With AI opportunities appearing everywhere, deciding what not to pursue is becoming just as important as deciding what to invest in.
A solution might save hundreds of hours, but is it worth the integration effort? Could a cheaper alternative emerge next year? Are we creating another long-term dependency on a particular vendor?
I've created a simple, free AI Use Case Prioritisation Matrix in Excel to help answer these questions.
Download the Free AI Use Case Prioritisation Matrix (Excel)
The template includes automated scoring, recommendations and six worked examples.
What does the matrix assess?
Each AI use case is scored against five considerations:
Business value – Will it save time, reduce costs or improve outcomes?
Technology maturity – Is the solution proven, and could it soon be superseded by something simpler or cheaper?
Ease of integration – Can it work with your existing data and systems?
Future optionality – Does it preserve flexibility, or increase dependency on one vendor?
Commercial model – Are subscription, token and ongoing costs sustainable?
Two additional considerations, data residency and cybersecurity, act as mandatory checks rather than contributing to the overall score.
After all, a strong business case shouldn't outweigh an unacceptable security risk.
How to use it
Add your proposed use cases, estimate their annual time savings and score each criterion from 1 to 5.
The spreadsheet calculates an overall score and suggests whether to pilot, validate further, defer or stop.
For example, an internal policy chatbot might score highly because it uses existing technology, integrates relatively easily and reduces repetitive enquiries. An autonomous AI application updating customer records might promise greater savings, but introduce security risks requiring a different decision.
The workbook includes six illustrative examples to demonstrate these trade-offs.
A starting point, not a rulebook
I've deliberately kept the framework simple.
Different organisations will have different priorities, risk appetites and technology strategies. Feel free to adjust the criteria, introduce weightings or change the scoring thresholds.
The purpose isn't to let a spreadsheet make the decision. It's to make the trade-offs visible and encourage better conversations before committing time and money.
Download the Free AI Use Case Prioritisation Matrix (Excel)
Use it as it is, or adapt it to your organisation.
