Keyboard shortcuts

Press ← or → to navigate between chapters

Press S or / to search in the book

Press ? to show this help

Press Esc to hide this help

Appendix A: Decision Framework Templates

This appendix collects the key decision frameworks from across the book in a single reference. Each template is designed to be used directly - in a meeting, a governance review or a planning session. They are starting points, not fixed formats. Adapt them to your organization’s terminology and context.

A-1: The Augmentation Audit

Use this to map tasks in a role or workflow before deciding what to delegate to AI.

For each significant task, score it High / Medium / Low on two dimensions, then record your recommendation.

Task: _______________________________________________

AI suitability (High / Medium / Low): _______

High if the task involves drafting, summarizing, transforming, formatting or applying a consistent approach at volume. Low if it requires current information, verified facts, organizational context or judgment calls.

Human value-add (High / Medium / Low): _______

High if the task depends on experience, relationships, accountability, tacit organizational knowledge or consequential judgment. Low if it is primarily mechanical or templated.

Recommendation:

  • High AI suitability + Low human value-add -> delegate to intern with light oversight
  • High on both -> hybrid: AI handles volume and first pass, people handle judgment
  • Low AI suitability + High human value-add -> keep with people
  • Low on both -> question whether the task needs to be done at all

Copy this block for each task in the role or workflow.

A-2: The Four-Part Brief Template

Use this when briefing your Digital Intern on any task where output quality matters.

Role Who is the intern for this task? What perspective or expertise should they bring?

Example: You are a communications advisor helping a senior manager prepare for a difficult team meeting.

Task What specifically do you need? Be precise about format, length and purpose.

Example: Write a one-page briefing note summarizing the three main concerns likely to be raised and suggesting a response to each.

Context What does the intern not already know that is essential for this task?

Example: The meeting follows a restructure announcement last week. The team has concerns about role changes and reporting lines. The manager wants to acknowledge concerns without making commitments that have not yet been approved.

Constraints What should the output not include? What limits apply?

Example: Do not reference specific salary changes. Keep the tone calm and factual. No longer than one page.

A-3: The Supervision Level Decision

Use this to assign and record supervision levels for AI-assisted tasks.

Task description: _______________________________________________

Reversibility - can errors be corrected before they cause harm?

  • High - output reviewed by human before acting
  • Medium - errors detectable quickly after acting
  • Low - errors may not surface until harm is done

Verifiability - can a human quickly check whether the output is correct?

  • High - easily checked against a source
  • Medium - requires some effort to verify
  • Low - difficult or time-consuming to verify

Stakes - what is the consequence if the output is wrong?

  • High - significant harm to individuals, organization or reputation
  • Medium - correctable but costly
  • Low - minor and easily fixed

Familiarity - how well do we know how the intern performs on this task type?

  • High - strong track record on this specific task type
  • Medium - some experience, some uncertainty
  • Low - new task type, no track record

Recommended supervision level:

  • Level 1 - review everything (any High stakes or Low familiarity)
  • Level 2 - spot check (Medium stakes, Medium familiarity)
  • Level 3 - exception-based (Low stakes, High familiarity, clear escalation rules)
  • Level 4 - autonomous (Low stakes, High reversibility, High verifiability only)

Named owner: _______________________________________________

Review date: _______________________________________________

A-4: The Risk Register

Use this to document and manage the seven risks of AI adoption in your organization. Complete one row per risk. Review quarterly.

Risk 1 - Confident wrong answers

  • Likelihood in our context (High / Medium / Low): _______
  • Potential impact (High / Medium / Low): _______
  • Mitigations in place: _______________________________________________
  • Owner: _______________________________________________

Risk 2 - Data leakage

  • Likelihood: _______
  • Impact: _______
  • Mitigations: _______________________________________________
  • Owner: _______________________________________________

Risk 3 - Regulatory exposure

  • Likelihood: _______
  • Impact: _______
  • Mitigations: _______________________________________________
  • Owner: _______________________________________________

Risk 4 - Bias in decisions

  • Likelihood: _______
  • Impact: _______
  • Mitigations: _______________________________________________
  • Owner: _______________________________________________

Risk 5 - Reputational harm

  • Likelihood: _______
  • Impact: _______
  • Mitigations: _______________________________________________
  • Owner: _______________________________________________

Risk 6 - Skill atrophy

  • Likelihood: _______
  • Impact: _______
  • Mitigations: _______________________________________________
  • Owner: _______________________________________________

Risk 7 - Cost overrun

  • Likelihood: _______
  • Impact: _______
  • Mitigations: _______________________________________________
  • Owner: _______________________________________________

Last reviewed: _______________________________________________

A-5: The Business Case Checklist

Use this before presenting a business case for an AI initiative.

Problem statement

  • The problem is stated in terms of what the organization currently spends time or money on - not in terms of what AI can do
  • The problem is specific and measurable

Costs

  • Tool fees and subscriptions included
  • Infrastructure costs included
  • Oversight and checking time estimated and costed
  • Process change and training costs estimated
  • Error correction costs estimated
  • Total cost model reviewed by someone independent of the initiative

Benefits

  • Time saved per task specified
  • Volume of tasks specified
  • Value of recovered time specified and justified
  • Assumptions listed explicitly and available for challenge

Success metrics

  • Specific metrics defined
  • Baseline measurement taken or planned
  • Review date specified
  • Named person responsible for reporting

A-6: The Stage-Gate Questions

Use these at each stage transition to decide whether to proceed, refine or stop.

Gate into Prove (experiment complete when…)

  • Output quality meets the defined bar
  • The organization can use it effectively without special support
  • The economics work at the volume projected
  • A decision document has been written and reviewed independently

Gate into Scale (prove complete when…)

  • Consistent results over at least three months of production use
  • Error tracking in place and reviewed
  • Supervision levels explicit and maintained
  • A scaling plan documented before scaling begins

Gate into Embed (scale complete when…)

  • Volume, user and task scope all assessed separately
  • New users trained and supervised as new starters
  • Task scaling treated as a new experiment with its own gate
  • Governance owner named and active

Ongoing gate (embed healthy when…)

  • Governance absorbed into standard operating procedure
  • Quality reviewed at least quarterly
  • Named owner for each application still in role and engaged
  • Regulatory context reviewed for changes since last review

All gates should be assessed by someone independent of the team that ran the current stage.

A-7: The Ten Board Questions - Prepared Answers Template

Use this to prepare for a board-level conversation about AI. Complete before the meeting.

On risk

  1. What risks does our use of AI create and how are we managing them?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________

  2. What data are we putting into AI systems and what happens to it?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________

  3. What would happen if an AI output caused harm to a customer, employee or third party?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________

On governance

  1. Who is responsible for AI decisions in this organization?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________

  2. How do we know when AI output has been checked before it was acted upon?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________

  3. What would we do if something went wrong?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________

On value

  1. What is AI actually delivering for us and how do we know?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________

  2. What is it costing us, including the costs we do not see directly?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________

On strategy

  1. Are we ahead of, behind or in line with our peers on AI adoption?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________

  2. What decisions do we need to make at board level about AI in the next twelve months?

    Your answer: _______________________________________________