Stakeholder Engagement ensures that AI initiatives involve the right people from across the organisation—not just IT, but also business units, HR, legal, risk management, data protection, procurement, and executive leadership. Effective engagement includes representation in governance structures (like an AI Council), consultation during use case development, cross-functional input on policies and standards, transparent communication about AI initiatives and their impacts, and feedback mechanisms that allow stakeholders to raise concerns or suggest improvements.
AI affects multiple organisational functions and requires diverse expertise—technical teams understand implementation, legal teams understand compliance, business units understand operational needs, and leadership provides strategic direction. This dimension assesses how well you engage stakeholders in AI governance and decision-making.
Why It Matters
Without broad stakeholder engagement, AI initiatives fail to gain traction or address real business needs.
Maturity Levels
| Basic | Standard | Advanced | Leading |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI is driven solely by IT; other functions are not engaged. | Cross-team reviews and input from key stakeholders. | AI Council with representation from across the enterprise. | Enterprise-wide engagement, with continuous feedback loops and transparent communication. |
📥 Related Resources & Templates
Downloadable templates, examples, and frameworks to help you implement this dimension.
AI Council Terms of Reference
PremiumTemplate for establishing AI Council governance, including charter, membership, decision-making authority, and meeting cadence.
AI Council Meeting Minutes
Template for documenting AI Council meeting minutes, decisions, and action items.
AI Council Decision Log
Structured logs for tracking AI Council decisions, policy approvals, and governance outcomes.
AI Communications Plan
PremiumTemplate for planning stakeholder communications about AI initiatives, including messaging, channels, and timing.
Communications Tracker
PremiumSpreadsheet template for tracking stakeholder communications, engagement activities, and feedback.