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Tagged with: #governance

Posts tagged with #governance set out how to ensure AI decisions align with organisational values through governance structures that balance agility with appropriate controls.

AI Centre of Excellence: Your First 90 Days With Well-Advised Value Focus

Washington DC | Published in AI and Board | 15 minute read |    
A dynamic command centre where AI CoE teams coordinate their first 90 days. Multiple screens display pilot portfolios, value metrics across Well-Advised dimensions, and capability progress indicators. Teams work at different stations whilst a central dashboard shows the journey from quick wins to strategic initiatives. (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o).

This sixth article in my AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) series transforms theory into practice with a comprehensive 90-day implementation roadmap. Moving from capability building to value delivery, it introduces the AI Initiative Rubric - a systematic pilot selection tool that ensures your first initiatives deliver Well-Advised value whilst strengthening Five Pillars capabilities. Complete with sprint portfolios, stakeholder engagement strategies, and common pitfall avoidance, this article provides the practical guidance needed to demonstrate tangible AI CoE value from day one.


AI Centre of Excellence: Building Capabilities That Scale With AI Adoption

Washington DC | Published in AI and Board | 14 minute read |    
A modern corporate training centre where diverse teams work at stations representing the Five Pillars. Digital displays show capability maturity levels progressing from basic to advanced, with interconnected pathways between stations symbolising integrated capability development. The AI CoE team facilitates from a central hub. (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o).

The fifth article in my AI Centre of Excellence series provides a comprehensive guide to building essential capabilities across the Five Pillars. Moving from governance frameworks to practical implementation, it details how to develop capabilities that match your multi-speed AI reality - from transforming shadow AI into governed innovation, to creating comprehensive literacy programmes. Complete with a 90-day implementation sprint, maturity assessment tools, and practical templates, this article transforms theoretical understanding into actionable capability development.


AI Centre of Excellence: Designing Structure for Multi-Speed Governance

Llantwit Major | Published in AI and Board | 12 minute read |    
A modern glass-walled boardroom showing an organisational chart on a large screen. The chart displays a hub-and-spoke AI governance model with a central AI CoE connected to various business units at different stages of AI maturity, represented by different colours and connection strengths. Executives are gathered around the table reviewing the structure. (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o).

In the first three articles of this series, we’ve established why Boards need an AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE), explored the eighteen essential functions that drive AI success, and used the AI CoE Simulator to reveal the multi-speed reality of AI adoption. Now comes the critical question: how do you structure an AI CoE that can effectively govern this complex, multi-speed landscape?


AI Centre of Excellence: The Essential Functions of the Five Pillars

Llantwit Major | Published in AI and Board | 12 minute read |    
A modern control room with 18 illuminated panels arranged in five distinct colour-coded groups, each displaying abstract representations of AI governance functions, with silhouettes of executives observing the unified system (generated by ChatGPT 4o).

Every AI Centre of Excellence (AI CoE) needs a clear operational mandate. Through my experience designing and building Cloud Centres of Excellence for AWS customers, extensive research, and practical implementation, I’ve identified the essential functions that provide comprehensive AI governance without creating bureaucratic overload. These functions, organised around the Five Pillars mechanism, ensure your AI CoE can effectively govern multi-speed adoption while building the capabilities needed for sustainable AI transformation. Understanding these functions, and how they interconnect is crucial for boards establishing effective AI governance.


A Complete AI Adoption Framework: AISA, Five Pillars, and Well-Advised

London | Published in AI and Board | 15 minute read |    
A sophisticated boardroom with three interconnected holographic displays, each representing a key AI framework: AISA stages, Well-Advised pillars, and Five Pillars capabilities. Diverse executives collaborate around these dynamic visual representations, symbolising the integration of AI adoption strategies and governance approaches (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o).

I’m regularly asked how to use the AI Stages of Adoption, Five Pillars, and Well-Advised together practically. In this article I explain how these three mechanisms integrate to address the unique challenge of AI’s multi-speed adoption across different business functions. I provide a straightforward approach for boards to coordinate AI transformation whilst managing the governance complexities that emerge when different parts of the organisation advance at different speeds.


Rethinking Business Cases in the Age of AI: and Securing Buy-In from the Board

Limassol | Published in AI and Board | 16 minute read |    
A diverse executive team presents an AI business case to a Board in a modern Boardroom. Digital displays show strategic alignment diagrams and multi-horizon value projections, while executives engage with Board members who are reviewing materials. The scene captures the critical moment of stakeholder engagement and decision-making for AI investments. (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o).

Even the most meticulously crafted AI business case can fail at the final hurdle - securing Board buy-in. With research showing 88% of AI pilots never reach production, effective presentation isn’t just about gaining initial approval but establishing the path to full implementation. This final article in my series explores how to present AI investment proposals to Boards, addressing their six key areas of concern while building the stakeholder confidence necessary for successful transformation. By understanding Board dynamics, anticipating objections, and structuring presentations that balance strategic vision with implementation rigour, you can navigate the critical journey from business case to production-scale AI.


Upskilling for the AI Era: Building a Future-Ready Workforce

London | Published in AI and Board | 15 minute read |    
A conceptual digital illustration showing a workforce transitioning from traditional learning to AI-driven training — with one side depicting analog tools and classroom settings, and the other featuring holographic interfaces and futuristic technology. (Image generated by AI)

As I discussed in my article on building and managing AI-capable teams, organisations face a critical challenge in acquiring the right talent for AI transformation. This reminds me of the early days of cloud adoption, when I advised enterprises on their migration strategies. Back then, I witnessed the same scramble for scarce talent, which led me to advocate strongly for upskilling existing teams rather than relying solely on external hiring.


Implementing Decision Analytics: A Practical Guide for Boards

London | Published in AI and Board | 11 minute read |    
A diverse business team collaboratively building an AI decision analytics engine in a modern boardroom, with digital data displays and construction tools on a sleek conference table. (Image generated by ChatGPT-4o).

In my previous article, Transforming the Board: Using Decision Analytics for Strategic Advantage, I introduced the concept of AI-powered decision analytics as a transformative approach to board decision-making. I explored how these capabilities can help directors move beyond traditional backward-looking metrics to embrace predictive indicators that model potential futures and enhance strategic decision-making.


Transforming the Board: Using Decision Analytics for Strategic Advantage

Seattle | Published in AI and Board | 13 minute read |    
A contemporary boardroom scene with executives thoughtfully engaging with futuristic holographic visuals above a polished table, displaying graphical analytics and predictive indicators, symbolising the strategic shift toward decision analytics and AI-driven insights. (Image generated by ChatGPT-4o).

In my article The Board in the machine, I argued that “Boards will find that there are no barriers to making the right decisions at the speed of light”. More recently, in AI is transforming governance: Six key Boardroom priorities, I observed that boards “are moving from overseeing hundreds of decisions made per day to millions made per second”. This acceleration of business decision velocity presents both an unprecedented challenge and opportunity for Directors and the Boards they serve.


Navigating the AI Regulatory Maze: A Boardroom Survival Guide

Llantwit Major | Published in AI and Board | 14 minute read |    
Illustration of a maze split into two halves: one side representing traditional regulatory complexity with stone walls and paperwork, and the other depicting modern AI innovation with futuristic digital pathways. Board members strategically stand in the centre, navigating between regulation and AI. (Image generated by ChatGPT 4o)

The EU AI Act, which came into force on August 1, 2024, establishes significant penalties for non-compliance, including fines of up to €35 million or 7% of global annual turnover for serious violations. As regulatory frameworks for artificial intelligence rapidly evolve worldwide, Boards face a new imperative: navigating complex compliance requirements while maintaining the innovation speed necessary to compete.