FEATURED POST OF THE WEEK

Our long-form article of the week. You can always view the current and past featured posts on Empower’s blog.

Start with the problem; not the solution: A framework for evaluating AI in your business

A continuation from last week

Last week, I set the stage for AI, why it’s generating so much buzz and approachable ways to get started with the technology. Today, we’ll continue the topic but shift gears to talk about how you can consider whether applications of AI are well-suited for your business today. This process might also uncover ways AI is already built into the fabric of your operations without you even knowing it.

Asking the right question

I often hear the question: “What AI tool should I use?” or “How can I automate this thing?”

While those are fair questions, they’re not the place to start.

Why?

It comes down to context. New technology brought into your business should enhance your systems and solve a specific problem. If you don’t take a step back to understand why you’re considering AI in the first place, it will be challenging to find the right solution to your business challenge.

Even though AI can be exciting and, as I spoke about last week, there’s a sense of FOMO if you don’t immediately act, I’m a firm advocate of the following: before jumping to the conclusion that AI must be the solution, deeply understand the business problem first.

We’re talking about decision-making around AI applications here, but this sentiment and framework I’m about to outline applies to any decision about new solutions for your business.

Let’s get to it.

A 10-step framework to help you better evaluate AI for your business

Step 1 - Define the problem(s):

Instead of starting with the question: “How do I use AI in my business tomorrow?”

Start with “What’s the biggest pain point in my business right now and why is it causing so much pain?”

Step 2 - Prioritize:

If you have a long list of problems (and let’s face it, we all do 🙂), be sure to prioritize and focus your efforts. Think about the relative impact each has on your business and how much effort might be required to fix it. Level of urgency and dependencies should be considered when thinking about impact.

Once you’ve prioritized, start to tackle #1 on the list.

Step 3 - Analyze the current state:

Analyze and map out the existing process so you have a fresh picture of how things operate today, including where the inefficiencies live. 

Step 4 - Define outcomes and success criteria:

Know what success looks like. Set clear, quantifiable success criteria.

Step 5 - Research solution options:

Now, you can start evaluating different approaches to solving the challenge. Analyze different solutions. AI may be one option, but it’s not the only one.

In doing so, think about: 

• The cost vs. benefit of each solution.

• How each solution fits into your broader business workflows.

• Scalability and long-term potential.

• Internal capabilities and potential challenges to adoption.

Step 6 - Evaluate AI as a solution:

If an AI-powered solution surfaces as a potential option, I would consider the following questions:

• Are we dealing with repetitive tasks or a need for pattern recognition?

• What data is required and what’s the level of data quality that exists?

• Does my team have the skills to adopt this today? 

• Is this a complete AI solution or an AI and human collaboration?

• Are there ways to isolate a small test of an AI implementation?

• What resources are required?

Step 7 - Risk assessment:

After weighing options and narrowing down the approach you want to take, it’s important to do a risk assessment. For our purposes, we’ll assume that an AI-enabled solution may be best suited for your needs.

This risk assessment will help avoid several of the common pitfalls I mentioned in last week’s post.

Considerations here include, but are not limited to:

• Data privacy: Understand how data fed into AI models is stored, used and managed. Also, be sure to understand how you can control access to data.

• Security and compliance: Understand these protocols and make sure they meet your needs. You can also investigate if there have been any prior data breaches and leakage of sensitive information.

• Company background: Review the company, its team, reputation and funding. Additionally, evaluate their AI expertise, level of transparency and commitment to supporting the platform.

• Ethical and governance risks: Test for bias in systems, and understand the company’s AI ethics principles. Conduct an internal assessment to determine whether implementing the AI solution could negatively impact stakeholders.

• Strategic and execution risks: How does the solution align with your business’s strategy and objectives? What could impact your ability to implement and launch the solution?

Step 8 - Make a decision:

You’re now clear on the business challenge and have thoroughly analyzed your options, benefits and risks. It’s time to make a final decision on your solution approach.

Step 9 - Rollout and manage change:

As we all know, introducing new technology and processes into a business isn’t a “build it and they shall come exercise.” You need careful consideration to effectively navigate the change with your team and realize the ROI on your new investment. This includes thinking about a rollout plan, training, how best to drive adoption, etc.

Step 10 - Continuously learn and iterate:

You’ve successfully launched a solution. Congratulations! The work doesn’t stop there. Create a process to oversee progress and periodically assess performance.

Closing thoughts

The above is not exhaustive and this type of assessment can vary greatly depending on the type of business, complexity, regulation, jurisdiction, etc. You should, however, have more confidence in conducting an evaluation and making a decision the next time AI surfaces as a potential solution for your business.

If you’re time-crunched but want to evaluate how to streamline your business, Empower can help you navigate this process. Reply if you want to learn more. You can also get more information about our offerings here.

WEEKLY DOSE OF EMPOWERMENT

The weekly dose of Empowerment is meant to provide one weekly tip that’s both practical and approachable, to help drive incremental improvement to your day-to-day. We’re always open to your contributions as well. If you would like to submit a tip to be shared with the Empower community in a future newsletter, please reach out at [email protected] with the subject line “Weekly Dose of Empowerment Submission.”

Will it only take two minutes? Then get it done.

This week’s tip is a quick one.

The simple premise: If you have tasks in your queue that will take two minutes or less to complete, do them now and don’t procrastinate.

Why?

• Delay less: If you’re in the habit of getting quick tasks done, you’ll resist the tendency to procrastinate and avoid building a long list of very small items on your to-do list.

• Momentum: Completing quick tasks provides a sense of accomplishment and builds momentum for more challenging, strategic things you’ll need to tackle.

• Clear your mind: Small tasks can occupy more brain space than necessary. If something will only take two minutes, why would you bother thinking about it for longer than that?

Use this tip wisely

The two-minute rule has clear benefits, but there can also be a drawback. You have to make sure that you don’t find yourself in the position of solely prioritizing quick tasks over more meaningful work. That’s why reserving the two-minute rule for small tasks that are actionable and important is key. For example, spending most of your day responding to every email in your inbox because it will only take two minutes to respond to each may not be the best use of your time.

So, first, determine if a task is actionable. If the answer is no, file it away for later. If the answer is yes, and it will only take two minutes, then you know what to do — get it done so it never takes up valuable space on your to-do list.

JESSICA’S READ, OR LISTEN, PICK OF THE WEEK

A little something that got my gears turning this week and might pique your interest as well!

From Inc.: Small Business is Making a Comeback — And It’s About Damn Time

TL;DR

This one might stir up controversy — the battle between Main Street and Silicon Valley business models lays bare in this article. The shifting economy and financing environment we’ve all experienced over the past couple of years has yielded heightened focus and appreciation for sustainable growth. We’re no longer in a growth-for-any-cost environment, and that shift has severely impacted many early-stage and growth companies that raised funding before things changed. The author discusses this pendulum shift and the rationale for why “startup” models may no longer be the darling.

Five themes I took away from the article overall:

• We’re seeing a shift from startup to small business thinking.

• Traditional technology startup mechanics have inherent flaws.

• Economic change is playing a significant role in this shift.

• Unrealistic expectations exist when investors and leaders quickly shift from a high-growth startup mentality to one that demands profitability yesterday.

• Alternative models are emerging.

Have a read and share your thoughts.

JUST FOR FUN

Really, this section is just for fun. Who knows what will be in store each week?

Zapier’s recent launch of ZAP: AI in a can was a smart, playful strategy by their marketing team to “unleash” what’s possible when you mix the power of Zapier’s integrations and workflow automation platform with AI’s supercharged automation capabilities. Given our featured topic of AI the past two weeks, I thought this was a fitting piece of fun.

I’m sure it will also be a good marketing case study down the road 😊

For even more fun, I signed up for free samples and received these goodies in the mail. I want the Zapier Marketing team’s budget!

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If you want to learn more about Empower’s offerings or methodology, reach out to discuss how we can support your goals. 

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