AI Readiness Checklist for Enterprises
Before investing in AI tools, your organisation needs to pass a readiness check. Most AI initiatives fail not because the technology is wrong, but because the organisation was not prepared.
This checklist covers the five dimensions that determine whether AI adoption succeeds or stalls. Use it to identify your gaps before they become expensive problems.
The 25-point checklist
Leadership & Vision
- An executive sponsor has been identified for AI initiatives
- AI is discussed at the leadership level (not just IT)
- There is a budget allocation for AI tools and training
- A named individual is accountable for AI strategy
- AI strategy connects to specific business outcomes (not just "innovation")
Talent & Skills
- At least some team members actively use AI tools today
- AI training has been provided (even informally)
- There is a shared prompt library or set of templates
- People know what AI is good at and where to verify its output
- AI skills are discussed in hiring or performance reviews
Technology & Infrastructure
- Enterprise-grade AI tools are deployed (not personal accounts)
- Data loss prevention and encryption are in place
- AI tools have audit logging and admin controls
- At least one data source is connected to AI (DMS, CRM, etc.)
- IT/security have reviewed and approved the AI toolset
Governance & Risk
- A formal AI acceptable use policy exists
- Data classification rules apply to AI (what data can/cannot be used)
- Human review is required for client-facing or decision-critical AI outputs
- There is an incident process for when AI output is materially wrong
- AI governance is reviewed at least annually
Workflow Integration
- Core workflows are documented (not just in people's heads)
- At least one workflow has been redesigned to incorporate AI
- There are clear handoff points between AI output and human review
- Time savings from AI are being measured on at least one workflow
- There is a process for identifying new AI use cases
Scoring your readiness
Count the items you checked. Each section has 5 items (25 total).
| Score | Maturity | Focus Area |
|---|---|---|
| 0-8 | Early | Start with leadership buy-in and one pilot workflow. Don't try to check every box at once. |
| 9-14 | Developing | You have foundations. Focus on the unchecked items in your weakest section — that's your bottleneck. |
| 15-19 | Advancing | Real momentum. Focus on scaling: more workflows, more teams, better measurement. |
| 20-25 | Leading | Strong position. Focus on agentic workflows and cross-team optimisation. |
The most common pattern: Firms check most boxes in Technology but almost none in Governance or Workflow Integration. The technology works — it's the organisational readiness that's missing.
Go deeper
This checklist is a quick screen. For a thorough assessment with interactive scoring, ROI calculations, and a leadership-ready report, take the full AI Readiness Audit (8 interactive modules, free).