Templates
Templates for AI value management
15 Word and Excel templates, from a first business case to the board pack. Each one says what it is, who it is for and when to use it, and each has a page showing its full structure before you download.
Each is a proposal from this site, not a standard. Figures in examples are invented and labelled as illustrative. You may copy, adapt and share them under CC BY 4.0, with a credit to AI Economics Hub. The calculators are in the toolkit.
1. Measure
What does AI fully cost, where is it consumed, and who owns it?
- Excel worksheet · v1.0AI TCO worksheet
- What it is:
- Price an AI use case from pilot to production across seven sheets, including the costs that never reach the model invoice.
- Who it is for:
- A finance analyst and a platform engineer filling it in together.
- When to use it:
- In the Measure phase, when the question is: What does AI fully cost, where is it consumed, and who owns it?
- Excel template · v0.5AI Portfolio and Cost Register
- What it is:
- One register of initiatives, tools and agents with owners, and one cost register in the seven layers of the AI TCO Framework.
- Who it is for:
- The first month of a programme, or a tidy-up before a first portfolio review.
- When to use it:
- In the Measure phase, when the question is: What does AI fully cost, where is it consumed, and who owns it?
- Excel template · v0.1AI Showback and Chargeback Model
- What it is:
- An outline model for reporting or charging AI cost to teams: cost pools, allocation drivers, the monthly split, an unallocated line and a readiness test for moving to chargeback.
- Who it is for:
- A FinOps, TBM or ITFM lead setting up cost visibility for AI, with the platform owner who runs shared capacity.
- When to use it:
- When AI spend has grown past a single budget line and teams are asking what their share is, or before turning on chargeback for a shared AI platform.
2. Prove
What changed because AI was used, and how strong is the evidence?
- Excel template · v1.1AI Value Ledger
- What it is:
- One record per material AI workflow, joining owner, baseline, cost, outcome, evidence level and decision. Includes a worked example.
- Who it is for:
- The two or three workflows that carry the most spend.
- When to use it:
- In the Prove phase, when the question is: What changed because AI was used, and how strong is the evidence?
- Excel template · v0.5AI Benefits Register
- What it is:
- Track each benefit by type, owner and booking record, so only value that has reached an accepted record counts as realised.
- Who it is for:
- A finance partner defending the realised-value figure.
- When to use it:
- In the Prove phase, when the question is: What changed because AI was used, and how strong is the evidence?
- Excel template · v0.1AI Value KPI Set by Layer
- What it is:
- A starter scorecard that takes KPIs from the library and maps them to the five layers of AI value management, with baseline, target and owner for each.
- Who it is for:
- A value management lead, FinOps lead or finance partner choosing what to report and to whom.
- When to use it:
- When setting up AI value reporting for the first time, or when a dashboard reports activity and the board asks what it proves. Pick a handful per layer; nobody needs all of them.
3. Decide
Given the economics and the evidence, what should be scaled, held, redesigned or stopped?
- Excel template · v0.5AI Portfolio Review Pack
- What it is:
- Put cost, claimed and realised value, evidence and risk side by side, and end the review in scale, hold, redesign or stop.
- Who it is for:
- A first or second portfolio review of a handful to a few dozen initiatives.
- When to use it:
- In the Decide phase, when the question is: Given the economics and the evidence, what should be scaled, held, redesigned or stopped?
- Word template · v0.5AI Investment Decision Memorandum
- What it is:
- A seven-part memorandum for a material funding request, built around a proof plan and exit criteria written before the money is spent.
- Who it is for:
- A business owner asking for a material, recoverable or larger commitment.
- When to use it:
- In the Decide phase, when the question is: Given the economics and the evidence, what should be scaled, held, redesigned or stopped?
- Word template · v0.5Stopped Initiative Review
- What it is:
- A blameless record of a stopped initiative: what it cost, why it ended, what is reusable and what would need to be true to try again.
- Who it is for:
- Any material initiative that has been stopped or redesigned after underperforming.
- When to use it:
- In the Decide phase, when the question is: Given the economics and the evidence, what should be scaled, held, redesigned or stopped?
- Excel template · v0.5AI Supplier Economics Review
- What it is:
- Review a supplier contract on pricing risk, lock-in, consolidation exposure and governance fit, with a twelve-term checklist.
- Who it is for:
- A procurement lead or finance partner preparing a material AI contract or renewal.
- When to use it:
- In the Decide phase, when the question is: Given the economics and the evidence, what should be scaled, held, redesigned or stopped?
- Word template · v0.1AI Use Case Business Case
- What it is:
- A nine-part case for one AI use case: problem, baseline, value by layer, full cost, attribution plan, risk, exit criteria and the decision asked for.
- Who it is for:
- The business owner of a workflow, writing with a finance partner and the engineer who will build or buy it.
- When to use it:
- Before a pilot is funded, or when an unowned experiment needs an owner and a case to continue. For a material, recoverable or larger commitment, move to the Investment Decision Memorandum.
4. Operate
Who owns each part, how often is it reviewed, and what reaches the board?
- Word template · v0.5AI Board Reporting Pack
- What it is:
- An eight-page board pack, one-page dashboard, audit committee supplement, decision memorandum and question bank.
- Who it is for:
- A quarterly paper to a board, audit committee or executive team.
- When to use it:
- In the Operate phase, when the question is: Who owns each part, how often is it reviewed, and what reaches the board?
- Word template · v0.5AI Value Office Charter
- What it is:
- Mandate, scope, roles, decision rights and a monthly and quarterly cycle for the team that keeps the system running.
- Who it is for:
- Setting up the function, or extending an existing FinOps, TBM or portfolio team.
- When to use it:
- In the Operate phase, when the question is: Who owns each part, how often is it reviewed, and what reaches the board?
- Excel template · v0.5AI Economics Maturity Assessment
- What it is:
- Score ten dimensions against the five maturity levels, answer twelve readiness questions and see the largest gaps to target.
- Who it is for:
- Agreeing where you are and what to work on first.
- When to use it:
- In the Operate phase, when the question is: Who owns each part, how often is it reviewed, and what reaches the board?
- Word template · v0.1Quarterly AI Portfolio Review Agenda
- What it is:
- A ready-to-send agenda for the quarterly AI portfolio review: attendees, pre-reads, eight standing items plus the quarterly checks, and a decision and action log.
- Who it is for:
- Whoever chairs or runs the AI portfolio review: a CFO, CIO, CAIO or the value office lead.
- When to use it:
- Each quarter, with the Portfolio Review Pack workbook as the main pre-read. Run a shorter version monthly using items 1 to 7.