WHAT YOU'LL LEAVE WITH
- A one-page pilot proposal, written in the order an approver reads it.
- A measurement plan, with today's baseline and what success would look like.
- A short risk list, with a control and an owner for each risk.
- Answers to the questions your approver will probably ask, saved together as one PDF pack.
BEFORE YOU START
Have these ready:
- An idea for where AI could help your team, even a rough one.
- A rough idea of how often the work happens and how long it takes.
- The name of the AI tool your organisation has approved, if there is one.
Best done on a computer. You don't need any AI tool open for this one.
Step 1 of 6
Most In plain EnglishAn AI use case is a specific situation or business problem where artificial intelligence could be used to achieve a defined outcome.Practical takeawayStart with the problem, identify the desired outcome and decide how success will be measured before choosing an AI solution.Read the full entry that stall were the wrong first pilot, not the wrong technology. A quick check now saves weeks later.
FROM THE FIELD
Not sure? Should I Use AI for This? gives a fuller check.
An approver can't judge an improvement without knowing the starting point. A rough baseline now is worth more than a precise one later.
FROM THE FIELD
Want to estimate what the time is worth? AI Value Calculator. Time saved isn't money saved unless it's used for something else. Say what the time would go on.
A small, clear pilot is easy to approve and easy to stop. Saying what's out of scope matters as much as what's in.
For [weeks], [N] people in [who has the problem] will use [tool] to [in a sentence], and a person will [what people still do].
FROM THE FIELD
FROM THE FIELD
Keep the pilot to sources you control. This is known as prompt injection.
Want to map it out in more detail? AI Use Case Canvas.
Answer what information the pilot will use before moving on. If it uses no stored source, state that explicitly.
Decide what success looks like before you start, so the result can't be argued either way afterwards.
FROM THE FIELD
For a fuller evaluation plan: AI Evaluation Framework Builder.
Your approver will ask about risk. Answering first, with a control for each, is what turns 'interesting' into 'yes'.
Will it see personal data or anything confidential?
What happens if a draft is wrong?
Is the tool approved for this kind of information?
Could anyone outside the pilot be affected by a mistake?
Will the people involved know AI is used, and how?
Could the tool be steered by content it reads, or reach things it shouldn't?
Who In plain EnglishHuman-in-the-loop means involving a person in an AI-supported process to review, guide, approve or correct an action or decision.Practical takeawayPut human review where it can genuinely influence the outcome.Read the full entry the pilot, and the decision to stop it?
What happens if the tool is unavailable or the pilot stops?
0 covered · 0 need action · 0 not sure
FROM THE FIELD
For a fuller assessment: AI Risk Assessment Builder.
Approvers are busy. One page, in the order they think, gets read.
YOUR ONE-PAGE CASE
PILOT PROPOSAL: [what the AI will do] From: [name and role] · For: [approver] THE PROBLEM [problem]. It affects [who]. Today it happens about [volume] times a month and takes about [minutes] minutes each: roughly [H] hours a month. ([measured / a good estimate / a rough guess].) What goes wrong: [what goes wrong]. THE PROPOSAL For [weeks], [N] people will use [tool] to [in a sentence]. People will still [what people still do]. It will use [information] only. Out of scope: Anything about an individual's own case; Sending anything without a person checking it. HOW WE'LL KNOW IT WORKS - Time: from [minutes] to [minutes with AI] minutes per item, including checking. Across the whole task, that's about [S] hours a month. - Quality: A reviewer samples 20 outputs a week and counts how many needed a factual correction. Target: [target]. - People: [feelings measure]. We stop if: A mistake reaches someone outside the pilot; Quality stays below target for two weeks in a row. RISKS AND CONTROLS - Personal or confidential information: [status]. [control or note] - Wrong or invented answers: [status]. [control or note] - Approved tool: [status]. [control or note] - Who's affected: [status]. [control or note] - Being open about it: [status]. [control or note] - Security: [status]. [control or note] - Accountability: [status]. [control or note] - Fallback: [status]. [control or note] WHAT I'M ASKING FOR Approval to run a [weeks] pilot with [N] people using [tool].
QUESTIONS YOUR APPROVER WILL PROBABLY ASK
FROM THE FIELD
YOUR PILOT PACK
Your pilot proposal so far
Save it as a PDF. Send the one-page case to your approver, and keep the rest ready for their questions.
This fills in as you go.
NEXT STEPS
- Send the one-page case to your approver.
- If it's approved, spend the pilot's first week measuring today's baseline properly.
- Check quality every week the same way: A reviewer samples 20 outputs a week and counts how many needed a factual correction.
- Stop if A mistake reaches someone outside the pilot. Otherwise, at the end, decide: keep, change or stop.
YOUR ONE-PAGE CASE
PILOT PROPOSAL: [what the AI will do] From: [name and role] · For: [approver] THE PROBLEM [problem]. It affects [who]. Today it happens about [volume] times a month and takes about [minutes] minutes each: roughly [H] hours a month. ([measured / a good estimate / a rough guess].) What goes wrong: [what goes wrong]. THE PROPOSAL For [weeks], [N] people will use [tool] to [in a sentence]. People will still [what people still do]. It will use [information] only. Out of scope: Anything about an individual's own case; Sending anything without a person checking it. HOW WE'LL KNOW IT WORKS - Time: from [minutes] to [minutes with AI] minutes per item, including checking. Across the whole task, that's about [S] hours a month. - Quality: A reviewer samples 20 outputs a week and counts how many needed a factual correction. Target: [target]. - People: [feelings measure]. We stop if: A mistake reaches someone outside the pilot; Quality stays below target for two weeks in a row. RISKS AND CONTROLS - Personal or confidential information: [status]. [control or note] - Wrong or invented answers: [status]. [control or note] - Approved tool: [status]. [control or note] - Who's affected: [status]. [control or note] - Being open about it: [status]. [control or note] - Security: [status]. [control or note] - Accountability: [status]. [control or note] - Fallback: [status]. [control or note] WHAT I'M ASKING FOR Approval to run a [weeks] pilot with [N] people using [tool].
MEASUREMENT PLAN
| Measure | Today | Target | How measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minutes per item | Time each item, including checking | ||
| Quality | A reviewer samples 20 outputs a week and counts how many needed a factual correction | ||
| People's rating |
RISKS AND CONTROLS
| Risk | Status | Control or note | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal or confidential information | |||
| Wrong or invented answers | |||
| Approved tool | |||
| Who's affected | |||
| Being open about it | |||
| Security | |||
| Accountability | |||
| Fallback |
PILOT PLAN
Week 1: Brief the pilot users, measure the baseline, set up the tool and sources.
Final week: Review the results against the targets and decide: keep, change or stop.
APPROVER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What if it gets something wrong?
[what people still do]. We stop if A mistake reaches someone outside the pilot.
Is our data safe?
[personal or confidential information control]. [approved tool control].
How much time will it really save?
We estimate about [S] hours a month across the task. The pilot measures it with [N] people over [weeks].
What does it cost?
It uses [tool], which we already have. The main cost is the pilot users' time to check and record results.
Why this, and why now?
[what goes wrong].
STILL TO DO
- □What's the problem, in one sentence?
- □Who has the problem?
- □What's your idea for AI?
- □Question 1 in the idea check
- □Question 2 in the idea check
- □Question 3 in the idea check
- □Question 4 in the idea check
- □How many times does this happen a month?
- □How many minutes does each one take today?
- □How many people do this work?
- □What goes wrong or takes longest?
- □How do you know these numbers?
- □What will the AI do?
- □What the AI will do, in a sentence
- □What will people still do?
- □Who's in the pilot?
- □How long?
- □Which AI tool?
- □What information will it use?
- □Minutes per item with AI, including checking
- □Quality target
- □How will the people using it feel?
- □Personal or confidential information: needs an answer
- □Wrong or invented answers: needs an answer
- □Approved tool: needs an answer
- □Who's affected: needs an answer
- □Being open about it: needs an answer
- □Security: needs an answer
- □Accountability: needs an answer
- □Fallback: needs an answer
- □Your name and role
- □Who will approve it?
- □What are you asking for?
- □Decision
Answers are stored in this browser when local storage is available; they are not sent to us. Save the PDF to keep a copy.
My AI pilot proposal
PILOT PROPOSAL: [what the AI will do]
1. YOUR ONE-PAGE CASE
PILOT PROPOSAL: [what the AI will do] From: [name and role] · For: [approver] THE PROBLEM [problem]. It affects [who]. Today it happens about [volume] times a month and takes about [minutes] minutes each: roughly [H] hours a month. ([measured / a good estimate / a rough guess].) What goes wrong: [what goes wrong]. THE PROPOSAL For [weeks], [N] people will use [tool] to [in a sentence]. People will still [what people still do]. It will use [information] only. Out of scope: Anything about an individual's own case; Sending anything without a person checking it. HOW WE'LL KNOW IT WORKS - Time: from [minutes] to [minutes with AI] minutes per item, including checking. Across the whole task, that's about [S] hours a month. - Quality: A reviewer samples 20 outputs a week and counts how many needed a factual correction. Target: [target]. - People: [feelings measure]. We stop if: A mistake reaches someone outside the pilot; Quality stays below target for two weeks in a row. RISKS AND CONTROLS - Personal or confidential information: [status]. [control or note] - Wrong or invented answers: [status]. [control or note] - Approved tool: [status]. [control or note] - Who's affected: [status]. [control or note] - Being open about it: [status]. [control or note] - Security: [status]. [control or note] - Accountability: [status]. [control or note] - Fallback: [status]. [control or note] WHAT I'M ASKING FOR Approval to run a [weeks] pilot with [N] people using [tool].
2. MEASUREMENT PLAN
Today: [minutes] minutes per item. Target: [minutes with AI] minutes. Quality: [target].
3. RISKS AND CONTROLS
| Personal or confidential information | [status] · [control or note] |
|---|---|
| Wrong or invented answers | [status] · [control or note] |
| Approved tool | [status] · [control or note] |
| Who's affected | [status] · [control or note] |
| Being open about it | [status] · [control or note] |
| Security | [status] · [control or note] |
| Accountability | [status] · [control or note] |
| Fallback | [status] · [control or note] |
4. PILOT PLAN
Week 1: Brief the pilot users, measure the baseline, set up the tool and sources.
Run the pilot, check quality weekly, record time. Review the results against the targets and decide: keep, change or stop.
5. APPROVER QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What if it gets something wrong?
[what people still do]. We stop if A mistake reaches someone outside the pilot.
Is our data safe?
[personal or confidential information control]. [approved tool control].
How much time will it really save?
We estimate about [S] hours a month across the task. The pilot measures it with [N] people over [weeks].
What does it cost?
It uses [tool], which we already have. The main cost is the pilot users' time to check and record results.
Why this, and why now?
[what goes wrong].
6. STILL TO DO
Review any unanswered fields and risks marked Not sure.
Leila Fielding