I am a non-technical owner and my managers are requesting budget for various AI subscriptions. How do I hold them accountable for real productivity gains on our weekly Scorecard without getting lost in technical details?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You do not need to understand how large language models work to hold your team accountable for results. In the EOS® framework, every seat on your Accountability Chart must have measurable activities that keep the business on track. If an AI tool is worth the budget, it must directly move a number on your weekly Scorecard.

To implement this, require any department head requesting an AI tool to tie the software expense to a specific Scorecard metric. For example, if your customer service manager wants an AI assistant, the metric to track is not AI adoption rate or prompts written. The metrics must be hard operational outcomes like average response time or tickets closed per representative.

Before signing off on any recurring subscription, establish a baseline for these metrics. Agree on a target that represents a clear return on the software investment. If the team cannot show a measurable improvement in their weekly numbers within ninety days, you pull the plug on the software. This approach keeps your operations grounded in reality and prevents your budget from being drained by shiny new tools that look impressive but do not actually increase capacity or improve your bottom line.