Companion platform to the book
Stop experimenting with AI. Start building an enterprise capability.
Most organizations do not have an AI technology problem. They have a strategy, process, data, governance, accountability, adoption, and value-realization problem.
The Enterprise AI Blueprint Companion Toolkit gives leaders 16 practical assessments, planners, calculators, and decision tools for moving AI initiatives from promising ideas to governed, production-ready business capabilities.
Based on the frameworks in The Enterprise AI Blueprint by W. Perry Underdown, the toolkit helps you determine what to pursue, what to fix, what to scale — and what to stop.
Takes approximately 15 minutes. Receive an immediate maturity score and recommended roadmap.
16 practical tools · 7 enterprise AI pillars · 5 roadmap phases · One integrated operating framework
Designed for executives, transformation leaders, technology teams, business owners, architects, governance leaders, and consultants responsible for turning AI investment into measurable business value.
The problem
AI projects rarely fail because the model was not intelligent enough. They fail because the organization surrounding the model was not ready.
- The business problem was never clearly defined.
- The underlying process was never redesigned.
- The data could not be trusted.
- Accountability remained ambiguous.
- Governance arrived too late.
- Employees did not understand how their work would change.
- The pilot demonstrated technical possibility but never proved business value.
These are not isolated project problems. They are signs that the organization lacks an enterprise AI operating system. The Companion Toolkit helps you find those weaknesses before they become expensive failures.
Flagship assessment
Begin with the complete Enterprise AI Blueprint Maturity Assessment
You may have dozens of AI projects underway and still lack an enterprise AI capability. The flagship assessment evaluates your organization across seven connected pillars.
In approximately 15 minutes you receive
- An overall enterprise AI maturity score
- A seven-pillar maturity profile
- Identification of your strongest and weakest capabilities
- A recommended starting point on the five-phase roadmap
- Chapter-specific guidance based on your results
- A prioritized list of actions for moving forward
- A downloadable executive maturity report
Strategy
Intent, priorities, funding
Business Architecture
Processes, capabilities, operating model
Information
Data quality, lineage, access
Technology
Platforms, integration, tooling
Governance
Policy, risk, oversight
Workforce
Skills, roles, adoption
Value
Benefits, measurement, realization
Results preview
Your assessment produces a roadmap — not just a score.
Your organization will be placed into one of four maturity stages, each with a different priority for the next 90 days.
Stage 1 of 4
Ad Hoc
AI activity is fragmented, project-specific, and dependent on individual initiative. Begin by aligning leadership, defining business priorities, and creating an initial governance structure.
Find your stage →
Stage 2 of 4
Emerging
Promising capabilities exist, but methods, ownership, architecture, and measurement remain inconsistent. Focus on creating repeatable standards and strengthening organizational foundations.
Find your stage →
Stage 3 of 4
Structured
The organization has established methods, governance, architecture, and delivery practices. The priority is expanding adoption, demonstrating realized value, and increasing reuse across the enterprise.
Find your stage →
Stage 4 of 4
Optimized
AI operates as a governed enterprise capability with shared services, disciplined investment, measurable value, and continuous portfolio improvement.
Find your stage →
Your results also recommend a roadmap phase
- 1Align
- 2Design
- 3Build the Foundation
- 4Deliver and Validate
- 5Scale and Improve
The toolkit
Use the complete toolkit — or start with the problem in front of you.
The 16 tools follow the lifecycle of an enterprise AI initiative, from initial idea through business-case development, architecture, governance, deployment, adoption, value realization, and enterprise scale. Each tool can be used independently. Together, they create an integrated method for managing AI across the enterprise.
Group 1
Decide What Is Worth Pursuing
Separate promising opportunities from expensive distractions.
AI Project Reality Check
5 minScreen an AI idea for the most common causes of failure before committing significant time or budget.
Check an AI Project →
AI Business Case Definition Tool
20 minTurn an early idea into a structured, executive-ready business case before making a technology decision.
You get: A shareable one-page Business Case Brief.
Build a Business Case →
AI Opportunity & Data Readiness Scorer
12 minDetermine whether the initiative is a Quick Win, a Foundational Investment, a Capability Transformation, or a Strategic Bet.
Score an Opportunity →
AI Business Case Scorecard
12 minA weighted scorecard that recommends one of seven paths: proceed to pilot, conduct discovery, build the foundation, redesign the process, use a simpler solution, monitor for later, or stop.
Test the Case for Action →
Group 2
Redesign the Work
Do not use AI to make a broken process run faster.
Process Redesign Readiness Survey
12 minAssess a business process using the ESSIA framework — Eliminate, Simplify, Standardize, Integrate, Automate — and find the earliest unresolved stage.
You get: A process-readiness ladder and prioritized redesign checklist.
Assess a Business Process →
AI Solution Requirements Builder
25 minChoose the appropriate autonomy level, then build requirements across 12 categories including business, process, functional, AI behavior, data, integrations, security, human oversight, evaluation, and operations.
You get: A structured, exportable Requirements Specification.
Build Solution Requirements →
Group 3
Design the Technical Foundation
The model is only one layer of an enterprise AI solution.
Enterprise AI Architecture Maturity Assessment
12 minExamine the complete environment surrounding the model, not just the model itself.
You get: An architecture maturity profile showing missing, immature, and established layers.
Assess Your AI Architecture →
Build vs. Buy AI Decision Tool
15 minCompare the three primary sourcing paths against functional fit, differentiation, integration, data control, security, configurability, vendor dependency, implementation effort, operating cost, and long-term flexibility.
You get: A recommended sourcing path with supporting rationale.
Compare Your Options →
Group 4
Establish Governance and Accountability
Responsible AI requires more than a policy.
AI Governance Maturity Assessment
15 minAssess governance from intake and evaluation through deployment, monitoring, review, and retirement — and check whether rigor increases as autonomy and business impact increase.
Assess AI Governance →
AI Accountability & RACI Builder
15 minBuild a use-case-specific accountability matrix covering business outcomes, data, technology, model behavior, human oversight, security, compliance, monitoring, incidents, change management, value realization, and retirement.
You get: A shareable RACI-style accountability matrix.
Build an Accountability Matrix →
AI Operating Model Diagnostic
12 minEvaluate your current operating model against the failure patterns that stall enterprise AI programs.
You get: A recommended division of responsibilities across the AI use-case lifecycle.
Diagnose Your Operating Model →
Group 5
Move Safely Into Production
A successful demonstration is not a production-ready system.
Group 6
Prove Value and Build Adoption
Adoption and value do not appear automatically after launch.
AI Value Realization Calculator
12 minGuide teams through three stages — Estimate, Validate, Realize — connecting baseline performance, target outcomes, AI contribution, implementation and operating costs, value-capture mechanisms, and actual production results.
You get: A value case showing baseline, target, actual performance, total cost, net value, and current evidence status.
Build a Value Case →
AI Change & Adoption Readiness Survey
8 minUse leadership and employee modes to identify gaps between executive confidence and frontline experience.
Assess Change Readiness →
Group 7
Scale the Enterprise Capability
You cannot scale AI by rebuilding the foundation for every use case.
AI Platform Investment & Scaling Assessment
10 minEvaluate shared platform maturity, how AI investment is funded, and scale across users, transactions, functions, business units, autonomy, and strategic importance.
You get: A recommended platform-investment priority.
Assess Platform Maturity →
Enterprise AI Blueprint Maturity Assessment
15 minEvaluate your organization across all seven pillars, identify the capabilities limiting progress, and receive a recommended roadmap for building a sustainable enterprise AI capability.
You get: An overall maturity score, a seven-pillar profile, a recommended roadmap phase, and a prioritized action list.
Start the Flagship Assessment →
How it works
Move from uncertainty to a defensible roadmap.
1
Choose your starting point
Take the comprehensive maturity assessment or select the tool that matches the decision immediately in front of you.
See how →
2
Complete a guided assessment
Answer focused questions grounded in practical enterprise AI strategy, architecture, governance, operations, workforce, and value frameworks.
See how →
3
Receive an actionable result
Get a score, recommendation, decision path, checklist, matrix, report, or planning document — not generic advice.
See how →
4
Continue through the toolkit
Each result points to the next logical tool, allowing you to move from initial opportunity through delivery, adoption, measurement, and scale.
See how →
5
Bring in expert support when needed
Use your results internally or schedule a working session to turn the findings into a practical roadmap.
See how →
Who it is for
Built for the people responsible for making enterprise AI work.
- CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, and Chief AI Officers
- Enterprise AI and digital transformation leaders
- Business-unit and functional executives
- Enterprise and solution architects
- Data, security, compliance, and governance leaders
- Product managers and process owners
- Change-management and workforce leaders
- Consultants and implementation partners
- Boards evaluating AI investment and risk
No data-science background is required. The tools focus on the organizational and operational decisions that determine whether AI produces sustainable value.
The book
Go deeper with The Enterprise AI Blueprint
The toolkit gives you the diagnostic. The book explains the operating system behind it.
- Connecting AI strategy to business strategy
- Selecting and prioritizing the right opportunities
- Redesigning work before automating it
- Establishing trustworthy information foundations
- Building enterprise-grade AI architecture
- Choosing between embedded, specialized, and platform solutions
- Governing AI throughout its lifecycle
- Assigning meaningful accountability
- Creating an effective AI operating model
- Moving from pilots into production
- Managing workforce change and adoption
- Measuring realized — not merely estimated — value
- Building shared platforms that allow AI to scale
Already have the book? Use the toolkit alongside each chapter to put the frameworks into practice.
Advisory
Your score is the beginning of the conversation.
Closing capability gaps requires decisions about priorities, ownership, architecture, governance, investment, and organizational change.
Schedule an Enterprise AI Working SessionField guide
Receive the Enterprise AI Blueprint field guide
Get practical guidance for moving AI from isolated experimentation to governed enterprise capability.
The field guide includes
- The seven-pillar maturity model
- The five-phase enterprise AI roadmap
- A project-readiness checklist
- An AI governance lifecycle overview
- A value-realization worksheet
- Access to the complete companion toolkit
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is the toolkit free?
The core assessments and on-screen results are available at no cost. Some detailed reports, templates, and advisory services may require registration or a separate engagement.
Do I need to read the book first?
No. Each tool can be used independently. The book provides deeper explanation, examples, and context for the frameworks used in the application.
Where should I begin?
If you are evaluating one proposed project, begin with the AI Project Reality Check. If you need to understand the maturity of your entire organization, begin with the Enterprise AI Blueprint Maturity Assessment.
How long do the assessments take?
Most focused tools take approximately five to ten minutes. The comprehensive maturity assessment takes approximately 15 minutes.
Can I use the tools with my team or clients?
Yes. Several tools are designed for facilitated workshops, project reviews, leadership discussions, and stakeholder surveys. Licensing and reuse restrictions are stated in the application terms.
Are the results a formal audit?
No. The tools provide structured, directional guidance based on the Enterprise AI Blueprint framework. They do not replace legal, regulatory, cybersecurity, financial, or compliance reviews.
Can the toolkit support Microsoft-based organizations?
Yes. The framework is technology-neutral and can be applied to Microsoft 365, Copilot, Azure AI, Power Platform, Fabric, and other enterprise environments.
What happens to the information I enter?
Assessment responses are used only to generate and save your results unless you explicitly agree to additional use. Sensitive, confidential, regulated, or personally identifiable information should not be entered into free-text fields.
Build an AI capability your organization can trust, operate, and scale.
Move beyond disconnected pilots and technology-led experimentation. Understand where you stand, identify what is missing, and build the organizational system required to produce sustainable value from AI.