Short answer. Scope an AI initiative by answering three questions in writing before you hire or buy: which specific work will you fund, what it is worth in dollars and risk, and which one person owns the result. Only then pick people or a vendor.
Why AI initiatives stall
An AI task force forms. A vendor demo impresses the room. A brilliant technical hire joins. Months later the spend is real and the board still has no answer, because the funding decision was never actually made.
Step 1: write the yes
List the candidate uses of AI in plain language, tied to real work your people do today. Then pick the few you will fund and write down the ones you will refuse. Refusals matter as much as approvals.
Step 2: put a number on it
For each funded use, estimate what it is worth, what it will cost to try, and the constraint you will not ignore, such as safety, quality, customer data, or union rules. A rough number agreed by leadership beats a precise number nobody owns.
Step 3: name one owner
One person on your org chart owns each bet. Not a committee. Not shared accountability. That person can stop the work if it is not paying off.
Step 4: then hire or choose the vendor
With the yes, the number, and the owner written down, you can write a real job description or a real vendor brief. The interviews and demos get shorter because you know what you are buying.
Why listen to me
Career work has focused on commercial leadership, enterprise sales, and sitting with executives while they funded and staffed technical work. For a decade I co-founded and helped grow an applied AI firm to over 100 employees. Before that I led business development for a 250-person technology consultancy and was top-ranked in sales at two Fortune 1000 companies. Clients have spanned SMEs through the Fortune 500.
Common questions
Should we hire a data scientist first?
Usually not. Without a funded use and an owner, a technical hire spends months looking for a problem. Decide what is worth doing first.
How long should scoping take?
Long enough to get a written decision from leadership. The goal is a funding decision, not a perfect strategy document.
Do we need an AI strategy deck?
A short written decision is more useful than a deck. It should say what you fund, what it is worth, and who owns it.
Who should run the scoping?
Someone senior enough to force a decision from the president or CEO and the leadership team, either internal or a fractional officer.
Keep reading
- What Does a Fractional Innovation Officer Do?
- Fractional Sales Officer or VP of Sales?
- Questions to Answer Before Any AI Vendor Demo
- Yes. Number. Owner.
Write me with the company name, what you need, and the constraint. I answer in writing first.
Christopher Dole, Founder, Dole Consul LLC. Columbus, Ohio. linkedin.com/in/cdole.