Compare the change against doing nothing and against the simpler option.
Where does my organization actually stand?
Draft pathway. This content was written for the site and is awaiting content-owner review. The learning material in Learn with AI and Build Responsible AI has already been reviewed; this pathway has not.
A small business assessment has a question larger organizations often skip: is this better than the current process, and better than the boring fix? Readiness that never compares against those two answers overstates the case.
- Name the baseline
You cannot tell whether something helps without describing what it is replacing.
- Count the total cost
Subscription plus review time plus correction time — not subscription alone.
- Owner attention is the scarce resource
In a small business the real constraint is usually whose week this consumes.
Priya runs a small supply business. Quoting takes her most of Monday. She is considering AI assistance for drafting customer quotes from her stock list and enquiry notes. Her stock data is current; her enquiry notes are inconsistent.
Priya and every example here are prepared learning material, not a real case or an AI-generated result.
My readiness assessment
- Describe the current process honestly
Write what happens now, how long it takes, and where it actually goes wrong.
- Name the simpler alternative
Describe the non-AI fix — a template, a checklist, a structured enquiry form — and what it would cost.
- Assess the seven dimensions
Rate strategy, data, technology, people, culture, governance and ethics. For a small business, data quality and your own time usually dominate.
- Total the real cost
Add subscription, learning time, review time per quote, and expected correction time.
The notes are the problem.
Priya finds her stock data is accurate but her enquiry notes often omit quantities and dates.
What does the assessment actually show?
Every option has an explanation. Open as many as you like — nothing is recorded or scored.
Next: Decide how we govern it
Who decides, who reviews, and who is accountable?