AI readiness checklist
An AI readiness check for a small business is a short list: one repeated job, a named person who checks it, inputs you can point at, and a person who still checks anything a customer or a payment depends on.
Every no on that list is the work to fix first, because automating past it only makes the no more expensive.
| Line | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Example | You can point at last week | The job is only a slogan |
| Person | One person checks the result | Nobody is named |
| Inputs | Files, messages, or rows exist | It lives in someone's head |
| Customer output | A person still sends it | The draft goes out alone |
The list
Use this on one job. You can point at a recent example of the job. You can name the person who looks at the result every time. The inputs already exist as files, messages, or rows, not only as a story. A paid assistant that nobody opens, while the job still moves through Excel and WhatsApp, fails this list.
A wrong draft is cheap because a person still sends the real version. And you know what must not be pasted into a chat tool, such as a customer's payment details.
A public checklist from AWS uses the same shape: one outcome, the person who owns the data, a short pilot, a person reviewing. My article is the version tied to how I sort a business.
Running it yourself
You can run the list on a Tuesday afternoon. Pick the job, answer each line without rounding a no up to a yes, and fix the first no before you try any tool.
If a job fails the list and you cannot see why, bring it and last month's file or thread to the hour. We work out what to leave alone as well as what to try.
Steps
- Pick one job.
- Answer the lines in the table without rounding a no up to a yes.
- Fix the first no, or leave that job alone.
- Book the hour if you want me to run the list on your files.
Questions
How do I know if my business is ready for AI?
You can point at one repeated job, name the person who checks it, and a person still checks anything a customer or a payment depends on. If not, that job is not ready to automate.
What is an AI readiness assessment?
A check on one job: a named person, inputs you can point at, and a person who checks customer-facing output. When I run it on your files, it is 60 minutes for AED 750.
Do I get a score?
You get a list. Every no is the thing to fix first, or the job to leave alone.
What must not go into a chat tool?
Anything like a customer's payment details. Know that list before anyone on the team starts pasting.
What must a person still check?
Anything a customer, a payment, or a hire depends on. The tool can draft. The person who answers for it still sends it.
Related
Sources
Want this worked out on your own business? Book the hour, AED 750.