Business AI field guide
An AI implementation checklist for business workflows
Before building an AI workflow, define the task, approved sources, permitted actions, reviewer, and acceptance checks. Test the destination record and exceptions as well as the generated response. Handover should identify who operates and maintains the system.
Set a boundary around the task.
Write down the trigger, inputs, expected output, and destination. State which actions are allowed and which requests go to a person. Identify a process owner who can answer questions and approve changes. Separate the first workflow from future ideas so the initial scope can be checked.
Arrange access around the actual need.
List the sources and accounts involved. Agree on the permissions needed for each integration, credential storage, and access removal. Determine what information may be sent to a model provider and what should remain outside the workflow. Arrange necessary access separately from the public inquiry form.
Make approval and failure paths explicit.
Decide whether outputs are drafts, reviewed records, or approved automatic actions. Plan for unavailable tools, repeated events, missing fields, and conflicting information. Define what is logged, who receives an exception, and how to retry without duplicating an external action.
Check representative inputs end to end.
Use examples supplied or approved by the process owner. Include ordinary requests, incomplete inputs, and cases outside scope. Compare the expected response with the actual destination record. Confirm that a failed integration is visible and that a human can intervene before expanding permissions.
Document the operating owner.
Handover should explain account ownership, configured steps, source updates, and exception handling. Record the agreed acceptance checks and any unresolved dependencies. Ongoing support, software usage, and later changes are scoped separately; the written scope establishes the responsibilities.
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ChatGPT, Claude, and Meta Muse · Automation cost · Agents and automation