How evaluate if a business is ready for AI

I almost made a very expensive mistake last year.

A client asked me to help them automate their intake process. They had the budget. They had the tools. They were ready to go.

I said no. Not yet.

Because when I looked at their intake process, there was no process. There were five people doing five different versions of the same thing, no documentation, no feedback loop, and nobody could tell me what "done" looked like.

If I had plugged AI into that system, I would have made the chaos faster.

That experience turned into something I now use with every client before we touch a single AI tool. I call it P.E.R.F.O.R.M., and it works like a gate. Seven questions, yes or no. One "no" anywhere and we stop.

P - Do you have a clear PURPOSE for this system?

E - Does it have a defined beginning and END?

R - Does every person and tool have a clear ROLE?

F - Do you have a way to collect FEEDBACK?

O - Are there written OPERATIONAL standards?

R - Have you defined the RESULTS you want?

M - Do you MONITOR the output?

Every "no" has a specific consequence. No purpose means mission misalignment. No endpoints means scope creep. No roles means people doing work that shouldn't be theirs. No feedback means a closed loop with no correction. No standards means everyone guessing. No results means activity for the sake of busyness. No monitoring means no growth is possible.

One "no" anywhere in that chain and AI becomes an accelerant on a fire you haven't found yet.

This Thursday at noon ET, I'm running this diagnostic live.

I'll trace a real business system on screen, show you where the owner is trapped doing work AI should handle, and walk you through how to run P.E.R.F.O.R.M. on your own business.

45 minutes that change how you see your operations before you automate them.

See you Thursday.

Will

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How evaluate if a business is ready for AI