AI Readiness Assessment for SMBs

Build a 5-dimension AI readiness framework and scorecard for SMB clients.

Introduction

This is the 1st of 24 projects in the AI Consulting series.

30 Second Summary

Every small business owner is hearing about AI right now. Most have no idea whether their company is actually ready to use it, and they need someone who can walk in, evaluate their situation, and hand them a clear answer.

In this project, you will build a complete AI readiness assessment toolkit that you can deliver to any small business client. You'll design a scoring rubric, practice conducting an assessment against a realistic fictional client, and produce polished consulting deliverables including a visual scorecard and a prioritized 90-day roadmap.

What You'll Build

You'll open your finished scorecard, see a client's AI maturity mapped across five dimensions in a radar chart, and know exactly which gaps to prioritize and what to recommend first.

By the end of this project, you'll have:

A dimensional scoring rubric you can use to walk into any 10-100 person business and rate their AI readiness across Data, Process, Technology, People, and Strategy on a 1-5 scale.
A completed sample assessment of a fictional 35-person accounting firm, showing exactly how to turn interview answers into scored findings and a weighted composite result.
A polished one-page maturity scorecard and 90-day roadmap that communicate findings to non-technical executives and turn gaps into a phased action plan.
A prioritized gap analysis using a weighted framework that tells the client exactly where to invest their limited time and budget first.
Secret Mission: Build an automated scoring calculator in Excel that generates the maturity scorecard and gap priorities from raw dimension scores.

Are there any prerequisites?

You'll need a Microsoft 365 Business account with access to Word and Excel. No additional tools, accounts, or installations are required.

Before We Start

Before We Start...

Before we dive in, let's lock in what you're about to build and why it matters for your consulting business.

Design Your Assessment Framework

Without a structured scoring model, an AI readiness assessment is just an opinion. Clients pay for methodology, not gut feelings.

A dimensional rubric with defined maturity levels gives you a repeatable, defensible framework that produces consistent results across different clients. In this step, you'll build the scoring engine that powers every assessment you deliver.

In this step, get ready to:

Create a five-dimension scoring rubric with weighted importance.
Define specific maturity levels (1-5) with observable behavioral descriptions for each dimension.
Write an interview question bank that maps to scoring evidence.

Create the five-dimension rubric structure

Every AI readiness assessment needs a consistent set of lenses to evaluate a business through. You'll define five dimensions, each weighted by how much it impacts real-world AI adoption success.

Press Cmd+Space (macOS) or the Windows key (Windows) to open your search bar.
Type Word and press Enter to open Microsoft Word.
Create a new blank document.
Save the document as AI Readiness Assessment Framework (Word will add the .docx extension automatically).

Save to a known location

Save this file to your Desktop or a dedicated project folder you can easily find. You'll create a companion Excel workbook in Step 3 that lives alongside this document.

At the top of your document, type a heading: AI Readiness Assessment Framework.
Below it, add a section heading: Section 1: Assessment Dimensions and Maturity Rubric.
Under that heading, write each of the five dimensions with its name, weight, and a one-sentence definition:

Data Readiness (25%): Is the client's data accessible, clean, and sufficient for AI to use?
Process Readiness (20%): Are business processes documented clearly enough to automate?
Technology Readiness (20%): Do existing systems support AI integration (APIs, cloud, infrastructure)?
People and Culture Readiness (20%): Does the team have skills, willingness, and leadership support?
Strategic Readiness (15%): Are there defined use cases, budget, and success metrics for AI?

Why these weights?

Data Readiness gets the highest weight (25%) because it is the most common blocker for SMB AI adoption. Without accessible, clean data, even the best AI tools produce garbage results.

Strategic Readiness gets the lowest weight (15%) because strategy can be developed quickly with consultant guidance. Data and process problems take months to fix.

Look at your document. You should see all five dimensions listed with their percentage weights and one-sentence definitions.

Document feels disorganized?

Use Word's built-in heading styles (Heading 1 for the document title, Heading 2 for section headers, Heading 3 for each dimension name). This creates structure you'll appreciate when the document grows.

help me format my Word document with proper heading styles for a consulting deliverable

Define maturity levels for each dimension

A score of "3" means nothing unless both you and the client agree on what a 3 looks like. Each maturity level needs specific, observable descriptions so two assessors scoring the same client would arrive at the same number.

Under the Data Readiness (25%) dimension in your document, add five maturity level descriptions:

Level 1 (Ad Hoc): Data scattered across spreadsheets, email inboxes, and paper. No central system of record.
Level 2 (Emerging): Some data in a central system (e.g., CRM exists) but incomplete, inconsistent, or manually maintained.
Level 3 (Defined): Primary business data in structured systems with some quality controls. Accessible to key staff.
Level 4 (Managed): Data governance practices exist. Regular quality checks. Most operational data is digital and queryable.
Level 5 (Optimized): Clean, documented data pipelines. APIs available. Data strategy aligned with business objectives.

What makes a good maturity level description?

Each level describes observable behaviors, not vague judgments. "Data is good" is useless. "Primary business data in structured systems with some quality controls" is something you can verify during a client interview.

Notice the progression: each level builds on the previous one. Level 3 assumes the central system from Level 2 exists, then adds quality controls on top.

Now you'll write the same five-level progression for the remaining four dimensions. Each dimension follows the same pattern: Level 1 is chaotic or absent, Level 5 is optimized and strategic.

Under Process Readiness (20%), write five levels progressing from "No documented processes, reliance on tribal knowledge" (Level 1) through "Processes mapped, measured, and continuously optimized with clear automation candidates identified" (Level 5).
Under Technology Readiness (20%), write five levels progressing from "Legacy on-premise systems with no APIs or cloud access" (Level 1) through "Cloud-first architecture with documented APIs, integration layer, and capacity for AI workloads" (Level 5).
Under People and Culture Readiness (20%), write five levels progressing from "No AI awareness, resistance to technology change" (Level 1) through "Dedicated AI champion, cross-functional skills, experimentation culture, and executive sponsorship" (Level 5).
Under Strategic Readiness (15%), write five levels progressing from "No defined AI use cases, no budget allocation, AI discussed only in passing" (Level 1) through "AI strategy documented with prioritized use cases, allocated budget, defined success metrics, and executive accountability" (Level 5).

✔️ I'll give it a go!

Write each level so it describes something you could physically observe or ask about in a client interview. Avoid adjectives like "good" or "adequate" in favor of concrete behaviors.

ⓧ Maybe a little help...

Here is a worked example for Process Readiness to guide your writing for all four remaining dimensions:

Level 1 (Ad Hoc): No documented processes. Work depends on individual memory and tribal knowledge. Staff do things differently each time.
Level 2 (Emerging): A few critical processes are written down informally. Onboarding new staff still requires shadowing for weeks.
Level 3 (Defined): Core workflows documented in SOPs or shared guides. Staff can follow them independently. Some processes have assigned owners.
Level 4 (Managed): Processes are measured (cycle time, error rate). Bottlenecks identified. Some steps already automated with basic tools (email rules, templates).
Level 5 (Optimized): Processes continuously improved with metrics. Clear automation candidates identified and prioritized. Process maps used for decision-making.

Follow this same Level 1-5 arc for Technology, People and Culture, and Strategic Readiness. Each dimension should have the same structure: observable behaviors that progress from chaotic to optimized.

Save your document.

Scroll through your document. You should now see 25 total maturity level descriptions (five levels for each of five dimensions), each describing specific observable behaviors.

Levels feel too similar across dimensions?

Each dimension should use vocabulary specific to its domain. Data levels talk about systems and records. Process levels talk about documentation and workflows. Technology levels talk about APIs and infrastructure. If your levels read identically across dimensions, add domain-specific details.

help me differentiate my maturity level descriptions across dimensions

Build the interview question bank

Your rubric defines what each score looks like. Now you need the questions that surface the evidence to determine that score. These are the questions you would ask during a real stakeholder interview with a client's leadership team.

Add a new section heading to your document: Section 2: Interview Question Bank.
Under the Data Readiness heading, write 3-5 interview questions that surface evidence for scoring. Example questions:

"Where does your team store customer information? Is it in one system or spread across multiple tools?"
"If I asked for a report of all customer interactions from last month, how long would it take and who would I ask?"
"How often does your team encounter duplicate, missing, or incorrect data?"

What makes a good assessment question?

Each question maps to observable evidence that determines the maturity level score. "Do you have good data?" is a useless question because every client says yes. "How long would it take to pull a report of last month's customer interactions?" reveals whether data is accessible and structured.

Ask about time, people, and tools. The answers tell you the real maturity level.

Write 3-5 questions for each of the remaining four dimensions: Process Readiness, Technology Readiness, People and Culture Readiness, and Strategic Readiness.

✔️ I'll give it a go!

For each dimension, imagine you are sitting across from a managing partner who wants to sound more advanced than they are. Write questions that surface the truth through specifics, not self-assessment.

ⓧ Maybe a little help...

Here are example questions for each remaining dimension:

Process Readiness:

"If your most experienced employee left tomorrow, could a new hire follow their workflow from written documentation alone?"
"Which of your daily tasks involve copying information from one system to another?"
"How do you currently measure whether a process is working well or needs improvement?"

Technology Readiness:

"Can your main business systems talk to each other, or does someone manually transfer data between them?"
"What percentage of your infrastructure is cloud-based versus on-premise?"
"When was the last time you upgraded your core business software?"

People and Culture Readiness:

"Is anyone on your team already experimenting with AI tools on their own?"
"When you introduce a new tool, what does the typical adoption curve look like?"
"Does leadership actively champion technology initiatives, or delegate them to IT?"

Strategic Readiness:

"Have you identified specific tasks or workflows where AI could save time or reduce errors?"
"Is there a budget line item for AI or automation initiatives this year?"
"How would you measure whether an AI investment was successful after 90 days?"

Save your document.

Your document should now have 15-25 total interview questions across the five dimensions, each designed to surface evidence for a specific maturity score.

Verify your completed framework

Before you move on, scroll through your entire document from top to bottom. What do you expect to find?

Confirm each of the five dimensions has a clear one-sentence definition and its percentage weight.
Confirm each dimension has five maturity levels (1-5) with specific behavioral descriptions.
Confirm Section 2 has 3-5 interview questions per dimension, each targeting observable evidence.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Your framework document is complete. Save it one more time to make sure nothing is lost.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full structure

Your document should have this structure when you scroll through it:

Document title: AI Readiness Assessment Framework.
Section 1: Assessment Dimensions and Maturity Rubric.
Five dimensions listed (Data 25%, Process 20%, Technology 20%, People and Culture 20%, Strategic 15%), each followed by five numbered maturity levels with behavioral descriptions.
Section 2: Interview Question Bank.
Five dimension subheadings, each with 3-5 questions that ask about time, people, tools, or specific behaviors (not yes/no self-assessments).

Your assessment framework is built. You now have a reusable methodology that produces consistent, defensible results regardless of which client you evaluate. Next up, you'll put this framework to work by scoring a realistic fictional client.

Score the Fictional Client

Your assessment framework from Step 1 gives you a structured way to evaluate any business. But a rubric without a worked example is just theory.

In this step, you'll put your framework to work by scoring a realistic fictional client. You'll practice the judgment calls that turn interview answers into dimension scores and discover where your rubric needs sharper definitions.

In this step, get ready to:

Read a detailed client scenario for a 35-person accounting firm.
Score each dimension with evidence-based justification.
Calculate the weighted composite score and assign a readiness tier.

Read the client scenario

Before you can score anything, you need a realistic client to assess. The following scenario represents the most common client archetype MSP consultants encounter: fragmented data, no documented processes, enthusiastic-but-uninformed leadership, and ad-hoc AI usage.

In your AI Readiness Assessment Framework.docx document, scroll to the end of your interview question bank.
Add a new heading: Section 3 - Henderson and Associates Scoring.
Below the heading, paste or type the following client profile as reference material:

Henderson and Associates, a 35-person accounting firm:

28 accountants, 4 admin staff, 2 IT support (outsourced to an MSP), 1 managing partner.
Uses QuickBooks Online, Microsoft 365, and a legacy on-premise practice management system from 2018.
Client data stored across SharePoint (partially), individual OneDrive accounts, and the practice management system.
No documented SOPs. Senior accountants "just know" the processes.
Managing partner attended an AI conference, excited but unclear on specifics.
Annual IT budget: $45,000 (mostly hardware and M365 licenses).
One junior accountant has been using ChatGPT for email drafts. No official policy exists.

Why this client profile?

Henderson and Associates is designed to hit a realistic SMB profile that MSP consultants encounter daily. The combination of fragmented data, tribal knowledge, and leadership enthusiasm without a plan creates exactly the kind of gaps your assessment framework is built to identify.

As you read through the bullet points, start mentally mapping each detail to your five dimensions. Which dimension does "no documented SOPs" affect? What about "legacy on-premise system from 2018"?

Score each dimension with justification

Now comes the core consulting skill: translating qualitative evidence into a defensible numeric score. Each score must reference specific facts from the scenario, not gut feeling.

Below your client profile, create a scoring table. Click the Insert tab in the ribbon, then click Table and select a 4-column, 6-row grid (one header row plus five dimension rows).
Label your four columns: Dimension, Weight, Score (1-5), and Justification.

Fill in each row using the evidence from the client scenario. Here is how to score each dimension:

Data Readiness - Score: 2 (Emerging)

In the Justification column, write: "Client data exists in multiple disconnected systems (QuickBooks, SharePoint, practice management system, and individual OneDrive accounts). Some structure exists through QuickBooks and M365, but no unified access or data governance."

Process Readiness - Score: 1 (Ad Hoc)

In the Justification column, write: "No documented SOPs exist. Senior accountants carry all process knowledge informally. This is the lowest possible score because there is nothing written down for AI to learn from or automate."

Technology Readiness - Score: 2 (Emerging)

In the Justification column, write: "M365 and QuickBooks Online provide some modern cloud infrastructure. However, the legacy on-premise practice management system from 2018 has no API strategy and creates an integration barrier."

People and Culture Readiness - Score: 2 (Emerging)

In the Justification column, write: "Managing partner is interested but vague on specifics. One junior accountant is already using ChatGPT unofficially. Interest exists, but there is no formal policy, training program, or broad team buy-in."

Strategic Readiness - Score: 2 (Emerging)

In the Justification column, write: "AI interest exists at the leadership level, but there are no defined use cases, no dedicated budget allocation beyond general IT spend, and no success metrics. Enthusiasm without a plan."

Save your document.

What makes a good justification?

Notice that each justification references specific evidence from the scenario. "No documented SOPs" maps directly to Level 1 in your Process Readiness rubric. "Data in multiple disconnected systems" matches Level 2 in Data Readiness.

In a real engagement, this evidence would come from your interview questions. The justification column is what you show the client to explain why they received their score. It needs to be specific enough that they cannot argue "but we do have that" without providing counter-evidence.

🙋‍♀️ Not sure which level to assign?

When the evidence sits between two levels, score conservatively (lower). It is better to under-promise and over-deliver with a real client. If the scenario mentions something exists but it is inconsistent or incomplete, that typically maps to Level 2 (Emerging) rather than Level 3 (Defined).

Help me understand how to map client evidence to maturity levels in my scoring rubric.

Calculate the weighted composite score

Individual dimension scores tell part of the story. The weighted composite score gives the client a single number that represents their overall AI readiness, accounting for the fact that some dimensions matter more than others.

Below your scoring table, add a new heading: Weighted Composite Score.
Multiply each dimension score by its weight, then write out the calculation:

Data Readiness: 2 x 0.25 = 0.50
Process Readiness: 1 x 0.20 = 0.20
Technology Readiness: 2 x 0.20 = 0.40
People and Culture Readiness: 2 x 0.20 = 0.40
Strategic Readiness: 2 x 0.15 = 0.30

Sum the results: 0.50 + 0.20 + 0.40 + 0.40 + 0.30 = 1.80 out of 5 (36%).
Write this total below your calculation in the document.

Now map the composite score to a readiness tier. Add the following tier definitions and circle or bold the one that applies:

Below 2.0: Not Ready. Build foundations first.
2.0 - 3.0: Partially Ready. Scoped pilot possible after addressing critical gaps.
3.0 - 4.0: Ready to Pilot. Address gaps in parallel with initial deployment.
4.0 - 5.0: Scale-Ready. Expand AI across multiple workflows.

Bold or highlight the Not Ready tier and add a note: "Henderson and Associates scores 1.80, placing them just below the Partially Ready threshold. Foundation work is needed before any AI pilot."
Save your document.

What does this score mean for the client?

A score of 1.80 tells the managing partner something actionable: the firm is not ready for an AI pilot today, but it is close to the threshold. With targeted work on the lowest-scoring dimension (Process Readiness at Level 1), the composite could rise above 2.0 within 30 days.

This is exactly the kind of insight that justifies a consulting engagement. You are not just saying "you're not ready." You are showing precisely where the gap is and how close they are to crossing the threshold.

Before you move on, review your completed scoring section. Do you think a managing partner reading this would understand exactly where their firm stands and what needs to change?

Open your document and scroll through Section 3. You should see the client profile, a scoring table with all five dimensions scored and justified, the weighted calculation, and a clear readiness tier classification.

Scores don't feel right?

If your weighted total came out different from 1.80, double-check that you used the correct weights: Data 0.25, Process 0.20, Technology 0.20, People 0.20, Strategic 0.15. These must sum to 1.00.

If you assigned different scores than the ones listed above, review the maturity level descriptions in Section 1. The key distinction: Level 2 means "something exists but it is incomplete or inconsistent." Level 1 means "nothing formal exists at all."

Help me check my weighted composite score calculation for the AI readiness assessment.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Great. Double check you have saved your document with all three parts of Section 3: the client profile, the scoring table, and the weighted composite score with readiness tier.

ⓧ I'd like to double check my work

Your Section 3 should contain the following elements in order:

The Henderson and Associates client profile (7 bullet points).
A 4-column scoring table: Dimension, Weight, Score (1-5), Justification.
Scores: Data Readiness 2, Process Readiness 1, Technology Readiness 2, People and Culture Readiness 2, Strategic Readiness 2.
Each justification references specific evidence from the client scenario (2-3 sentences each).
Weighted calculation showing each dimension multiplied by its weight.
Composite total: 1.80 out of 5 (36%).
Readiness tier: Not Ready (below 2.0 threshold), approaching Partially Ready.

You now have a scored assessment that demonstrates exactly how to turn client evidence into actionable findings. Next up, you will transform these numbers into a visual scorecard that communicates everything at a glance to non-technical stakeholders.

Build the Visual Maturity Scorecard

You now have a complete set of scores for Henderson and Associates, backed by evidence and weighted by importance.

Here is the problem: the managing partner will not read a 10-page report. They need to see their maturity at a glance, understand where the gaps are, and feel confident in your recommendations. A one-page visual scorecard is what separates a $2,000 engagement from a free conversation.

In this step, you will build that scorecard in Microsoft Excel. You will create a data table, generate a radar chart that maps current and target states, and add a professional summary section.

In this step, get ready to:

Set up the scorecard spreadsheet with dimension scores and targets.
Create a radar chart showing current state versus target state.
Add a formatted summary section with the composite score, readiness tier, and recommendation.

Set up the scorecard spreadsheet

The scorecard needs a clean data table that holds your dimension scores alongside target scores. The gap between current and target is what drives your recommendations.

Press Cmd+Space (macOS) or the Windows key (Windows) to open your search bar.
Type Excel and press Enter to open Microsoft Excel.
Click Blank workbook to create a new file.
Save the workbook immediately as AI Readiness Scorecard.xlsx on your Desktop by pressing Cmd+S (macOS) or Ctrl+S (Windows).

Right-click the sheet tab at the bottom (it will say Sheet1) and select Rename.
Type Scorecard and press Enter.

Now build the data table that holds your assessment results.

Click cell A1 and type Dimension.
In cell B1, type Weight.
In cell C1, type Current Score.
In cell D1, type Target Score.
In cell E1, type Gap.

Why a Target Score column?

The target score represents a realistic 90-day improvement goal. Setting it one level above the current score for each dimension gives the client a concrete, achievable benchmark without overwhelming them.

Starting in row 2, enter the Henderson and Associates data. Fill in each row with the values from your assessment:

Row 2: Data Readiness | 25% | 2 | 3 | 1

Row 3: Process Readiness | 20% | 1 | 2 | 1

Row 4: Technology Readiness | 20% | 2 | 3 | 1

Row 5: People and Culture Readiness | 20% | 2 | 3 | 1

Row 6: Strategic Readiness | 15% | 2 | 3 | 1

Press Cmd+S (macOS) or Ctrl+S (Windows) to save.

Your spreadsheet now shows a clean table with all five dimensions, their weights, and the gap between where Henderson and Associates is today and where they should aim in 90 days.

Data not lining up in columns?

Make sure each value is in its own cell. If multiple values ended up in one cell, click the cell, clear it, and re-enter just the single value. Each pipe character (|) in the rows above represents a new column, not something you type.

Help me fix my scorecard data table in Excel.

Create the radar chart

A radar chart (also called a spider chart) maps each dimension as a spoke radiating from a center point. It lets your client instantly see which areas are strong and which are lagging.

Select cells A1:A6 (the Dimension column header and all five dimension names).
Hold Cmd (macOS) or Ctrl (Windows) and also select cells C1:C6 (the Current Score column header and scores).
Click the Insert tab in the ribbon at the top.
In the Charts group, click the small icon that looks like a radar/spider web, or click Recommended Charts and switch to the All Charts tab.
Select Radar from the chart type list on the left.
Choose the Filled Radar variant (the one with solid color fill, not just lines).
Click OK to insert the chart.

You should now see a filled radar chart on your spreadsheet showing the five dimensions with their current scores. The shape will look uneven because Process Readiness (score 1) pulls one spoke inward.

Now add the Target Score as a second data series so the client can see the gap visually.

Right-click anywhere on the chart and select Select Data.
In the dialog that appears, click Add (or the + icon) to add a new data series.
For Series name, click cell D1 (which contains "Target Score").
For Series values, select cells D2:D6 (the five target scores).
Click OK to confirm the new series, then OK again to close the Select Data dialog.

Your chart now displays two overlapping shapes. Format them so the client can distinguish current state from target state at a glance.

Click on the Target Score series in the chart (the outer shape) to select it.
Right-click and select Format Data Series.
Under Fill, select No fill so only the outline shows.
Under Border (or Line), set the color to a contrasting color like orange or red.
Set the Dash type to a dashed line style.
Close the Format pane.

Double-click the chart title text at the top of the chart.
Replace it with AI Readiness Maturity Map.
Save your file.

Your radar chart now shows the Current State as a solid filled shape and the Target State as a dashed outline in a contrasting color. The visual gap between the two shapes is immediately obvious.

Why a filled radar instead of a bar chart?

A radar chart communicates the balance (or imbalance) across all five dimensions simultaneously. A bar chart would show the same data but loses the "shape" insight.

When a client sees a lopsided radar shape, they immediately understand that one area is dragging behind the others. That visual moment creates urgency better than a table of numbers.

🙋‍♀️ Chart showing only one series?

If your Target Score series is not visible, right-click the chart, select Select Data, and confirm that two series are listed (Current Score and Target Score). If only one appears, click Add and re-select the Target Score range D2:D6.

Help me add a second data series to my radar chart in Excel.

Add the summary section

The chart tells the visual story, but the managing partner also needs key numbers and a clear recommendation in plain language. This summary section sits beside the chart to form a complete one-page deliverable.

Click a cell below your data table (around row 9 or 10) or to the right of the chart, wherever you have space for a summary block.
Type the following labels and values, each in its own row:

Client: Henderson and Associates
Assessment Date: Enter today's date.
Composite Score: 1.90/5 (38%)
Readiness Tier: Not Ready
Top Strength: Data Readiness and Technology Readiness (tied at 2)
Critical Gap: Process Readiness (score 1)
Recommended First Action: Document top 5 accounting workflows before any AI tool deployment.

Why lead with Process Readiness as the critical gap?

Process Readiness scored the lowest (1 out of 5). Without documented workflows, any AI tool you recommend will automate chaos rather than streamlining real processes. Fixing this gap first gives every other AI initiative a foundation to build on.

Select all the summary cells you just typed.
Bold the label text in each row (the part before the colon) by selecting it and pressing Cmd+B (macOS) or Ctrl+B (Windows).
Increase the font size of the Readiness Tier row to make it stand out visually.
Save your file.

Your scorecard sheet now contains the data table, the radar chart, and a formatted summary. This is a one-page deliverable you could print or share as a PDF with a client.

Make it print-ready

Go to File > Print and check the preview. If the chart and summary overflow to a second page, resize the chart or adjust column widths until everything fits on one page. A single-page scorecard has more impact than a multi-page spreadsheet.

Before you move on, take a moment to predict: does your scorecard clearly communicate where Henderson and Associates stands and what they should prioritize?

Look at your completed scorecard. Confirm that the radar chart shows all five dimensions with two distinct series (solid fill for Current State, dashed outline for Target State).
Confirm the summary section displays the composite score of 1.90, the Not Ready tier, and the recommended first action.
Check that someone unfamiliar with your assessment could look at this one page and immediately identify Process Readiness as the critical gap.

Chart looks squished or labels are cut off?

Click the chart border and drag the corner handles to resize it. If dimension labels are truncated, try reducing the font size of the chart axis labels by right-clicking them and selecting a smaller font.

Help me fix the layout of my Excel radar chart and scorecard.

Your one-page scorecard is ready. Next up, you will dig deeper into those gaps and build a prioritized action plan that tells Henderson and Associates exactly what to fix first.

Perform the Gap Analysis and Prioritize

Your scorecard now shows Henderson and Associates exactly where they stand. But showing a client their scores without telling them what to fix first is like handing someone a medical test without a diagnosis.

In this step, you'll transform raw scores into a prioritized action plan. The gap analysis tells the client exactly where to invest their limited time and budget for the biggest return.

In this step, get ready to:

Identify every gap between current and target scores with specific remediation actions.
Score each gap using a weighted prioritization framework.
Write a 3-sentence executive recommendation that communicates the verdict and first action.

Identify gaps and remediation actions

Every dimension where the current score falls below the target is a gap. Each gap needs a plain-language description of what is missing and a concrete remediation action the client can take.

Switch to your AI Readiness Scorecard.xlsx workbook in Excel.
Click the + button next to the Scorecard sheet tab at the bottom of the window to create a new sheet.
Double-click the new sheet tab and rename it to Gap Analysis.

In row 1, create column headers by typing the following across cells A1 through H1:

Dimension | Gap Description | Remediation Action | Business Impact (40%) | Effort Required (25%) | Dependency Chain (20%) | Risk Exposure (15%) | Weighted Priority Score

What do these columns mean?

The first three columns describe each gap and how to fix it. The next four columns are your prioritization scores (rated 1-5 each). The final column calculates which gap to tackle first based on weighted importance.

Now fill in the gap descriptions and remediation actions for all five dimensions. Type the following content into rows 2 through 6:

Row 2 (Process Readiness):

Dimension: Process Readiness
Gap Description: No documented SOPs for key accounting workflows. Senior staff hold all process knowledge informally, blocking any automation.
Remediation Action: Document the top 5 accounting workflows as structured process maps with clear inputs, outputs, and decision points.

Row 3 (Data Readiness):

Dimension: Data Readiness
Gap Description: Client data fragmented across QuickBooks, SharePoint, individual OneDrive accounts, and legacy practice management system. No unified access layer.
Remediation Action: Consolidate client records into a structured SharePoint library with standardized folder structure and metadata tagging.

Row 4 (People and Culture Readiness):

Dimension: People and Culture Readiness
Gap Description: No formal AI skills training. One junior staff member using ChatGPT without guidance or policy. No change management plan.
Remediation Action: Draft an AI acceptable use policy, roll out awareness training for all staff, and identify 2-3 AI champions for peer support.

Row 5 (Strategic Readiness):

Dimension: Strategic Readiness
Gap Description: Managing partner enthusiastic but no defined AI use cases, success metrics, or allocated budget beyond general IT spend.
Remediation Action: Facilitate a use-case prioritization workshop with leadership to identify top 3 AI opportunities, define success metrics, and allocate pilot budget.

Row 6 (Technology Readiness):

Dimension: Technology Readiness
Gap Description: Legacy on-premise practice management system (2018) lacks APIs. No cloud migration plan for core business data.
Remediation Action: Evaluate cloud-based practice management alternatives with API access. Plan phased migration starting with least-critical data.

Widen columns B and C so the full text is visible. Select both columns, then click Home > Format > AutoFit Column Width.

Your sheet now has five rows of gaps with clear descriptions and specific remediation steps. Each row represents a concrete problem and its solution.

Don't see all five rows?

Check your Scorecard sheet. Every dimension where Current Score is less than Target Score should appear as a row in your Gap Analysis. In Henderson's case, all five dimensions have a gap of 1, so all five should be listed.

If you only see some rows, make sure you entered data starting in row 2 (row 1 is your header).

Help me set up my gap analysis table correctly.

Score each gap using the prioritization framework

Not all gaps are equally urgent. A prioritization framework uses weighted criteria to surface which gaps deserve attention first based on business reality, not just gut feeling.

What do the four scoring criteria mean?

Business Impact (40% weight): How much does closing this gap enable AI use cases? Score 5 if it unlocks everything, 1 if it barely matters.
Effort Required (25% weight): How much time, budget, and disruption? Scored inversely. 5 means easy and fast. 1 means very hard and expensive.
Dependency Chain (20% weight): Does this gap block progress in other dimensions? Score 5 if other dimensions cannot advance until this is fixed.
Risk Exposure (15% weight): Does the gap create compliance, security, or reputational risk? Score 5 for high risk, 1 for negligible risk.

Before you score, think about Henderson and Associates. Which gap do you predict will rank as the highest priority, and why?

In your Gap Analysis sheet, enter the following scores in columns D through G for each dimension. Rate each criterion 1-5:

Process Readiness (row 2):

Business Impact: 5
Effort Required: 4
Dependency Chain: 5
Risk Exposure: 3

Data Readiness (row 3):

Business Impact: 5
Effort Required: 3
Dependency Chain: 4
Risk Exposure: 4

People and Culture Readiness (row 4):

Business Impact: 4
Effort Required: 3
Dependency Chain: 3
Risk Exposure: 3

Strategic Readiness (row 5):

Business Impact: 4
Effort Required: 4
Dependency Chain: 3
Risk Exposure: 2

Technology Readiness (row 6):

Business Impact: 3
Effort Required: 2
Dependency Chain: 3
Risk Exposure: 2

Why does Process Readiness score 5 on Dependency Chain?

You cannot automate a workflow that nobody has written down. Every AI implementation depends on understanding the current process first. Without documented SOPs, even a perfect data setup cannot be turned into an AI use case.

Now calculate the weighted priority score. Click into cell H2 and enter this formula:

=D2*0.4+E2*0.25+F2*0.2+G2*0.15

Press Enter to confirm the formula.
Click cell H2 again, then drag the fill handle (the small square at the bottom-right corner of the cell) down through H6 to copy the formula to all five rows.

Your weighted priority scores should look like this:

Process Readiness:          4.45
Data Readiness:             4.15
Strategic Readiness:        3.50
People and Culture:         3.40
Technology Readiness:       2.60

How is the priority score calculated?

Each criterion score is multiplied by its weight, then all four are summed. For Process Readiness: (5 x 0.40) + (4 x 0.25) + (5 x 0.20) + (3 x 0.15) = 2.00 + 1.00 + 1.00 + 0.45 = 4.45. The higher the number, the more urgent the gap.

Sort the table by priority score descending. Select all data rows (A2 through H6), then click Home > Sort & Filter > Custom Sort.
Set the sort column to Weighted Priority Score (column H), and set the order to Largest to Smallest.
Click OK.

Process Readiness now sits at the top of your table. This confirms it is the single most important gap to address first. Did your earlier prediction match?

Seeing different numbers?

Double-check that your formula in H2 uses the correct weights: 0.4 for column D, 0.25 for column E, 0.2 for column F, and 0.15 for column G. A common mistake is swapping the weights between Effort Required and Dependency Chain.

Also confirm you dragged the formula down from H2 to H6, not typed it manually in each cell (which can introduce typos).

Help me fix my priority score formula.

Write the executive recommendation

The managing partner will read this summary before anything else on the sheet. Three sentences is all you get to communicate the verdict, the most urgent gap, and what to do about it.

Insert 3 empty rows at the very top of your Gap Analysis sheet. Right-click row 1, then select Insert. Repeat until you have 3 blank rows above your header row.
In cell A1, type Executive Recommendation and bold it.
In cell A2, type the following 3-sentence executive summary:

Henderson and Associates scores 1.90/5.0 (Not Ready tier), meaning the firm must address foundational gaps in process documentation and data accessibility before any AI deployment can succeed. Process Readiness (priority score 4.45) is the most critical gap because undocumented workflows cannot be automated, and this deficiency blocks progress across all other dimensions. Recommended first action: document the top 5 accounting workflows as structured process maps within 30 days, which will enable scoped AI pilot selection and raise the composite score toward the Partially Ready tier.

Select cells A2 through H2, then click Home > Merge & Center so the summary text spans the full width of your table.
Enable text wrapping on the merged cell by clicking Home > Wrap Text.
Save your workbook by pressing Cmd+S (macOS) or Ctrl+S (Windows).

Why only three sentences?

Executives skim. Your full analysis lives in the table below, but the summary is what gets read in the meeting. Three sentences forces you to distill the most important insight: what tier are they in, what is blocking them, and what should they do Monday morning.

Review your completed Gap Analysis sheet from top to bottom. You should see the executive summary spanning the top, followed by your header row, then five gaps sorted from highest priority (Process Readiness at 4.45) to lowest (Technology Readiness at 2.60).

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Excellent. Double check you've saved the workbook. Your Gap Analysis sheet should have the executive summary at the top, column headers, then five dimension rows sorted descending by Weighted Priority Score.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full sheet

Here is what your Gap Analysis sheet should contain, from top to bottom:

Row 1: Executive Recommendation (bolded title).
Row 2: Merged cell with your 3-sentence summary spanning columns A through H.
Row 3: Blank spacer row.
Row 4: Column headers (Dimension, Gap Description, Remediation Action, Business Impact (40%), Effort Required (25%), Dependency Chain (20%), Risk Exposure (15%), Weighted Priority Score).
Row 5: Process Readiness | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4.45.
Row 6: Data Readiness | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4.15.
Row 7: Strategic Readiness | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3.50.
Row 8: People and Culture Readiness | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.40.
Row 9: Technology Readiness | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2.60.

The formula in each Weighted Priority Score cell should be =D*0.4+E*0.25+F*0.2+G*0.15 (with the correct row number).

You now have a professional gap analysis that does more than list problems. It tells the client exactly which problem to solve first and why. Next up, you'll turn these priorities into a phased 90-day roadmap with specific actions, owners, and milestones.

Create the 90-Day Roadmap

Your gap analysis tells the client exactly where their weaknesses are and which gaps matter most. But without a timeline, even a perfectly prioritized list sits in a drawer.

In this step, you'll turn your gap analysis into a phased 90-day action plan. Each phase has specific deliverables, assigned owners, and clear milestones that prove progress to the client and justify your ongoing engagement.

In this step, get ready to:

Structure three 30-day phases with distinct goals.
Fill in specific action items with owners and definitions of done.
Add milestone checkpoints and a re-assessment trigger at Day 90.

Structure the three phases

A 90-day window is short enough to maintain urgency but long enough to show measurable improvement. Splitting it into three 30-day phases gives the client clear checkpoints where they can see progress without waiting three months for results.

Switch back to your AI Readiness Scorecard.xlsx workbook in Excel.
Create a new sheet by clicking the + icon next to your existing sheet tabs at the bottom of the workbook.
Double-click the new tab name and rename it to 90-Day Roadmap.

Now set up the phase structure. Each phase has a distinct purpose that builds on the one before it.

In cell A1, type 90-Day AI Readiness Roadmap - Henderson and Associates as your sheet title.
Starting in row 3, create a table with these column headers: Phase, Action Item, Owner, Definition of Done.
In the first few rows of the Phase column, enter these three phase labels:

Phase 1 (Days 1-30): Foundation . Address the highest-priority gaps. Focus on data cleanup, process documentation, and governance basics.
Phase 2 (Days 31-60): Pilot . Select and begin one high-value AI use case. Continue closing secondary gaps in parallel.
Phase 3 (Days 61-90): Evaluate and Expand . Measure pilot results, refine approach, and plan the next wave of AI adoption.

Why these three phases?

The Foundation, Pilot, Evaluate structure is consistent across major SMB consulting frameworks. It works because Phase 1 removes blockers, Phase 2 proves value with minimal risk, and Phase 3 uses evidence to justify broader investment.

For Henderson and Associates, this means you are not asking them to commit to a full AI transformation upfront. You are giving them a 30-day win to build confidence.

You should now see your 90-Day Roadmap sheet with a title, column headers, and three phase labels ready to fill in.

Fill in specific actions for Henderson and Associates

Each action item needs three things to be executable: what to do, who owns it, and what "done" looks like. Without all three, action items become vague intentions that nobody acts on.

Fill in the rows under Phase 1 (Days 1-30): Foundation with these three action items:

Action: Consolidate client records from individual OneDrive accounts into a structured SharePoint library. Owner: MSP/IT support. Done: All active client folders accessible from one SharePoint site.
Action: Document the top 5 accounting workflows as simple process maps. Owner: Senior accountants with consultant facilitation. Done: Five one-page process maps reviewed and approved.
Action: Draft an AI acceptable use policy addressing the existing ChatGPT usage. Owner: Managing partner with consultant template. Done: Policy signed and communicated to all staff.

Why do these actions come first?

Look back at your Gap Analysis sheet. Process Readiness ranked as priority #1 and Data Readiness ranked #2. Phase 1 directly tackles both of these top-priority gaps. The AI policy addresses the People/Culture gap that ranked #3-4.

Your roadmap should always trace back to your prioritization. This is what separates a structured consulting engagement from generic advice.

Now fill in the rows under Phase 2 (Days 31-60): Pilot with these action items:

Action: Select one high-value AI use case from the client's context (e.g., Copilot for document drafting). Owner: Consultant with managing partner sign-off. Done: Use case selected with defined success criteria.
Action: Begin pilot with 2-3 selected staff members on the chosen use case. Owner: Pilot participants with consultant coaching. Done: Pilot running for 2+ weeks with usage tracked.
Action: Continue secondary gap remediation (technology infrastructure review, staff training plan). Owner: MSP/IT support and consultant. Done: Technology audit complete, training schedule published.

Fill in the rows under Phase 3 (Days 61-90): Evaluate and Expand with these action items:

Action: Measure pilot results against the success criteria defined in Phase 2. Owner: Consultant. Done: Pilot results report delivered to managing partner.
Action: Refine approach based on pilot learnings and staff feedback. Owner: Consultant with pilot participants. Done: Updated deployment playbook reflecting pilot feedback.
Action: Plan the next wave of AI adoption across additional workflows. Owner: Managing partner and consultant. Done: Next-phase proposal delivered with budget estimate and timeline.

Review your table. Every row should have all four columns filled in with no blanks.

Keep definitions of done observable

Each "Done" statement should describe something you can point to and verify. "All active client folders accessible from one SharePoint site" is observable. "Data is better organized" is not. When you adapt this for real clients, apply the same test.

Add milestones and re-assessment trigger

A roadmap without checkpoints gives the client no way to know if they are on track. Milestone questions force a concrete yes/no answer at the end of each phase.

Below your action items table, add a new section titled Milestone Checkpoints.
For each phase, write a single checkpoint question the client should be able to answer "yes" to at the end of that phase:

Phase 1 checkpoint: "Can any team member access all active client files from one SharePoint location, and do we have documented workflows for our top 5 processes?"
Phase 2 checkpoint: "Are 2-3 staff actively using the AI pilot tool in their daily work, and can we measure the time saved?"
Phase 3 checkpoint: "Do we have measured results from the pilot and a funded plan for the next AI workflow?"

Below the milestones, add a Re-Assessment section with these two items:

Re-assessment date: Day 90. Re-score all five dimensions using the original rubric to measure progress.
Expected outcome: Move from the current composite score of approximately 1.90 (Not Ready) to 3.0+ (Ready to Pilot), enabling a Copilot pilot deployment.

Why include a re-assessment trigger?

The re-assessment is your natural upsell moment as a consultant. At Day 90, you return to re-score the client using the same rubric. This proves measurable progress to the client and positions a follow-on engagement to tackle the next tier of readiness.

Save your workbook.

Before you review your finished roadmap, ask yourself: does this sheet contain everything a managing partner would need to know what happens next, who is responsible, and how they will know it worked?

Open your completed 90-Day Roadmap sheet and scan through it top to bottom. You should see three distinct 30-day phases, each with specific action items that include an owner and definition of done, milestone checkpoint questions at the end, and a re-assessment trigger at Day 90 with the expected readiness tier outcome.

Roadmap feels generic or vague?

Check that every action item references something specific to Henderson and Associates. "Improve data quality" is vague. "Consolidate client records from individual OneDrive accounts into SharePoint" is specific.

Also check that your Phase 1 actions map directly to your top-priority gaps from the Gap Analysis sheet. If they do not line up, revisit your priority ranking and adjust.

Help me review whether my roadmap actions align with my gap analysis priorities.

✔️ Awesome, I've got everything!

Your AI readiness assessment toolkit is complete. You now have a full set of consulting deliverables across your Word document and Excel workbook.

ⓧ I'd like to double check the full roadmap

Your 90-Day Roadmap sheet should contain, in order from top to bottom:

A title row: "90-Day AI Readiness Roadmap - Henderson and Associates".
A table with columns: Phase, Action Item, Owner, Definition of Done.
Phase 1 (Days 1-30) Foundation with 3 action items: consolidate into SharePoint, document top 5 workflows, draft AI policy.
Phase 2 (Days 31-60) Pilot with 3 action items: select use case, begin pilot with 2-3 staff, continue secondary gap work.
Phase 3 (Days 61-90) Evaluate and Expand with 3 action items: measure results, refine approach, plan next wave.
Milestone Checkpoints section with one yes/no question per phase.
Re-Assessment section with Day 90 date and expected outcome of moving from ~1.90 to 3.0+ readiness.

Secret mission

Build an Automated Scoring Calculator

Your assessment framework works beautifully for one client. But what happens when you land three new engagements next month? In this secret mission, you'll transform your static workbook into a dynamic calculator that generates the entire scorecard, gap analysis, and priorities from a single Input sheet. Enter scores, and everything updates automatically.

Clean Up Your Resources

This project runs entirely locally using Microsoft Word and Excel. There are no cloud resources, no paid services, and no ongoing costs to worry about.

Resources you created:

AI Readiness Assessment Framework.docx (Word document with rubric, interview questions, and sample scoring).
AI Readiness Scorecard.xlsx (Excel workbook with scorecard, gap analysis, roadmap, and automated calculator).

Keep everything running

No action needed. Choose this if you plan to use these templates with a real client soon or want to continue refining them.

Your framework and templates are ready to use with real clients immediately.
Consider customizing the rubric language, chart styling, and roadmap structure to match your brand before your first engagement.
You can expand the toolkit by adding industry-specific question banks (e.g., healthcare, legal, manufacturing) for different SMB verticals.

Pause - I'll come back to this later

Since these are local files with no running processes, there is nothing to pause. Your files will be exactly where you left them when you return.

Make sure both files are saved before closing Word and Excel.
Note the folder where you saved them so you can find them easily later.

Delete - I don't want to use this again

Remove both project files from your machine. This cannot be undone unless you have a backup.

Delete AI Readiness Assessment Framework.docx by right-clicking the file and selecting Delete (Windows) or Move to Trash (macOS).
Delete AI Readiness Scorecard.xlsx by right-clicking the file and selecting Delete (Windows) or Move to Trash (macOS).
Empty your Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (macOS) to permanently remove the files.

Nice Work!

You just built a complete AI readiness assessment toolkit that mirrors what MSP consultants charge $2,000-$5,000 to deliver. You can walk into any small business with 10-100 employees, evaluate their AI preparedness across five dimensions, and hand them a professional scorecard with a clear roadmap for what to do next.

You've learned how to:

Build a 5-dimension scoring rubric with defined maturity levels and weighted scoring that produces consistent, defensible assessments across different clients.
Design a visual maturity scorecard that communicates complex findings to non-technical executives at a glance using radar charts and formatted summaries.
Produce a prioritized gap analysis and phased 90-day roadmap that transforms assessment findings into actionable client deliverables.
Secret Mission: Automated the entire scoring and visualization workflow so the toolkit scales across multiple client engagements without manual formula editing.

Ready to quiz yourself?