Checklist
AI Automation Checklist
Ensure your organization is ready for enterprise AI deployment with this 20-point readiness checklist.
Most enterprise AI pilots fail on operational readiness rather than model quality. Work through these checks before committing budget to a production deployment.
Problem definition
If the success criterion cannot be written as a number with a current baseline next to it, the project is not ready to start.
- The decision or task being automated is written down in plain language
- A measurable success metric exists, with today's baseline recorded
- The cost of a wrong answer is understood and acceptable
- A human review path exists for low-confidence outputs
- Someone owns the outcome, not just the delivery
Data readiness
This is where most timelines are actually spent. Assess honestly — optimism here is expensive later.
- Required data exists and is accessible without a manual export step
- Historical depth is sufficient to cover normal seasonal variation
- Labelling, where required, is either available or budgeted for
- Data quality issues are quantified rather than assumed to be minor
- Personal and sensitive data is identified and handling rules are agreed
Integration and operations
A model that produces good output into a spreadsheet nobody reads has delivered nothing.
- The consuming system can accept automated output without manual re-entry
- Latency requirements are defined and achievable
- Failure behaviour is specified — what happens when the model is unavailable
- Monitoring covers input drift, not just uptime
- A retraining trigger and cadence are agreed
Governance
Governance questions asked at the end of a project become blockers. Asked at the start, they are just requirements.
- Decisions the system makes can be explained to an affected person
- An audit trail records inputs, outputs, and model version
- Bias and fairness testing is defined for the relevant population
- Regulatory obligations for the sector have been reviewed
- A documented process exists for switching the system off
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