AI readiness audit, eyes open
An AI readiness audit, also called an AI readiness assessment, is an independent assessment for Australian organisations under 50 staff, mapping AI opportunities, readiness gaps, and delivering a sequenced plan you can act on. McKinsey's State of AI shows the organisations getting real value from AI are the ones with a clear plan, not the ones reacting to vendor pitches. We map where AI could actually help your team, what has to be in place first, and which investments are worth making now.
Want a rough read first? Take the free self-check for an indicative score in about 5 minutes.
Three messages, all at once, no clear starting point
Vendors are selling AI features. Staff are asking why they can't use ChatGPT for reports. Leadership wants an "AI strategy" without a starting point. The exec is in the middle of all of it.
This audit gives you the picture. Where AI would actually save your team time. What data and process work has to happen first. What policies, licences and guardrails need to exist. Which AI investments are worth making now and which are not. In a few weeks, in plain language, in a report you can hand to a board or funder.
The four areas we cover
Opportunity mapping
Where the team spends time on tasks AI could realistically help with. Highest-value workflows. Quick wins versus longer plays. Sector-specific opportunities (support notes, intake, compliance documentation).
Data and content readiness
Is your data structured, accessible and clean enough for AI to use. Where information lives (file shares, SharePoint, CRM, email, paper). Sensitivity classifications and access controls. What needs cleaning up before AI gives useful results.
Governance and policy readiness
Whether your AI usage policy matches what is actually possible today. The licensing position that makes sense (Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise, Claude for Business). How tool use will be approved and reviewed. Alignment with privacy, security and HR policies. This is also where we assess AI risk: where data could leak, which tools are unapproved, and what controls are missing. Our Privacy Act 2026 compliance guide covers the regulatory backdrop.
Platform and tooling fit
A practical comparison of the AI platforms relevant to your size and sector. Where Microsoft 365 native AI fits versus standalone tools. Build versus buy versus adopt. Integration with your existing systems.
How the engagement runs
Confirm priorities
Short call with the project sponsor to confirm priorities, stakeholders and what success looks like.
Talk to leadership and staff
Short interviews with leadership and a sample of staff to understand workflows, pain points and current AI exposure.
Light environment review
A look at where information lives, how it is structured and what licensing is in place. No system changes.
Draft report
Opportunities, readiness gaps and a sequenced plan over the next 6 to 12 months. Issued for your review.
Final report and plan
Walkthrough session with stakeholders. Final report incorporating any clarifications. AI usage policy outline included.
We work with Australian organisations under around 50 staff. Engagement runs over a few weeks of elapsed time. No system access required during the audit.
What you walk away with
Where you are today across each of the four areas, opportunities ranked by likely value and effort, readiness gaps, and a sequenced plan covering the next 6 to 12 months.
- ✓Current-state assessment
- ✓Ranked opportunities
- ✓Readiness gaps
- ✓6 to 12 month plan
A practical first draft you can adapt for your organisation. Covers acceptable use, data handling, approval and review.
- ✓First-draft policy
- ✓Approval and review model
- ✓Staff communication points
- ✓Ready to adapt
A session with the leadership team to step through the report, answer questions, and agree the direction and sequencing of the next steps.
- ✓Leadership walkthrough
- ✓Stakeholder Q&A
- ✓Sequencing agreement
- ✓Optional follow-on scope
every engagement comes with a fixed price quote, agreed before work starts.
What this engagement is not
An implementation project
We give you the plan. Implementation is a separate scope.
A licensing reseller
We do not earn margin on Copilot, ChatGPT or anyone else.
An AI build
Custom builds are a separate engagement (see App Development).
A formal compliance audit
This is advisory. We point at the right standards and where you sit against them.
A legal review
We are not lawyers. We will tell you where to get one if you need one.
When to call us in
Board wants an AI position
Leadership has been asked for an AI strategy or position by a board, funder or auditor and needs a practical answer.
Staff are already using it
Tools are appearing in pockets across the team and the executive wants to get out in front of it before someone makes the decision for them.
An AI feature is in the contract
A new platform is being evaluated and AI features are part of the pitch. You want a grounded view of what is real.
AI is on the roadmap
A planning cycle is coming up and AI needs to be on the roadmap. You want a sequenced plan, not a wish list.
How are you using AI?
A board, funder or insurer has asked how the organisation is approaching AI. You need a confident answer.
Tried in pockets, want to go further
The organisation has tried AI in small pockets and now wants to take it more seriously across the team.
The full capability list
Consulting, automation, security and training, plus the build and fix work when you need it. These are the eight we lead with; 32 in total. Your AI consultant in Perth, working nationally.
AI Consulting
Map your ops, find where AI makes sense, build an implementation plan your team can follow.
Learn moreAutomation
n8n, Make, Power Automate, custom integrations. The boring weekly tasks, automated.
Learn moreAI Security & DLP
Stop data leaking into AI tools. Usage policy, M365 controls, Privacy Act and Essential Eight aligned.
Learn moreAI Training
Train your whole team to use AI well. Role-based programs, workshops and coaching across Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot.
Learn moreApp Development
Apps, tools, MVPs and internal systems built with AI-assisted dev, with senior engineering oversight.
Learn moreVibe Code Audit & Fix
Built with Claude, Cursor, Bolt or Lovable? We find what's broken, patch it, hand it back production-ready.
Learn moreAI Agents
Custom agents for CRM, accounting, project management. Built with Claude, GPT and MCP.
Learn moreAgentic Coding
Autonomous coding agents build features end-to-end. We review, steer, and ensure production quality.
Learn moreFrequently asked questions
Yes. We use the two names for the same engagement. Some organisations ask for an AI readiness assessment, others an AI readiness audit. Either way you get the independent readiness and risk assessment, the ranked opportunities, and the sequenced plan described on this page.
A few weeks of elapsed time, depending on stakeholder availability. The interviews and review are spread across that window so they fit around your team. We confirm the schedule at kick-off so you know what to expect.
No. The audit is interview-based and document-light. We do not make changes in your environment. If you want a deeper technical look at a specific platform, that is the Data and Privacy Advisory engagement.
It overlaps heavily. Risk is one of the four areas the audit covers: data sensitivity, access controls, governance and policy gaps, and where current or planned AI use could expose you. If you need a deeper, controls-level AI risk assessment, we run that as part of this audit or alongside our Data and Privacy Advisory and AI Data Loss Prevention work. For a quick indicative read, the free AI Risk and Readiness Check scores both in about five minutes.
No. We are vendor-neutral. We do not earn margin on Microsoft 365 Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise, Claude for Business or any other licensing. The recommendation we make is the one we think is right for your organisation.
Yes. The report is written in plain language for leadership, not for technical specialists. Every finding has a recommended next step and an owner. It is designed to be handed to a board, a funder or your senior leadership team.
That is a separate scope. The audit ends in a sequenced plan. You can take that plan to your existing IT provider, an internal team, or come back to us. We do offer implementation services but the audit is independent of that decision.
Yes. We work with not-for-profits, allied health, disability and aged care providers regularly. The data sensitivity in those sectors makes a structured readiness picture more important, not less.
Want to know if you're ready? A 30 minute scoping call is the right place to start
we will tell you whether this engagement is the right fit. No pitch deck.