The Tributary AI Readiness Diagnostic
95% of AI initiatives fail to impact the P&L.
Not because the technology doesn't work—because companies invest in the wrong things first. The Assessment is a 2-3 week diagnostic that tells you exactly where you stand, what's holding you back, and where to invest for maximum impact.
$25K - $35K · 2-3 weeks · Satisfaction guaranteed
$250K-$500K
Average cost of a failed AI pilot that targeted the wrong problem
0%
of AI failures are people and process issues, not technology
BCG Research
Why you need an outside perspective
Your team can't do this assessment. Not because they lack talent—because they're running the business. They don't have time to step back, they don't have visibility across functions, and they can't objectively recommend killing their own projects or restructuring their own teams.
Is This For You?
Who it's built for
- Growing companies with $25M-$150M in revenue exploring or expanding AI
- Leadership teams with budget allocated (or pending approval) for AI initiatives
- Organizations that have tried AI pilots but haven't seen scalable results
- CTOs, VPs of Operations, and CEOs who need to make a confident investment decision
Common situations
- •“We're spending money on AI but can't point to what it's done for us”
- •“Every vendor says their tool is the answer, but we don't know the right question”
- •“We can't get alignment—everyone has a different idea of what AI should do”
- •“The board is asking about our AI strategy and we're not confident in the answer”
Five Dimensions We Evaluate
We evaluate the full picture—technology and data, yes, but also the people, process, and political dynamics that determine whether AI initiatives stick.
Data
- •Data quality and trustworthiness
- •System integration and fragmentation
- •Single source of truth
- •Data governance and ownership
People
- •Leadership AI fluency
- •Cognitive load distribution
- •Decision rights clarity
- •Talent-to-work alignment
Process
- •Intake-to-action gaps
- •Coordination overhead
- •Bottleneck visibility
- •Process documentation
Technology
- •Stack complexity
- •Automation readiness
- •Cloud and infrastructure
- •Spend trajectory
Politics(Often Overlooked)
- •Executive alignment
- •Change sponsorship
- •Turf risk
- •Prior initiative trauma
How It Works
A structured 2-3 week engagement. We do the heavy lifting—your team's total time commitment is approximately 6-8 hours.
Week 1
Discovery
- •Stakeholder interviews (leadership, operations, IT)
- •Data infrastructure and tool audit
- •Current-state workflow mapping
Week 2
Analysis
- •Opportunity identification and prioritization
- •Feasibility and data readiness scoring
- •Build vs. buy analysis for each initiative
Week 3
Delivery
- •Draft findings review with your team
- •Final deliverable package
- •60-minute executive briefing and Q&A
What You Get
Your Assessment includes
Findings Document
20-30 page detailed report
Leadership Presentation
45-min board-ready briefing
Prioritized Roadmap
30/60/90-day action plan
What Makes This Different
vs. Free Vendor Assessments
Free AI assessments from platform vendors are designed to sell you their platform. Ours is designed to tell you the truth—including whether you need a platform at all.
vs. One-Day Workshops
A workshop gives you ideas. A 2-3 week diagnostic gives you a plan. We talk to your people, look at your data, and pressure-test every recommendation against your specific P&L.
vs. Big Consulting Firms
Same rigor, fraction of the cost. You work directly with senior practitioners—not a team of junior analysts billing hours for a four-month engagement.
Pricing
$25K - $35K
2-3 weeks
Depends on the number of business units, data systems, and stakeholders involved. We scope this during a free 30-minute call so there are no surprises.
For context: a single misguided AI platform purchase or failed pilot typically costs 10-20x more than this assessment. The diagnostic exists so you don't write that check.
The Guarantee
If the assessment doesn't surface actionable AI initiatives with clear ROI projections, you don't pay.
Michael Cooper
Founder & Principal Consultant
Nearly 30 years navigating enterprise technology transitions at Microsoft, Citrix, Simplot, and Micron. Published author (McGraw-Hill). 3x Microsoft Executive Briefing Speaker of the Year. Every assessment is led directly by Michael—not delegated to junior staff.
Connect on LinkedIn →Common Questions
What Happens Next?
The Assessment is designed to stand on its own — you'll have a clear, actionable roadmap whether you work with us or not. But most clients choose to continue because the hard part (figuring out what to do) is done.
Here are the paths forward:
Let's Figure This Out Together
A 30-minute call is all it takes to find out if the AI Readiness Assessment is right for your company.
No pitch. No obligation.
5 minutes. See where you stand.