CompForge: Build Complete Compensation Infrastructure in 10 Weeks
The CompForge gives your HR team AI-powered comp tools and the training to use them — in 10 weeks, with no ongoing retainer.
Sound Familiar?
Most mid-market HR leaders own compensation alongside everything else. The tools are inadequate. The knowledge is fragile. And the stakes keep rising.
You're making six-figure pay decisions with Glassdoor data and gut instinct.
Your comp "strategy" lives in one person's head and a spreadsheet no one else understands.
You hired a consultant once. Got a nice report. It went stale in 6 months.
Your CEO wants a merit cycle and you have 3 weeks to figure it out.
Four Phases. Ten Weeks. Full Infrastructure.
Every CompForge engagement follows a proven structure designed to move fast without cutting corners.
DISCOVERY & DESIGN
We audit your current comp practices, map your job architecture, and define what tools your team actually needs.
- Comprehensive compensation practices audit
- Job architecture mapping and gap analysis
- Stakeholder interviews with HR and business leadership
- Custom tool requirements definition
- Project roadmap and milestone planning
BUILD
We build your custom AI-powered toolkit: market pricing assistants, offer calculators, pay equity screens, merit frameworks — configured to your data and philosophy.
- AI-powered market pricing tool built on your survey data
- Offer recommendation engine calibrated to your ranges
- Pay equity screening dashboard with automated alerts
- Merit and adjustment framework tied to your budget cycle
- Integration with your existing HRIS and data sources
TRAIN
Hands-on training for your HR team. Recorded sessions, decision trees, and a custom Compensation Operations Playbook so nothing lives only in someone's head.
- Live training sessions with your HR and People team
- Recorded walkthroughs for every tool and process
- Decision trees for common compensation scenarios
- Custom Compensation Operations Playbook
- Q&A sessions and scenario-based practice
SUPERVISED FLIGHT
Your team operates independently while we're on standby. We review real decisions, make final adjustments, and hand off with confidence.
- Team operates tools independently on real decisions
- Senior practitioner on standby for questions
- Review and feedback on first live compensation decisions
- Final tool calibration and adjustments
- Formal handoff with confidence checklist
What You Get
Every CompForge engagement delivers a complete compensation operations toolkit, fully configured for your organization, with the training to use it independently.
AI-Powered Market Pricing Tool
A custom-built pricing engine trained on your survey sources, pay philosophy, and geographic differentials. Makes market pricing a 5-minute task instead of a 5-hour one.
Offer Recommendation Engine
Input a candidate profile and get a data-driven offer recommendation calibrated to your salary ranges, internal equity, and competitive positioning. No more guessing.
Pay Equity Screening Dashboard
Proactive equity analysis that flags potential issues across gender, race, and other protected categories before they become legal or reputational risk.
Merit & Adjustment Framework
A structured merit cycle tool tied to your budget, performance ratings, compa-ratio positioning, and equity considerations. Turns merit planning from art to science.
Compensation Operations Playbook
Your complete, written reference for every compensation decision and process — from new hire offers to promotions, equity reviews, and annual cycles. Nothing stays tribal.
Recorded Training Library
Video walkthroughs of every tool, process, and decision tree. Your team can revisit these any time, and new hires can onboard themselves into your comp operations.
Why This Works
Not a Software Subscription
You own everything we build. No recurring license fees. No vendor lock-in. The tools are yours — fully owned, fully portable, and built on platforms your team already uses.
Not a Consulting Report
We build working tools, not PowerPoint decks that sit on a shelf. Every deliverable is operational from day one — designed for daily use by your HR team, not for a board presentation.
Not a Black Box
Your team learns how everything works. Every formula, every model, every decision tree is documented and trained. When we leave, you're self-sufficient — that's the entire point.
About The Barksdale Group
The CompForge is led by Stephen McGillivray, a compensation professional with 16+ years of experience across global consulting, high-growth technology, international nonprofit, and defense contracting. He has built and led full compensation functions at the Director level — and has completed an 18-month AI mastery program that gives this practice a genuine technical edge.
Every CompForge engagement is led by Stephen directly. No junior staff. No hand-offs. No learning on your dime.
Trusted by HR leaders at mid-market companies across technology, defense, nonprofit, and PE-backed sectors.
Start with a Free Comp Readiness Assessment
Most engagements begin with a no-cost 15-minute call to assess your current comp maturity and identify where AI-powered tools would have the biggest impact.
Book a CallNo commitment. No sales pitch. Just a clear-eyed assessment of your comp readiness.