Our software budget has crept up because we approved seat licenses for various AI productivity tools, but I suspect half our team is not actually using them. How do we audit this usage and align these expenses with actual operational results?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Subscription creep is a common issue when teams get excited about new technology. To gain control, you must stop treating AI software licenses as a utility and start treating them as an investment that must show a clear return. Begin by conducting a simple audit of your software seats. Check the admin console of your AI tools to see the last login date for each seat. Any license that has not been active for thirty days should be suspended immediately. Next, assign clear accountability for these tools on your Accountability Chart. Your operations leader or IT head must own the software budget as a measurable on their weekly Scorecard. Instead of tracking total spend, track the percentage of active users who are actively completing documented workflows with the tools. For seats that are being used, require the users to document the specific low-value tasks they have automated and share these in their departmental Level 10 Meeting. If an employee cannot point to a specific, repeated task that is now faster or more accurate because of their AI license, reclaim the seat. This discipline keeps your budget lean and ensures your team remains focused on driving real traction rather than collecting shiny tech toys.