An initiative should produce evidence and a decision at every stage. Progress is not measured by how much agent or workflow configuration exists; it is measured by whether the team can justify continuing.
Seven Stages
| Stage | Minimum output | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Identify | Problem, users, expected value, initial owner | Is discovery worthwhile? |
| Discover | Feasibility, scope, success criteria, risks, dependencies | Is a pilot safe and useful? |
| Pilot | Limited setup, realistic cases, user feedback | Continue, adjust, pause, or stop? |
| Configure | Prompts, data, tools, access, approvals, and documentation | Is the operating boundary complete? |
| Test | Acceptance evidence, issues, fixes, and go/no-go recommendation | Is rollout justified? |
| Roll out | Onboarding, support, monitoring, and feedback loop | Is adoption healthy? |
| Optimize | Usage and quality review, updated roadmap | Improve, expand, hold, or retire? |
Assign Governance Roles
- Business owner owns the outcome and prioritization.
- Admin or delivery owner owns configuration and coordination.
- Data and system owners approve sources and integrations.
- Security reviewer approves access, controls, and residual risk.
- Pilot users test real scenarios and report usability gaps.
- Release approver makes the go-live decision.
One person may hold more than one role in a small pilot, but the responsibilities must remain explicit.
Keep a Decision Record
At each gate, record the evidence reviewed, open risks, accepted limitations, decision, approver, and next review date. Link the record to relevant agent versions, workflow versions, evaluation results, tool executions, and configuration changes captured in the Audit Log.
Use AI Go-Live Checklist before production rollout. When the initiative enters delivery, continue to Enterprise Kick-off; after launch, use Deployment Reporting and Monthly Operations Review.