gathers the client information first, showing the sources it has found and any gaps that remain. The adviser can confirm the information or provide another document.

Athena then prepares the strategy for review. The adviser can change a recommendation before it appears throughout the document.

Once the important decisions have been confirmed, Athena generates the draft using the selected template.

The reasoning is visible while there is still time to correct it.

Leave while Athena works

Some stages take a few minutes. Watching them does not make them finish sooner.

When Athena begins a longer task, Paradino lets the adviser know they can step away. Work continues even if they move to another client or another area of the platform.

An in-app notification appears when the next stage is ready. Email notifications can also be enabled in Settings.

Selecting the notification returns the adviser to the relevant advice workflow.

Their attention goes back to the document when there is something worth reviewing.

Choose how closely to follow

Some advice work needs careful review at every stage. Some work begins with a settled recommendation and complete supporting material.

Paradino supports both approaches.

With review enabled, Athena pauses after each planning stage. The adviser confirms the information before work continues.

Auto mode allows suitable work to proceed from the brief to a completed draft in the background. It may suit a simple rebalance where the recommendation has already been agreed and the evidence is ready.

The mode can be changed while the workflow is underway. Organisation owners can also decide whether Auto mode is available to their practice.

Every completed document still requires adviser review.

Research can follow the same path

Confirmed investment research can be brought into the advice workflow as supporting evidence.

Where a ProductRex account is connected, Athena can retrieve the relevant scenario for use in an SoA or RoA. The scenario should be checked before its information is used in the document.

The full process is covered in our ProductRex Connector article.

What customers need to know

The new workflow applies to Statements of Advice and Records of Advice created in Strategy Assist.

Before starting, check that the client file contains the current source material. Choose the documents that support the advice and remove uncertainty where information conflicts.

Keep approved practice wording in the Practice Knowledge Base. Athena can use this material when preparing recommendations, disclosures and supporting content.

In-app notifications are available within Paradino. Email notifications can be turned on in personal settings.

For a complete walkthrough, visit the Statement of Advice documentation.

Attention belongs with the decision

Adviser oversight remains part of the work. Waiting for software does not need to be. Athena can gather the information, prepare the plan and produce the draft while the adviser gets on with something else.