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AI Utility Lab

Practical interactive tools you can use right now, embedded directly in this page. The AI Readiness Quick Test scores your organisation across data, people, governance and risk in three minutes. The AI ROI Calculator builds a board-ready three-year business case for any AI initiative in under twenty minutes.

How to use the Utility Lab

Two free, no-sign-up tools you can run in three minutes each. The Readiness Quick Test tells you whether your foundations are solid enough to invest in AI safely. The ROI Calculator tells you whether a specific AI use case is worth taking to your board. Each tool runs embedded below or on its own page - same logic, same numbers, designed for board-pack screenshots.

Free in-browser tool · no sign-up

AI Readiness Quick Test

Twenty honest yes/no questions across data, people, governance and risk. Three minutes to complete, immediate score, and a tailored next step.

Jump to the test
Free in-browser tool · live calculation

AI ROI Calculator

Plug in people, hours saved, salary cost, tool cost and one-off setup. Get year-one savings, payback months, 3-year ROI and a board-ready verdict.

Jump to the calculator

Tool 1 · AI Readiness Quick Test

Score your readiness in 3 minutes

Open on its own page
Answered 0/20
Section 1 of 4Data & infrastructureAI runs on the data and systems you already have. If those are messy, AI will automate the mess at speed.

1. Can you find a specific customer record in under 60 seconds, from any device?

Right now, not when Sarah is in the office.

2. Do you know every system and location your data actually lives in?

CRM, accounting, drives, laptops, paper. All of it.

3. Have you tested a backup restore in the last six months?

Not assumed it works - actually tested.

4. Are your top three business processes documented step by step?

Sales, onboarding, fulfilment - written down, not just in someone's head.

5. Are your core systems cloud-based or accessible via API?

AI needs to talk to your systems. Old on-prem servers block that.

Section 2 of 4People & cultureAI projects fail when leadership is absent and staff are anxious. Both are fixable, but only deliberately.

6. Has your leadership team had a structured AI discussion in the last 90 days?

Not a passing mention of ChatGPT - a proper conversation about implications.

7. Do you know whether your staff are already using AI tools at work?

ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Grammarly. Almost certainly yes.

8. Can you name an internal AI champion who is curious, competent and respected?

Not the IT manager - someone who understands the business.

9. Have you addressed staff concerns about AI affecting their roles?

Honest conversation, not vague reassurance.

10. Do you have a formal annual training budget that gets spent?

If staff development is ad hoc, AI capability will be too.

Section 3 of 4Strategy & governanceWithout strategic clarity and basic governance, AI investment becomes random and exposes you to compliance risk.

11. Can you articulate your business strategy in a single sentence?

"We help X achieve Y better than Z because of W."

12. Do you have a prioritised list of your top five business problems?

Problems that cost you money, customers or sleep - not annoyances.

13. Have you reviewed a technology vendor contract in the last 12 months?

AI vendor contracts are written by their lawyers, not yours.

14. Does your leadership team understand GDPR Article 22?

It governs automated decision-making. Ignorance is a liability.

15. Do you have budget tolerance for a first AI project that may need iteration?

If every pound must deliver immediate ROI, you will declare failure prematurely.

Section 4 of 4Financial & riskWithout baseline numbers and a fallback plan, you cannot prove AI worked - or recover when it breaks.

16. Do you know your current cost per transaction, lead or customer?

"It feels faster" is not a business case.

17. Have you quantified the cost of your three most time-consuming manual processes?

Hours × salary. That is your AI business case.

18. Does your cyber insurance cover AI-related incidents?

Most pre-2023 policies don't cover prompt injection or hallucinations.

19. Could your business operate for 90 days if your primary AI system went down?

AI dependencies create single points of failure.

20. Have you defined what success looks like for your first AI project?

"Save five hours a week on invoices" - specific, measurable.

Answer all 20 questions to see your tier and next step.

Tool 2 · AI ROI Calculator

Build a board-ready 3-year ROI case

Open on its own page

Your inputs

How many staff will use the AI tool as part of their job?

people

Be conservative - what does a sensible weekly time-saving look like once they're trained?

hours

Salary plus on-costs. UK SME knowledge worker is typically £25–£45.

£

How many of those people will actually use the tool well? Most projects land 50–75%.

%

Sum of all licence fees. Include any per-seat uplift.

£

Setup, integration, consulting, data prep. Use a realistic figure, not the vendor's best case.

£

Workshops, internal time, comms. The line item most underestimated.

£

All calculations run in your browser. Nothing you type leaves this page unless you choose to email yourself the result below.

Strong case
Annual benefit
£32,256
Year-1 cost
£17,000
Payback
6 mo
3-year ROI
234%
3-year net value
£67,768

These numbers stand up to a board challenge. Your remaining work is verifying the assumptions - particularly the hours-saved figure - with a two-week manual proof of concept before signing the contract.

Call 07973 210 895Book a 30-min review

Email me my ROI case + book a stress-test

Simon receives the live numbers above plus your input assumptions, so the follow-up call goes straight to the weak points in the case rather than starting from scratch.

What gets sent with your enquiry
Tier: Strong case
Annual benefit: £32,256
Year-1 cost: £17,000
Payback: 6 months
3-year ROI: 234%
3-year net value: £67,768

Inputs:
  - People: 10
  - Hours saved per person per week: 3
  - Hourly cost: £32
  - Adoption: 70%
  - Tool annual cost: £6,000
  - Implementation: £8,000
  - Training: £3,000

After the tools

Want Simon to walk through your numbers in person?

The tools give you a directional answer. A 30-minute call gives you Simon's judgement on the assumptions, the right first project, and the governance steps to take before any vendor signature.

Book a free 30-min review 07973 210 895See how Simon engages

AI Utility Lab: common questions

Are the AI Readiness Quick Test and AI ROI Calculator really free, with no sign-up?

Yes. Both tools run entirely in your browser - no account, no email required to see a result, and no data is sent anywhere unless you choose to email yourself the output at the end. They take about three minutes each and can be run as many times as you like with different assumptions.

What is the difference between the Readiness Quick Test and the full AI Readiness Audit?

The Quick Test here is a self-service, three-minute directional score across data, people, governance and risk - useful for a fast gut-check before a meeting. The full AI Readiness Audit is a structured, evidence-based engagement with leadership interviews, a technical and data review, and a numerical scorecard delivered as a board-ready report. Most organisations use the Quick Test to decide whether the full audit is worth commissioning.

Can I use the results from these tools in a board presentation?

Yes, that is exactly what they are built for. Both tools are designed to produce screenshot-ready numbers - a readiness score or a three-year ROI case - that hold up to a first pass of board scrutiny. Treat them as a strong starting point rather than a final business case, and validate the key assumptions (particularly hours saved) before relying on them for a funding decision.

Do I need technical knowledge to use the AI Utility Lab tools?

No. Both tools are written in plain English for business leaders, not technologists. The Readiness Quick Test is twenty yes/no questions with plain-language hints. The ROI Calculator asks for numbers you already know - headcount, hourly cost, tool pricing - and does the maths for you.

Want to apply this inside your organisation?

Three ways to take it further - pick the one that fits the day you're having.

Call 07973 210 895See services
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