AI Necessity Test
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Does this job need AI?
Start with one piece of work that needs to improve. This check helps you decide whether AI is a useful option, what is missing and whether a simpler change would do the job.
Start your answers ↓Say what the problem is
If you cannot say the problem in one clear sentence, no tool will fix it. So write it down first, before you spend anything. Most AI projects that fail started as a vague wish instead of a real problem.
Draw how the job runs today
Before you change anything, you have to see how the work really runs today. If you cannot draw it, you do not know it well enough to fix it. Most people find the hold-up is somewhere they never expected.
Is this the kind of thing AI is good at?
AI earns its keep on a few things. Reading a lot of writing. Spotting patterns a person would miss. Making the same thing personal for thousands of people. Doing dull thinking work over and over. Helping someone decide when the answer is not clear cut. If your problem is none of those, AI is probably the wrong tool.
Have you got the data?
AI runs on data, but having none is not the end of it. The real question is whether you are ready to start collecting some. You do not need a perfect set to begin. You need enough to run a first test and see what comes back.
Would something simpler do the job?
Before AI, ask a smaller question. Could a spreadsheet do this? A checklist? A better template? A rule that moves things along on its own? A chat with the team? If yes, start there. You can always add AI later. You cannot get back six months spent on a tool you never needed.
A worked example
Illustrative example, not a client result.
Imagine a team copying client details between two systems. If the fields always match, an existing integration may be enough. If someone must interpret each request first, test that part separately before choosing AI.
What you leave with
You get your answers together with a recommendation based on the options you selected. Use it to choose a next check, rather than treating it as approval to build.
Complete the form to create a PDF of your answers. No email is required. Creating the PDF sends your answers to us and keeps a copy, as explained above.
Say what the problem is
If you cannot say the problem in one clear sentence, no tool will fix it. So write it down first, before you spend anything. Most AI projects that fail started as a vague wish instead of a real problem.
Does this job need AI?
Use the AI Necessity Test to decide whether the job needs AI or whether a simpler change could help. Start with the problem, the steps and the records you can use.
If AI looks useful, connect the idea to your wider business goal. The readiness guide helps you choose a meaningful first project and find what needs to change before you build.
Use the AI readiness assessment worksheet