Is your business ready for an AI project?
Most AI projects that stall do so for reasons that have little to do with the model: an unclear goal, scattered data, no owner, or no way to measure results. This checklist covers the 18 questions to answer before you start, in six areas.
Gartner predicts that through 2026, organizations will abandon 60% of AI projects that are not supported by AI-ready data. (Gartner, February 2025)
Use it on your own, or bring your answers to a 30-minute readiness review with our team.
The checklist
If you can answer most of these clearly, you are ready for a focused pilot.
1. Goal and value
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Can you name the task and the person who does it today?
Pick one task with a clear owner, such as answering order status emails, rather than a broad aim like using AI in support.
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How will you know it worked?
Agree one or two measures before you start, such as time per task, error rate or response time, and record today’s figures.
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Is the task frequent enough to matter?
A task done hundreds of times a month usually pays back faster than a rare one, even if the rare one feels more painful.
2. Process
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Is the process written down?
If two people would describe the steps differently, agree the process first. AI will copy the confusion.
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Where must a person decide?
Mark the points that need approval, judgment or a conversation with a customer, so people stay in control.
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What happens when it goes wrong?
Decide how errors are caught, who fixes them and how the work falls back to the manual process.
3. Data and documents
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Do you know where the information lives?
List the systems, folders and documents the task depends on, and who owns each one.
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Is the information current and consistent?
Outdated policies, duplicate records and missing fields lead to wrong answers. Plan a clean-up of the data the pilot uses.
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Can the AI see only what it should?
Check permissions. A pilot should use only the records and documents the task needs.
4. Systems and integration
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Which systems need to be read or updated?
Note the CRM, ERP, help desk or file storage involved, and whether each has an API or an export.
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Who manages access to those systems?
Agree early who can create API keys, service accounts and test environments.
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Is there a safe place to test?
A sandbox or test copy lets you try the pilot without touching live customer data.
5. Risk, privacy and compliance
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Does the task involve personal or confidential data?
Identify personal, financial or health information and the rules that apply to it before you choose tools.
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Which AI providers and data terms are acceptable?
Check whether data may leave your systems, where it is processed and whether it may be used for training.
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Who signs off on risk?
Name the person who approves the pilot from a security, legal or compliance point of view.
6. People and rollout
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Who will use it every day?
Involve the people who do the work now. They know the exceptions, and they decide whether the tool gets used.
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Who owns it after launch?
Someone needs to review results, update instructions and decide on changes once the pilot is live.
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What is the smallest useful first release?
Start with one team, one workflow and a fixed review period, then decide whether to expand.
Want a second opinion on your answers?
Book a 30-minute readiness review. We will go through your answers and suggest a realistic first pilot.
Checklist FAQs
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Who is this checklist for?
Owners and managers of small and midsize businesses planning their first or next AI project, and the teams who will work on it.
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Do we need perfect data before we start?
No. You need to know where the data for one task lives, who owns it and how reliable it is. A focused pilot can start with a small, cleaned set.
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How long is a readiness review?
The first meeting is 30 minutes. We go through your answers and suggest a realistic first pilot.
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Can we use the checklist with another vendor?
Yes. The questions apply to any AI project, whoever builds it.
Get in Touch
Cary, NC 27513
Canton, MI 48187