AI Readiness Checklist for Public Sector Teams
Assess whether your organisation has the training, policies and governance foundations needed for safe AI adoption.
Built for councils, local authorities, public-sector teams and regulated organisations preparing staff for practical AI use.
Use this checklist if your organisation is asking:
The checklist helps teams move from broad interest in AI to practical questions about policy, training, controls and next steps.
Are our AI policies and governance clear enough?
Do staff know what safe AI use looks like?
Are managers confident setting boundaries?
Are we clear on data, privacy and information risks?
Which training route should we start with?
Policy and governance
Whether expectations for responsible AI use are documented and understood.
Data protection and information security
Whether clear rules exist for personal, confidential and official information.
Staff confidence and training
Whether staff have the confidence and training to use AI appropriately.
Approved use cases
Whether teams know which AI uses are suitable, reviewed or out of scope.
Tool access and controls
Whether approved tools, permissions and access controls are clear.
Risk management
Whether risks are identified, reviewed and escalated when needed.
Management oversight
Whether managers can review AI-supported work and guide safe practice.
Next steps
Whether priority actions, owners and follow-up decisions are recorded.
Download the checklist
Download the PDF checklist to review your team’s AI readiness across policy, data protection, training, use cases, tools, risk management and oversight. No details are required.
Download the checklist
Download the PDF checklist to review your team’s AI readiness across policy, data protection, training, use cases, tools, risk management and oversight.
Direct PDF download
The PDF opens directly. No details are required to download the checklist.
No data is sent, stored, tracked or added to a CRM when you download the checklist. The readiness call link opens the standard contact page.
If the checklist highlights gaps around policy, staff confidence, management oversight or tool controls, a readiness call can help identify the safest next step.
How to use the checklist
- 1
Review current AI use
- 2
Identify gaps in policy, training and oversight
- 3
Prioritise higher-risk use cases
- 4
Decide whether staff, managers or governance teams need support
- 5
Use a discovery call to plan the safest next step
Match readiness gaps to the right training
Use the checklist result to choose the most relevant starting point, rather than sending every team through the same course.
Staff confidence and safe-use basics
AI Awareness Briefing
- Best fit
- Teams that need a shared baseline before wider AI use becomes normal.
- Outcome
- Staff understand safe use, human review and the limits of AI-supported work.
Manager oversight and team boundaries
Responsible AI for Managers
- Best fit
- Managers who need to set expectations, review outputs and guide team practice.
- Outcome
- Clearer team boundaries, escalation routes and day-to-day oversight.
Microsoft 365 Copilot preparation
Microsoft Copilot Readiness
- Best fit
- Teams preparing for Microsoft 365 Copilot permissions, prompting and adoption.
- Outcome
- A practical readiness baseline for safer Copilot use across Microsoft 365.
Policy, approvals and governance
AI Policy & Governance Workshop
- Best fit
- Leaders, governance teams and policy owners shaping approved AI use.
- Outcome
- A clearer route for policies, approvals, risk decisions and accountable use.
Checklist questions
Is the checklist only for councils?
No. It is designed with public-sector teams in mind, but it is also relevant to regulated organisations, charities, housing bodies and teams introducing AI tools.
Does the checklist replace legal or information governance advice?
No. It is a general readiness and training tool. It does not replace legal, data protection or information governance advice.
Can this support Microsoft Copilot planning?
Yes. It includes readiness considerations around approved tools, data handling, permissions, training and manager oversight.
Do I need to enter details to download it?
No. The checklist opens as a direct PDF download. No data is sent, stored, tracked or added to a CRM when you download it.
Want to discuss your AI readiness gaps?
Use a short discovery call to discuss your organisation’s current AI adoption stage, priority teams and governance considerations.