The Readiness Report

The five-section structure

Your readiness report has five sections. Each one maps directly to work you have already done in this course.

Section 1: Current State — Your readiness scorecard results from Module 2. Where does your firm stand across the five dimensions? What is the overall readiness level?

Section 2: Priority Opportunities — Your top 3 VALUE-scored workflows from Module 4. What are the highest-impact places to apply AI?

Section 3: Recommended Tools — Your category matches from Module 5. For each priority workflow, which category of AI tool is needed?

Section 4: Investment & ROI — Your calculations from Module 6. What does it cost, what does it return, and what is the payback period?

Section 5: Recommended Next Step — One specific action. Not "explore AI" — something like "Run a 6-week pilot with the credit analysis team on DD memo generation."

That is the entire document. Five sections, each 2-4 sentences. Let's fill them in.

Section 1 — Current State

Pull your scorecard from Module 2. Summarise it in two to three sentences.

Template:

Our firm currently scores [X/25] on AI readiness, placing us at the [Early/Developing/Established] stage. Our strongest dimension is [dimension] ([score]/5). Our most significant gaps are in [dimension] ([score]/5) and [dimension] ([score]/5).

Example:

Our firm scores 12/25 on AI readiness, placing us at the Developing stage. Our strongest dimension is Leadership Buy-In (4/5) — senior partners are vocal about AI's potential. Our most significant gaps are in Data Infrastructure (2/5) and Governance (1/5) — we lack a formal AI use policy and our key data sits in disconnected systems.

Notice what this does: it tells leadership "we are not starting from zero" (strengths) and "here is what is holding us back" (gaps). It creates urgency without panic.

Section 2 — Priority Opportunities

List your top three workflows from the VALUE scoring in Module 4. For each, state the workflow, the VALUE score, and the estimated time savings.

Template:

Priority opportunities (ranked by VALUE score):

1. [Workflow] — VALUE score: [X/25]. Currently takes [Y hours/instance]. Est. [Z%] time savings.
2. [Workflow] — VALUE score: [X/25]. Currently takes [Y hours/instance]. Est. [Z%] time savings.
3. [Workflow] — VALUE score: [X/25]. Currently takes [Y hours/instance]. Est. [Z%] time savings.

Example:

Priority opportunities:

1. Due diligence memo (first draft) — VALUE: 22/25. Currently 8 hours/memo, ~3 memos/week. Est. 60% time savings.
2. Quarterly LP report compilation — VALUE: 19/25. Currently 12 hours/quarter per fund. Est. 50% time savings.
3. Earnings transcript analysis — VALUE: 18/25. Currently 3 hours/transcript. Est. 70% time savings.

Keep it tight. The detail lives in your MODULE 4 working notes, not in the report itself.

Section 3 — Recommended Tools

Map each priority workflow to a tool category from Module 5 and indicate your firm's current state.

Template:

Tool requirements:

• [Workflow 1]: [Category] — [Current state: in place / partial / gap]
• [Workflow 2]: [Category] — [Current state]
• [Workflow 3]: [Category] — [Current state]
• Cross-cutting: Team Infrastructure (prompt library, shared workflows) — [Current state]

Approach: Buy platform infrastructure; build firm-specific configuration.

Example:

Tool requirements:

• DD memo generation: Category 2 (AI-Powered Work) — Gap. No current tooling.
• LP report compilation: Category 3 (Enterprise Integration) — Gap. Requires connection to portfolio management system.
• Earnings analysis: Category 1 (AI Assistant) — Partial. Some analysts using personal accounts; need enterprise deployment.
• Cross-cutting: Team Infrastructure — Gap. No shared prompt library or standardised workflows.

Approach: Buy enterprise AI platform with MCP capability; build DD and LP report workflows internally.

Section 4 — Investment & ROI

Pull your numbers from Module 6. Present both cost and value clearly.

Template:

Investment (Year 1): $[X] (licences: $[Y], implementation: $[Z], training: $[W]) Investment (Ongoing): $[X]/year

Projected annual value (conservative): $[X] Projected annual value (optimistic): $[X]

Payback period: [X] months Sanity check: 20% time savings on one senior associate ($[X]) exceeds total licence cost for [Y] users.

Example:

Investment (Year 1): $52,000 (licences: $14,400, implementation: $25,000, training: $12,600) Investment (Ongoing): $22,000/year

Projected annual value (conservative): $96,000 (DD workflow only) Projected annual value (optimistic): $185,000 (all three priority workflows)

Payback period: 7 months (conservative) / 4 months (optimistic) Sanity check: 20% time savings on one senior associate ($60K) exceeds the total annual licence cost for 30 users ($14,400).

The sanity check is there for the sceptic in the room. It reframes the investment in terms that are impossible to argue against.

Section 5 — Recommended Next Step

This is the most important section. It is one sentence that tells leadership exactly what to do.

Not "explore AI opportunities." Not "form a committee." One specific, time-bound action.

Strong examples:

• "Run a 6-week pilot: deploy Claude Enterprise to the credit analysis team for DD memo generation. Measure time savings vs current baseline. Budget: $8,000."
• "Procure 10 enterprise AI licences for the deal team and conduct a 2-week baselining exercise on our top 3 workflows. Budget: $3,200."
• "Appoint an AI champion in each deal team and establish a shared prompt library within 30 days. Budget: $0 (using existing tools)."

Weak examples:

• "Investigate AI solutions for the firm." (Too vague — what does "investigate" mean?)
• "Transform our operations with AI." (Too ambitious — no one knows what to do Monday morning.)
• "Continue monitoring the AI landscape." (This is code for "do nothing.")

The recommended next step should be something that can start within two weeks, has a clear budget, has a measurable outcome, and is low enough risk that leadership can say yes on the spot.

Presenting the report — five minutes, not thirty

You have one page. Present it in five minutes. Here is the structure:

Minute 1: Current State. "We scored X out of 25. Our strengths are [X]. Our gaps are [X]. We are at the [stage] — here is what that means relative to peer firms."

Minute 2: Opportunities. "We identified three high-value workflows. The biggest is [X], which costs us [Y] hours per week. AI can reduce that by [Z]%."

Minute 3: What we need. "For our top workflow, we need [tool category]. Our recommended approach is buy the platform, build the configuration."

Minute 4: ROI. "Conservative estimate: $[X] annual value against $[Y] cost. Payback in [Z] months. Sanity check: 20% of one associate's time pays for the entire team's licences."

Minute 5: The ask. "I recommend we [specific action] over the next [timeframe]. Budget is $[X]. We will measure [specific metric] and report back in [timeframe]."

Then stop talking. The five-minute constraint signals respect for their time. The one-page document stays with them after you leave. And the supporting detail from your earlier modules is ready if they ask.

Your readiness report is done

You now have a one-page AI Readiness Report with five sections:

1. Current State (from Module 2)
2. Priority Opportunities (from Module 4)
3. Recommended Tools (from Module 5)
4. Investment & ROI (from Module 6)
5. Recommended Next Step

In Module 8, you will turn this report into a 30/60/90 day action plan — the operational detail behind Section 5.