Understanding Your Tier
Tiers compress the five-dimension scorecard into a single number from 1.00 to 5.00, then bucket the result into one of five capability stages. The bucket exists so you can communicate capability to a peer or executive in one phrase. The dimension breakdown still drives the actual roadmap.
Tier 1: Scattered (1.00 – 1.80)
Individuals are experimenting with AI on their own, with no shared standards, no executive direction, and no measurement. AI use is hidden inside personal workflows.
Next move: get sponsorship for a single coordinated use case.
Tier 2: Exploring (1.81 – 2.60)
Some teams are using AI tools deliberately. Patterns are forming inside pockets. Governance and measurement are still mostly absent.
Next move: document one workflow that already works, then standardize it.
Tier 3: Defined (2.61 – 3.40)
Documented patterns exist. Some workflows are standardized. AI use is visible to leadership but is not yet driving measured outcomes.
Next move: attach a real metric to one standardized workflow.
Tier 4: Operationalized (3.41 – 4.20)
AI is embedded in core workflows with measured outcomes. Governance exists. Adoption is uneven across functions but the engine works where it runs.
Next move: close the lagging dimension before scaling further.
Tier 5: Strategic (4.21 – 5.00)
AI is a strategic capability driving competitive advantage. Use cases compound. The assessment at this tier is mostly about catching drift before it becomes regression.
How tiers are calculated
Each respondent answers the same scored questions across the five dimensions. We average within each dimension, then average the dimension scores. The aggregate is bucketed into a tier using the thresholds above. Same answers in always produce the same tier out. By design.