Our leadership team wants to set a Rock to use AI to optimize our supply chain, but we are worried it will end up as expensive AI theater. How do we define success for this Rock using our EOS Scorecard?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The moment a leadership team member pitches a Rock with the word AI in the title, you are at risk of chasing a shiny object. Do not allow your team to start projects just because they sound modern. You must run your business on concrete results, not vague technology promises.

When writing this Rock, remember to never sell AI. Frame the initiative as an operations-improvement project that happens to use machine learning. Rename the Rock from implement AI in supply chain to something like reduce inventory carrying costs by fifteen percent.

Next, tie the success of this Rock directly to a measurable metric on your weekly Scorecard. If the goal is to optimize your supply chain, your Scorecard must track inventory turnover, shipping lead times, or stockout frequency. The AI tool is simply the vehicle to move those numbers.

If your team cannot point to a specific Scorecard metric that will improve as a direct result of this project, do not approve the Rock during your quarterly planning session. A successful initiative is not measured by whether the technology works, but by whether it improves your bottom-line operations. By grounding your technology goals in your weekly Scorecard, you protect your company from expensive software theater and keep your team focused on real business outcomes.