Is your business AI-ready? A 10-point checklist

Ashish Mishra · October 2026 · 1 page · for leadership teams

Most AI projects that disappoint were not short of technology. They were short of a clear number, usable data, an owner and a plan for what happens next.

Tick each statement that is true for your business today, not what you plan to do. Be strict: if you have to argue for it, leave it unticked. Your score updates as you go.

The number 1 – 2

1We can name the one business number AI should move.Sales in a segment, customers kept, staff retained, hours spent on reporting. We know today’s value, the target and the date. 2A senior person owns that number and will judge the work by it.Not “the AI project”, but the result. They have the authority to change how the team works.

The data 3 – 5

3We know where the data behind that number lives, and who owns each source.CRM, ERP, finance, HR, support tickets, the spreadsheet someone updates every Friday. 4The data is reasonably complete and means the same thing everywhere.A customer, product or employee is defined the same way across systems, and the main fields are filled in. 5We can get the data out without weeks of requests, and we know what is confidential.Exports or connections exist, and personal or client data has clear rules on what can go to an AI tool.

The people 6 – 7

6The team that will act on the AI’s output is named, and has time to act.An insight that lands on nobody’s desk is a cost, not a result. 7Leaders use AI tools themselves, and staff know what they may use.A short, plain usage policy exists, and people are not hiding the tools they already use.

The process 8 – 10

8We know where the AI’s signal will land, and what action follows.Inside a tool people already open: the CRM, the inbox, the Monday report. Not a new dashboard nobody visits. 9We have picked one small first use case that can show a result in 6 to 8 weeks.Narrow, contained and low-risk, with the data already in hand. 10We will measure the number before and after, and agreed in advance what counts as success.We know what result means “scale it” and what means “stop”, before the money is spent.

0/10

Your score

Tick what is true today, then find your band below.

8 – 10ReadyStart a focused pilot on item 9 now, and measure it against item 1.

5 – 7CloseFix the unticked items first. Most take weeks, not months, and they decide whether the pilot pays.

0 – 4Not yetStart with the number and the data. AI on top of unclear goals only makes the confusion faster.

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Is your business AI-ready? A 10‑point checklist

The number 1 – 2

The data 3 – 5

The people 6 – 7

The process 8 – 10