Process maturity check: surface polish or rebuild?
Practicum for Volume 2, Chapter 1, "AI Is Not a Plugin. It Is a Rebuild." Version: 2026-06. Time: 35-45 minutes. Warning: choose one process, not the whole company. It could be a contract, an application, customer support, reporting, lead generation, purchasing, or hiring. This check is a mirror for a useful conversation, not a consulting score. Interactive version: process maturity check.
AI creates value when it changes the process, not when a team bolts it onto the old way of working. This worksheet helps you see where one process stands today and choose the next move.
A. Choose a process
- Process:
________________________ - Where AI is already used:
________________________ - Outcome that should change (money, speed, risk, or customer result):
________________ - Where you can see money, speed, or risk today:
________________________
B. Six signs of a real rebuild
Check what is already true, not what you plan to do. Each sign describes the process, not a slogan.
- The work map has changed. The steps are different rather than "the same work, faster."
- The roles have changed. People do different work than they did a year ago, with more framing and review.
- The metrics have changed. You track the result or cycle, not the amount of work produced.
- Quality review is built in. It is part of the flow, not something done "when there is time."
- A person remains at the critical point. A person decides when the cost of an error is high.
- There is a measurable result. It affects the customer or the money instead of ending at an "AI implementation."
Number of checked boxes: ___ / 6.
C. Level 0-5
Where is the process now, not where you want it to be?
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| 0 | AI is not used |
| 1 | Chaos: people experiment by instinct, without a system |
| 2 | Personal productivity: a few people work faster, but the process is unchanged |
| 3 | Team process: the team has agreed where and how to use AI, and review is in place |
| 4 | Operating model: the process has been rebuilt around AI, with new roles and metrics |
| 5 | AI-native: the old form of the process no longer exists, and the result is measurable |
My level for this process: ___.
D. Diagnosis
- 0-2 boxes / level 1-2: surface polish. AI has been bolted on, so you do the old work faster. That is a normal starting point, but the source of value has not changed yet.
- 3-4 boxes / level 3: transition. Roles and review have started to change. The question is whether you finish the rebuild or fall back to simple acceleration.
- 5-6 boxes / level 4-5: a system rebuild. The process is genuinely different. Your next task is to scale it while keeping a person at the critical point.
My diagnosis: ________________.
E. One next move
Do not write a one-year plan. Choose one move that takes the process from surface polish toward a rebuild.
- What changes in the work map:
________________ - Which role owns the result:
________________ - Which outcome metric replaces volume:
________________ - Where the review happens, and who reviews it instead of another AI:
________________ - Where a person must be able to stop the process:
________________
Next
- If you lead the team or company, test the business with a stricter frame: Reimagine the company from zero.
- If you are at level 2-3, decide what AI may do and what a person should keep: Human Review Matrix (Chapter 2).
- Follow the full route in the Volume 2 Workbook.
Version: 2026-06. Warning: this is a diagnosis of one process, not a company rating. The score should prompt thought, not pass judgment.