Plan AI adoption
Use a plan when AI should move from individual experiments into the team’s normal work. It should explain what you want to improve, what people need and how you will decide whether to continue.
1. Choose specific work to improve
Describe the task and current process. Establish frequency, time, quality and problems. Choose an initial use case for its expected benefit, data availability, risks and how readily you can test the outcome. Begin with options and costs.
Output: a short brief and baseline for comparison. “Use more AI” is not a sufficient objective.
2. Agree responsibilities and capacity
Identify who decides on the purpose and budget, who coordinates preparation and who provides information. Involve the people whose work will change. In a smaller organisation, one person may hold several responsibilities but still needs time and authority.
Output: agreed tasks, capacity, decision process and a contact for questions. See coordinating AI use.
3. Prepare for the pilot
Check the tool, data, access and integrations. Agree which outputs the team can use and how they will check them. Prepare examples and practical training.
Output: a bounded pilot, prepared people and rules for work and problems. Use the rules guide and learning plan.
4. Try the process and record results
Use representative tasks. Measure the entire process including review and corrections, output quality, costs and people’s experience. Agree in advance when to adjust or stop the pilot.
Output: supported results and limitations. See measuring the benefit of AI use.
5. Decide what to expand
Compare results with the baseline. For wider use, add operational support, responsibilities, training for other people and a review date. An unsuccessful pilot may justify changing the brief or avoiding further investment.
Output: a reasoned decision and next actions. See acceptance and operation.
What a short plan should contain
| Area | What to record |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Task, baseline, desired result and measurement |
| People | Decision-maker, coordinator, team and required skills |
| Conditions | Tool, data, rules, access and capacity |
| Pilot | Tasks, acceptance criteria, cost and stopping conditions |
| Next steps | Decision point, operational responsibility and review date |
Set timing according to scope and capacity. Revisit the plan when the tool, purpose or identified risks change.