The first 90 days
There's no single right order, and no single place every campus is starting from, institutions are at different points in their AI journey. So pick where you actually are and you'll get a 90-day arc sized to it: a low-risk path from your current footing to your next governed decision, each step linked to the tool that does the work. The framework meets you where you are; it isn't a top-down march through all eight pillars.
Not sure which fits? Take the two-minute readAI is already in use, but there's no strategy, owner, or shared guidance yet. These 90 days establish direction and ownership.
Get oriented & name a sponsor
Before any tool or policy, read where you actually stand and secure one cabinet-level sponsor. A light, named mandate is what lets everything after this happen.
- Take the quick read Find your starting point
- Secure a cabinet sponsor with a one-line mandate
Assess use and engage stakeholders
Run one high-value session: a cross-section of campus naming where AI already helps, where it worries them, and what's unowned. This surfaces the shadow AI and builds support.
- Run the 90-minute mission & AI conversation Run it
- Name one person as the AI “front door”
- Start a use-case list, log what's already happening Registry model
Baseline and publish first guidance
Get an honest read on where the gaps are, then put the one piece of guidance everyone needs in front of the community. Don't wait for perfect, publish a v1 people can find.
- Take a baseline maturity read Maturity Assessment
- Publish acceptable-use guidance keyed to your data classes Policies & Guidelines
- Stand up monthly intake & triage The intake ritual
Score, decide, report
Put the decision engine to work on something real, run your first triage cycle, and report back to your sponsor. The goal isn't a finished program, it's a visible, defensible first decision.
- Score your first initiative through the Compass Strategic Compass
- Run the first portfolio/triage review Portfolio review
- Report leading indicators to leadership Metrics starter set
After day 90
Wherever you started, the work shifts from a focused start to an ongoing cadence. The same activities become monthly intake, quarterly portfolio reviews, and an annual reset that reassesses maturity and updates your foundations, and you return to this page at the next tier as the program matures.