Direct Answer: How Do You Assess AI Readiness?
Score your organisation across six dimensions: strategy and value, processes and workflows, data and systems, people and adoption, governance and risk, and measurement. The weakest dimension usually limits what AI can deliver, so it should shape where you start.
How to Use This Checklist
Answer each question yes, partly or no. Count partly as half a point. A dimension scoring below half is a priority gap. Use the results to agree a first move, not to delay action.
1. Strategy and Value
- Has leadership agreed what AI should change in the business?
- Are AI priorities tied to margin, capacity, risk or growth outcomes?
- Is there a named owner for AI outcomes?
- Is there a budget and sequencing principle for AI investment?
2. Processes and Workflows
- Are your priority workflows documented as they really run?
- Have you identified where information moves manually or decisions slow down?
- Have you decided which workflows need redesigning before automation?
- Do you know the volume, time cost and error rate of those workflows?
3. Data and Systems
- Is the data needed for priority workflows accessible?
- Is that data accurate enough to act on?
- Can your core systems integrate through APIs or connectors?
- Is there a single trusted view for key metrics?
4. People and Adoption
- Do teams understand why AI is being introduced?
- Have roles and responsibilities been considered for changed workflows?
- Is there time and support for training?
- Are there people in each team willing to champion adoption?
5. Governance and Risk
- Is there an AI acceptable use policy?
- Are approved AI tools available, so staff do not rely on public ones?
- Are data access rules defined for AI systems?
- Are human review points defined for material outputs?
- Can AI outputs and actions be audited?
6. Measurement
- Have you baselined current capacity, cycle times and error rates?
- Have you agreed how success will be measured for the first use case?
- Is there a regular review to scale, stop or redesign AI initiatives?
- Will results be reported to leadership in business terms?
Interpreting Your Score
For an indicative score in a couple of minutes, use the quick readiness tool on our AI readiness assessment page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an AI readiness checklist?
Who should complete the checklist?
What if we score low?
Related services
Turn the ideas in this article into outcomes with these connected service tracks.
AI Readiness AssessmentA structured diagnostic ending in a prioritised AI roadmap.Explore
AI Operating ModelHow AI is prioritised, governed and adopted across the organisation.Explore
AI Transformation & Change ManagementStrategy, workflow redesign and adoption.Explore
Related reading
Explore more practical guidance from Elevate AI Tech:
- AI readiness assessment for leadership teams
- AI readiness audit framework for leadership teams
- Stop automating broken processes
Conclusion
AI readiness is not a single yes or no. It is a profile across six dimensions, and the weakest one usually limits results. Use this checklist to find that constraint and decide your first move.
For a full assessment of your workflows, data and governance, talk to Elevate AI Tech about an AI readiness assessment.
About the author
Sam Sharma
Written by Sam Sharma, founder of Elevate AI Tech. Sam helps businesses use AI, automation, custom software and AI search visibility strategies to remove inefficiencies, improve decision-making and build practical systems for growth.
Want to explore how AI can improve your business operations? Book a consultation with Elevate AI Tech.