The foundation scan
How ready is your foundation for AI?
Six questions about where your organisation actually stands. You get an honest result straight away, plus one first step.
Free, about ninety seconds, no email required.
What the scan asks
Six questions, 12 points. Everything the scan measures and which read belongs to which score is listed below, so you can read it without starting the scan.
The six questions
1. Shared definitionsDoes a term mean the same thing everywhere?
When two departments report the same metric, like revenue or an active customer, do the numbers match?
- Always, we work from agreed definitions. (2 points)
- Usually, but it takes reconciliation. (1 point)
- Often not, and it causes debate. (0 points)
- We have never actually checked. (0 points)
2. Trust in numbersHow much hand-checking before leadership?
Before a number goes in front of leadership, how much manual checking does it need?
- Little, we trust the source. (2 points)
- Some, a person verifies the key figures. (1 point)
- A lot, nothing is trusted until checked by hand. (0 points)
3. OwnershipDoes every critical number have a name on it?
If a key number looks wrong, is it clear who is accountable for it?
- Yes, every critical number has a named owner. (2 points)
- For some, not all. (1 point)
- No, it is unclear who owns what. (0 points)
4. Documented processesWritten down, or living in heads?
Are your core processes documented as they actually run, or do they live in a few people's heads?
- Documented and current. (2 points)
- Documented but out of date. (1 point)
- Mostly in people's heads. (0 points)
5. What happened beforeDid an earlier tool stick?
What happened the last time you tried a new tool or AI to get clarity?
- It stuck and delivered. (2 points)
- It helped a bit, then stalled. (1 point)
- It demoed well and went nowhere. (0 points)
- We have not tried yet. (1 point)
6. What already existsHow much raw material is already inside?
How much of what you need to run sharper do you think already exists inside the organization?
- Most of it, it just is not connected. (2 points)
- Some, but there are real data gaps. (1 point)
- Honestly not sure. (0 points)
The three reads
First, the foundationScore 0-4 / 12
An organization that understands itself is reachable for you. It is not out of range.
Honest read. But not yet, and pretending otherwise would waste your money. Right now the same term means different things in different corners, and numbers need checking by hand. Put AI on top of that and it will produce answers faster and trust them less.
First step. The move that pays off is unglamorous. Pick one process that matters and settle it: what the terms mean, where the data comes from, who owns each number. One process done properly is worth more than an AI pilot across ten that are not ready.
Closer than it looksScore 5-8 / 12
You are closer to an organization that understands itself than your dashboards make it look.
Honest read. The raw material is already here. The gap is not more data or another tool. It is that what you have does not yet agree with itself, and is not yet owned.
First step. Start where you are strongest. Take one well-understood process, settle its meaning, make it trustworthy, and prove the loop small. That earns the right to expand on your terms, not in a big-bang program.
Ready for intelligence on topScore 9-12 / 12
Your foundation is more disciplined than most. That is rare, and it changes what is possible.
Honest read. The bottleneck for you is not the substrate. It is whether intelligence is being applied on top of it, and whether ownership reaches every corner rather than a strong centre.
First step. The opportunity is leverage: apply governed intelligence where the meaning is already solid, and extend ownership to the places that still rely on a few people's heads.
6 questions