Free · 12 questions · 10 minutes
The AI Readiness Assessment for Managers
Someone above you said “do something with AI.” Before you do anything, find out where your team actually stands. 12 questions, 10 minutes, and nobody sees it but you.
Built for one manager rating their own team. Not an org-wide audit. No company data, nothing stored.
Built for the manager in the middle
- You've been told to “drive AI adoption” and nobody defined what done looks like.
- You want a starting point you can defend to your boss, not a maturity model for the whole company.
- You may not even have an approved AI tool yet. That's fine: the assessment accounts for it and will never tell you to run a pilot you can't run.
Score your team in 4 areas
Answer each question for your team as it is this week, not as you’d like it to be. Each answer scores 1 to 4.
Your answers stay in this browser tab. Nothing is stored or sent.
How the score works
Each of the 12 answers scores 1 to 4, so your total lands between 12 and 48. Your total puts you in one of three bands: Ground Floor, Ready to Plan, or Ready to Run. Then the assessment looks at your lowest-scoring area. If it scores 7 or less, that becomes your weak spot, and your first move targets it. One band plus one weak spot gives you one start day, so the advice never contradicts itself.
- Ready to Run needs a total of 37 or more, and an approved tool (Q7 scored 2 or higher), and no area at 5 or below. Otherwise you're Ready to Plan.
- Your weak spot is your lowest area, but only if it scored 7 or less. If every area is 8 or higher, you have no weak spot. If areas tie for lowest, take the one listed first (A, then B, C, D).
- Your start day is the earlier of your band's day and your weak spot's day. Every path begins with a Monday task list: if Monday isn't your start day, give it 20 minutes first.
What your band means
- Ground Floor (12–24)
- AI isn't the problem yet. Visibility is. You can't pick a pilot, brief your team or answer your boss until you know where the hours go. Start the Starter Kit on Monday and work it in order, one day at a time.
- Ready to Plan (25–36)
- You have raw material: some curiosity, some access, some sense of the work. What's missing is order. Without a sequence, AI stays a side experiment that nobody can point to.
- Ready to Run (37–48)
- Your team is closer than most. The risk now is scattered, invisible use that never adds up to a result. Do a 20-minute Monday pass to choose the task, run the 5-minute team kickoff, pilot on Thursday with your approved tool, and make sure Friday's memo goes up.
Why a manager-level assessment
Most AI readiness assessments are written for the C-suite: data strategy, platforms, governance boards. Those matter, but they don’t tell a team lead what to do on Monday. This one asks about the things you control and can observe: what your team’s work actually consists of, how people feel about AI, what tools you can legally use, and what your boss is really expecting.
No company data, nothing stored
You’re answering questions about your own team, not pasting anything from work. Your answers stay in your browser and disappear when you close the page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take?
About 10 minutes for 12 questions.
Is it really free?
Yes. The web version and the downloadable PDF, Excel and Word versions are free. Enter $0 on Gumroad.
Do I need an AI tool to take it?
No. If you don't have an approved tool, the assessment tells you how to ask for one instead of telling you to start a pilot.
Can I share my results with my boss?
Yes. The downloadable version includes a ready-to-send sentence with your score, your gap, and where your 90-day plan starts.
How often should I re-score?
Quarterly. The download includes a re-score log.
Is this HR or legal advice?
No. It's general information. Follow your organization's AI policy.
From Vance Sterling, author of The AI Survival Guide for Middle Managers.
This scorecard is a self-assessment for planning conversations, not a performance evaluation of any individual. General information, not legal, HR, or financial advice. Follow your organization's AI policy.