12 pts Strategy clarity Whether AI goals are tied to business outcomes and leadership priorities.
We have named the business outcomes AI should improve first. Examples: faster lead follow-up, lower admin time, better conversion, cleaner handoffs. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure AI opportunities are prioritized against a practical roadmap, not random tool experiments. This checks whether AI decisions are sequenced by business value and feasibility. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure One person or team clearly owns AI direction and decisions. Ownership matters because disconnected AI experiments create risk and low ROI. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure
16 pts Data readiness Whether business state is usable, structured, and trusted enough for automation.
Core business state has a clear source of truth. Examples: leads, customers, deals, projects, tasks, assets, orders, or appointments. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure The data people rely on is accurate enough to drive decisions without constant cleanup. AI output gets worse when source records are stale, duplicated, or incomplete. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure The right tools and people can access the data needed to run the business. This includes dashboards, CRM views, sheets, databases, and operational tools. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure
16 pts Workflow maturity Whether repeatable work is clear enough to automate safely.
Our most important customer or revenue workflow is documented step by step. AI cannot reliably automate work that humans cannot explain consistently. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure Handoffs between people/tools are visible and do not depend on memory. Hidden handoffs are where leads, tasks, and follow-ups usually leak. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure We measure at least one workflow outcome that AI could improve. Examples: response time, close rate, completion time, error rate, booked calls. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure
14 pts Integration readiness Whether tools and APIs can connect into one operating layer.
Our core tools can connect through APIs, webhooks, native integrations, or automation platforms. Examples: CRM, calendar, email, payment processor, forms, ads, analytics. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure We can match the same lead/customer across the tools we use. A shared email, ID, account, or CRM record makes automation much safer. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure Some handoffs already run through automation instead of manual copy/paste. Zapier, Make, n8n, Activepieces, native workflows, or custom scripts all count. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure
14 pts AI use-case fit Whether AI can act from context with safe human review.
We have repetitive judgment or communication work that follows patterns. Examples: lead qualification, email drafts, summaries, routing, proposal prep. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure The context AI would need is available in systems, documents, or structured notes. AI needs reliable context before it can produce useful operational output. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure A human can review AI-assisted work before it affects customers or revenue. This is the safety layer before any autonomous workflow is trusted. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure
14 pts Security/governance Whether AI can be adopted without exposing data, trust, or operations.
We know which business/customer data is sensitive and should not be sent to random AI tools. This includes client records, financial data, health/legal info, passwords, tokens, and private communications. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure Access to important systems is controlled by role, not shared logins. Shared accounts make auditing and safe automation much harder. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure New AI tools or automations get reviewed before they touch customer or revenue workflows. Lightweight approval is enough at MVP stage; the key is that review exists. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure
14 pts Revenue architecture Whether funnel, CRM, and revenue signals are measurable enough to improve.
We can see where leads come from and what happens after they convert. This checks if traffic, forms, calls, CRM, and revenue connect into one story. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure Follow-up after inquiry, booking, or proposal is tracked and consistent. Inconsistent follow-up is one of the easiest revenue leaks to fix. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure Our website and sales process clearly explain the offer, next step, and expected outcome. Public offer clarity is a strong signal for whether automation can improve conversion. Not in place Ad hoc Emerging Defined Strong Not sure