A controlled 90-day plan allows a small business to select one process, establish rules, test with employees and decide whether broader investment is justified.
Days 1–15: Identify the Problem
Interview employees about repeated questions, searching, manual categorization, routine drafts, meeting follow-up, data entry and onboarding support.
The guide to choosing the first AI process provides a scoring model.
Select One Process and Establish a Baseline
Record completion time, tasks per week, employees involved, manager review, error rate, rework and customer wait time.
Days 16–30: Create Rules and Select the Tool
Define approved users, prohibited information, review requirements, final responsibility, error reporting and offboarding procedures.
The SBA advises small businesses to consider inaccurate outputs, privacy, cybersecurity and intellectual property. Read the SBA guidance.
Days 31–45: Prepare Information and Workflow
Review relevant documents for duplicates, drafts, outdated procedures, missing owners, conflicts and incorrect permissions.
The article on why bad company information produces bad AI answers explains why this matters.
Days 46–60: Run a Controlled Pilot
Use a small employee group, clear instructions, verification rules, escalation guidance and a feedback method.
Days 61–75: Measure and Correct
Compare total task time, review time, errors, rework, response time, adoption and cost per task. NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework supports continuous testing. Read the framework.
Days 76–90: Expand, Revise or Stop
Expand when results are measurable and risk is manageable. Revise when the process remains weak. Stop when review eliminates savings, security is inadequate or simpler automation works better.
The first 90 days should produce evidence, not merely enthusiasm.
