The gap between hype and adoption
Most organisations know AI matters. Few know where to start. This is a practical 90-day plan that any leader can run.
Days 1–15: Audit
Map the top 20 repetitive tasks in your organisation. For each, ask: could AI reduce this by 50%? Shortlist the top five.
Days 16–30: Pilot team
Pick one department. Give five people access to a paid AI tool. Set one clear goal — for example, cut report writing time by half.
Days 31–60: Playbook
Document what worked. Capture prompts, workflows and screenshots. This becomes your internal AI playbook.
Days 61–75: Governance
Write a one-page AI policy: what data cannot be shared, who approves AI-assisted outputs, how to cite AI usage.
Days 76–90: Scale
Train a second and third department using the playbook. Assign an internal AI champion in each unit.
Common failure modes
Buying an enterprise licence with no use case. Making AI a top-down mandate. Ignoring human validation. Avoid all three.
Metrics that matter
Time saved per week. Number of employees using AI weekly. Quality of AI-assisted output rated by managers.
Takeaway
An AI plan does not need a big budget. It needs a small pilot, honest measurement and a written playbook. Ninety days is enough to prove value.