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1. Quick Start: AI Project in 90 Days

Purpose

Structured roadmap to go from AI ambition to production-ready deployment in three phases (Focus, Pilot, Scale) within 90 days.

1. Prerequisites (Definition of Ready)

  • Core team designated: AI Product Manager, Tech Lead, Guardian
  • Access to relevant data arranged (minimum read rights)
  • Workspace ready: repo/wiki + space for templates + decision log
  • One use case selected (max 1) with a clear owner

2. Planning (Week by Week)

Week Goal Deliverables (mandatory) Primary owner Gate/Output
1 Use case sharp + scope Project Charter (concept) AI PM Go/no-go on problem definition
2 Risk + data feasibility Risk Pre-Scan, Data Evaluation summary Guardian + Tech Lead Gate 1 (Go/No-Go Discovery): continue?
3 Objective + Hard Boundaries Business Case (v1) AI PM + Guardian Hard Boundaries approved
4 Set up test basis Golden Set Test + Golden Set v1 AI PM + QA/Tech Test plan ready
5 Prototype (pilot) Prototype + Gate Review Checklist (concept) Tech Lead Internal demo
6 Measure pilot Validation Report (pilot) Tech Lead + AI PM Gate 2 (Validation Pilot Investment): to Dev?
7 Development: integration path Integration plan + logging plan Tech Lead Ready for RC
8 Privacy & security checks Data & Privacy Sheet Guardian + Privacy "OK to proceed"
9 Build Release Candidate RC build + Gate Review Checklist (v1); Batch size policy defined and communicated Tech Lead RC ready
10 Test RC & evidence Validation Report (RC); CI feedback SLOs established (agreed time window) QA + Guardian Gate 3 (Production-Ready): Go Live?
11 Live pilot + monitoring Monitoring + incident process active; AI-assisted development hard boundaries implemented (mandatory review, test coverage) Tech Lead 1st production evaluation
12 Optimise + handover Management plan + baseline performance degradation; Regression on Golden Set enforced before RC — Source: [so-28] Tech Lead + AI PM Handover Management & Optimisation
13 Retrospective + standardise Lessons learned + blueprint updates AI CC v2.3 backlog

3. Minimum Decision Moments (Gates)

  • Gate 1 (Go/No-Go Discovery) (end of week 2): risk + data feasibility confirmed
  • Gate 2 (Validation Pilot Investment) (end of week 6): pilot result (Validation Report) meets Evidence Standards
  • Gate 3 (Production-Ready) (end of week 10): RC meets Evidence Standards + logging/privacy arranged
  • Gate 4 (Go-Live) (week 12): handover to management incl. baseline performance degradation

4. Timeline per Risk Level

The standard 13-week planning is suitable for Limited Risk applications. Adjust the timeline based on your risk classification:

Minimal Risk (Fast Lane): 6-8 weeks

Phase Weeks Focus
Discovery 1-2 Charter + Risk Pre-Scan + Objective Card
Validation 3-4 Prototype + Golden Set (20 cases) + Pilot
Go-Live 5-6 Validation Report + Monitoring basics
Stabilisation 7-8 Optimisation + Handover

See Fast Lane for admission criteria.

Limited Risk: 13 weeks (standard)

Follow the week-by-week planning in section 1 above.

High Risk: 18-24 weeks

Phase Weeks Additional activities vs standard
Discovery 1-3 Extended DPIA, legal review, Guardian approval
Data Governance 4-6 Data lineage, extended quality controls, bias analysis
Validation 7-12 Golden Set (150+ cases), Fairness Check, external audit
Development 13-18 Extended technical dossier, CE preparation
Go-Live & Stabilisation 19-24 Phased rollout, intensive monitoring, Guardian reviews

Additional requirements High Risk:

  • Full EU AI Act compliance documentation
  • Independent Guardian review at every Gate
  • Quantitative Fairness Check with mitigation plan
  • 100% input/output logging with 12-month retention

Fast Lane

For systems with Minimal Risk, the 13-week roadmap can be shortened to 6–8 weeks:

Week Fast Lane activity
1–2 Project Charter + Risk Pre-Scan (no extended business case)
3–4 Prototype + quick Validation Pilot (minimal Golden Set: 20 test cases)
5–6 Validation + direct go-live (Gate 1 + Gate 3 combined)
7–8 Set up monitoring + first drift measurement

Fast Lane criteria: Minimal Risk, Mode 1–2, no personal data, internal users only.

Next step: Start with Phase 1: Set Focus & Rationalise → See also: Explorer Kit | Organisation Profiles