General Tools & Templates for AI Projects (checklists, scripts, models)

General Tools & Templates for AI Projects

Welcome — this collection gathers operational artifacts teams actually use when planning, piloting, and scaling AI. Each item includes a short description, recommended usage, typical file formats, and links to related playbooks or decks so you can apply the template in context rather than starting from scratch.

How to use this library

• Start with the template closest to your immediate need (e.g., discovery interview or pilot plan).
• Adapt the language and metrics to your organization — these are starting points, not prescriptions.
• Pair templates with the suggested playbook or deck when you need step-by-step facilitation or examples.

Core templates (curated & recommended)

1. Stakeholder & User Interview Script

   Short, scenario-based questions to reveal value, pain points, success criteria, and adoption risks. Use in discovery workshops and early research.

   Formats: Google Doc / Word · Recommended use: 30–60 minute sessions · Download: InterviewScript.docx

2. Pilot / Proof-of-Value Plan (AI Pilot Canvas)

   A one-page canvas to define problem, data needs, success metrics, scope, timeline, roles, and minimum viable outputs for a pilot.

   Formats: Google Slide / PDF · Recommended use: align sponsors and delivery team before dev starts · Download: AIPilotCanvas.pdf

3. ROI & Value Model (simple)

   Editable spreadsheet capturing cost, time savings, revenue impact, and a sensitivity view for conservative/likely/upside scenarios. Helpful for initial funding conversations.

   Formats: Google Sheet / Excel · Recommended use: early-stage financial estimates for pilots · Download: AI_ROI_Model.xlsx

4. Data Inventory & Mapping Template

   Catalog data sources, owners, sensitivity, access controls, quality notes, and sample sizes needed for model development and compliance.

   Formats: Google Sheet / Excel · Recommended use: during data discovery and engineering planning · Download: DataInventoryTemplate.xlsx

5. Model Evaluation & Acceptance Checklist

   Practical checklist for testing model accuracy, fairness probes, explainability notes, performance baselines, and acceptance criteria before handoff to production.

   Formats: PDF / Checklist · Recommended use: gating model promotion to staging/production · Download: ModelEvalChecklist.pdf

6. Risk & Ethics Review Checklist

   Questions and evidence requests for privacy, fairness, safety, and regulatory considerations. Designed for cross-functional risk reviews.

   Formats: Google Doc / Word · Recommended use: mandatory review before deployment for regulated domains · Download: RiskEthicsChecklist.docx

7. Integration & Deployment Checklist

   Operational tasks for integrating models into services: APIs, monitoring, rollback plans, runbooks, and operational ownership.

   Formats: Checklist / Confluence-ready HTML · Recommended use: run with SRE/ops teams before release · Download: DeploymentChecklist.pdf

8. Monitoring & KPI Dashboard Template

   Starter dashboard design (metrics, alerts, drift signals) and a sample dataset to help engineers and analysts instrument model observability.

   Formats: Dashboard mockup (image/PPT) + sample CSV · Recommended use: define what to monitor during pilot and production · Download: MonitoringDashboard.zip

9. Prompt Design & Experiment Log

   Guided worksheet for creating prompts, capturing variations, measuring results, and iterating. Useful for generative AI experiments.

   Formats: Google Doc / Spreadsheet · Recommended use: R&D and content teams experimenting with prompts · Download: PromptDesignLog.xlsx

10. Communications & Change Management Plan

    Template to plan stakeholder communications, training, FAQs, and adoption measures so benefits are realized after launch.

    Formats: Word / Slide deck · Recommended use: accompany pilot-to-production handoffs · Download: ChangeMgmtPlan.pptx

11. Post‑pilot Review & Lessons Learned

    Facilitator notes and a template to capture outcomes, opportunities, technical debt, and recommended next steps following a pilot.

    Formats: Google Doc · Recommended use: retrospective with sponsors and delivery team · Download: PostPilotReview.docx

Related playbooks & decks

• Save Hours Every Week with AI (playbook) — pairing templates with examples to reduce work and validate value.
• Build an AI-Powered Organization (deck) — organizational roles, governance, and operating model guidance to use alongside these templates.

Tips for adapting templates

• Localize outcomes and KPIs to your actual customer or internal user journey.
• Start small: capture one or two clear success metrics before expanding scope.
• Annotate template versions — include author, date, and recommended audience (e.g., pilot, production, regulated environment).

Formats & accessibility

Most templates are available as editable Google Docs/Sheets and downloadable Office files so teams can fork and iterate. Where helpful, versions include a printable PDF and a slide-based facilitator deck.

Contribute, request, or give feedback

If you have a template to share or a tweak that would make these artifacts more usable, please contribute it with a brief note about who will use it and why. (This catalog currently links to static downloads; a future enhancement could add an in-place submission and usage-tracking form so contributors and maintainers can manage versions and collect product feedback.)

Versioning & ownership

Each template should record a responsible owner, last updated date, and a short changelog. When adapting a template for a regulated or high-risk use, ensure a legal and compliance review is recorded in the template's metadata.

Where this library helps most

Use this collection to accelerate discovery, build aligned pilots, create consistent decision artifacts, and reduce duplicated effort across teams. The goal is faster learning with consistent artifacts that make outcomes comparable and decisions traceable.