MEMO · TO anyone holding a list of candidate AI initiatives · RE which one goes first

Free tool · Strategy

Which of these should you actually do first?

Score up to three initiatives across five dimensions and get a ranked sequence. Autonomy is scored separately and deliberately kept out of the merit score, because how good an idea is and how much freedom it has earned are different questions. No email required, and nothing you enter leaves your browser.

What is being scored

Five dimensions decide the order. A sixth decides the leash.

Averaging the two is the most common way a strong business case buys autonomy it has no controls for. A use case can top the list and still clear only for reporting.

Merit

Strategic fit

Whether anyone senior is actually asking for this.
Merit

Data readiness

Whether the data exists, is reachable, and is clean enough to use.
Merit

Ease of implementation

How much building this actually takes.
Merit

Expected return

Whether the value has been calculated or merely asserted.
Merit

Speed to value

How long before anyone can see a result.
Separate gate

Autonomy clearance

How much the governance around it can safely permit.

Score them

Four fixed positions per dimension

Two colleagues scoring the same initiative on a continuous scale rarely land on the same number, and a prioritisation that is not reproducible between two people is not a prioritisation. Each position carries the description it stands for.

Use case 1

50 / 100 merit Drafts & waits for approval

Strategic fit Moderate

Moderate (4–6): useful and defensible, but tied to a team or function goal, not a company- wide priority.

Data readiness Moderate

Moderate (4–6): the data exists but is scattered, inconsistent, or needs real cleanup before use.

Ease of implementation Moderate

Moderate (4–6): meaningful integration and configuration work; a multi-quarter project with a dedicated owner.

Expected return Moderate

Moderate (4–6): a plausible return exists but hasn't been calculated; largely a judgment call today.

Speed to value Moderate

Moderate (4–6): a working version is months away; meaningful setup or data collection stands in the way.

Autonomy clearance Moderate

Moderate (4–6): the system can draft the action; a person must approve it before it executes. Clears for drafts & waits for approval.

Use case 2

50 / 100 merit Drafts & waits for approval

Strategic fit Moderate

Moderate (4–6): useful and defensible, but tied to a team or function goal, not a company- wide priority.

Data readiness Moderate

Moderate (4–6): the data exists but is scattered, inconsistent, or needs real cleanup before use.

Ease of implementation Moderate

Moderate (4–6): meaningful integration and configuration work; a multi-quarter project with a dedicated owner.

Expected return Moderate

Moderate (4–6): a plausible return exists but hasn't been calculated; largely a judgment call today.

Speed to value Moderate

Moderate (4–6): a working version is months away; meaningful setup or data collection stands in the way.

Autonomy clearance Moderate

Moderate (4–6): the system can draft the action; a person must approve it before it executes. Clears for drafts & waits for approval.

Use case 3

50 / 100 merit Drafts & waits for approval

Strategic fit Moderate

Moderate (4–6): useful and defensible, but tied to a team or function goal, not a company- wide priority.

Data readiness Moderate

Moderate (4–6): the data exists but is scattered, inconsistent, or needs real cleanup before use.

Ease of implementation Moderate

Moderate (4–6): meaningful integration and configuration work; a multi-quarter project with a dedicated owner.

Expected return Moderate

Moderate (4–6): a plausible return exists but hasn't been calculated; largely a judgment call today.

Speed to value Moderate

Moderate (4–6): a working version is months away; meaningful setup or data collection stands in the way.

Autonomy clearance Moderate

Moderate (4–6): the system can draft the action; a person must approve it before it executes. Clears for drafts & waits for approval.

Where this leads

The sequence is the easy half. Defending it is the other half.

Every course in the catalogue ends with a roadmap sequenced by impact and reversibility, built in the room on your own initiatives, with the practitioner who wrote the framework in it.

Find the right course Or the Governance & Assurance track ›