As organizations increasingly adopt artificial intelligence technologies, the ability to accurately assess AI readiness across functional teams has become a critical skill. AI readiness assessment specialists help companies understand their current capabilities, identify gaps, and develop strategic roadmaps for successful AI implementation. These professionals must possess a unique blend of technical understanding, business acumen, and change management expertise.
Traditional interviews often fail to reveal a candidate's true ability to conduct comprehensive AI readiness assessments. While candidates may articulate theoretical knowledge about AI implementation, their practical skills in identifying opportunities, evaluating data readiness, and developing actionable recommendations remain untested in standard interview formats.
Work samples and role plays provide a window into how candidates approach real-world AI readiness challenges. By observing candidates as they analyze scenarios, interact with stakeholders, and develop recommendations, hiring managers can better evaluate critical skills like analytical thinking, communication, and practical problem-solving in the context of AI implementation.
The following work samples are designed to evaluate a candidate's ability to assess AI readiness across different functional teams. These exercises simulate the key responsibilities of an AI readiness specialist, from initial opportunity identification to implementation planning, allowing you to make more informed hiring decisions for this increasingly important role.
Activity #1: AI Opportunity Identification Workshop
This activity evaluates the candidate's ability to facilitate a workshop that helps functional teams identify potential AI use cases. A successful AI readiness specialist must be able to guide non-technical stakeholders through the process of recognizing where AI can add value to their specific business functions, prioritizing opportunities based on feasibility and impact.
Directions for the Company:
- Schedule a 45-minute role play where the candidate will facilitate an AI opportunity identification workshop with 2-3 company representatives playing the roles of functional team members (e.g., marketing, operations, customer service).
- Provide the candidate with a brief on the fictional department's current processes, pain points, and business objectives 24 hours before the exercise.
- Include in the brief: department structure, key performance indicators, current technology stack, and 2-3 known operational challenges.
- Assign company representatives to play specific roles with varying levels of technical understanding and enthusiasm for AI adoption.
- Prepare a rubric that evaluates the candidate's ability to: explain AI concepts in accessible terms, ask probing questions to uncover opportunities, prioritize use cases, and manage stakeholder expectations.
Directions for the Candidate:
- Review the department brief and prepare to facilitate a 30-minute workshop aimed at identifying potential AI use cases for the department.
- Structure the workshop to include: a brief introduction to relevant AI capabilities, guided discussion to identify pain points, collaborative brainstorming of potential AI solutions, and prioritization of opportunities.
- Create a simple framework to help the team evaluate and prioritize AI use cases based on business impact, technical feasibility, and implementation complexity.
- Be prepared to address questions and concerns from stakeholders with varying levels of AI knowledge and enthusiasm.
- Conclude with a summary of identified opportunities and next steps for further assessment.
Feedback Mechanism:
- After the workshop, the interviewer should provide feedback on one aspect the candidate handled well (e.g., explaining complex concepts clearly, effective facilitation techniques) and one area for improvement (e.g., better prioritization methodology, addressing skepticism).
- Give the candidate 5 minutes to reflect on the feedback and explain how they would adjust their approach in a follow-up workshop with the same team.
Activity #2: Data Readiness Assessment
This exercise tests the candidate's ability to evaluate an organization's data infrastructure and practices for AI implementation. A thorough data readiness assessment is crucial for successful AI adoption, as it identifies potential roadblocks related to data quality, accessibility, governance, and compliance before significant resources are invested.
Directions for the Company:
- Prepare a mock data environment description for a functional team (e.g., sales, HR, or finance), including information about data sources, storage systems, data formats, update frequency, and known quality issues.
- Include a data sample (spreadsheet or database excerpt) with intentional issues like missing values, inconsistent formatting, or duplicate records.
- Provide a brief on the team's current data practices, including collection methods, access controls, and any existing analytics capabilities.
- Allocate 60 minutes for the candidate to review materials and prepare their assessment.
- Prepare evaluation criteria focused on the candidate's thoroughness, technical understanding, and ability to translate technical findings into business implications.
Directions for the Candidate:
- Review the provided materials to assess the functional team's data readiness for AI implementation.
- Create a structured assessment document that covers:
- Data quality evaluation (completeness, accuracy, consistency, timeliness)
- Data infrastructure assessment (storage, processing capabilities, integration)
- Data governance evaluation (access controls, compliance considerations)
- Identification of critical gaps that would impede AI implementation
- Prioritized recommendations to improve data readiness
- Prepare a 15-minute presentation of your findings and recommendations for the interview panel, focusing on both technical issues and their business implications.
- Be prepared to answer questions about your methodology and recommendations.
Feedback Mechanism:
- The interviewer should provide feedback on one strength (e.g., thorough analysis of data quality issues) and one area for improvement (e.g., more practical recommendations for addressing governance concerns).
- Allow the candidate 10 minutes to revise one section of their assessment based on the feedback, demonstrating their ability to incorporate constructive criticism.
Activity #3: AI Readiness Stakeholder Interview
This role play assesses the candidate's ability to conduct effective stakeholder interviews to gather information about a team's AI readiness. Successful AI readiness specialists must be skilled at asking probing questions, actively listening, and adapting their approach based on the stakeholder's technical knowledge and concerns.
Directions for the Company:
- Assign a company representative to play the role of a department head or team leader from a functional area (e.g., marketing director, HR manager, operations lead).
- Provide this representative with a character brief including their fictional background, attitude toward technology adoption, primary business concerns, and specific knowledge gaps about AI.
- Create a scenario brief for the candidate that outlines the purpose of the interview and basic information about the department.
- Allow 30 minutes for the role play interview.
- Evaluate the candidate on their questioning techniques, active listening skills, ability to adapt to the stakeholder's knowledge level, and success in uncovering relevant information about the team's readiness.
Directions for the Candidate:
- Review the scenario brief and prepare a stakeholder interview plan to assess the functional team's AI readiness.
- Conduct a 25-minute interview with the department leader to gather information about:
- Current processes and pain points
- Technology infrastructure and digital maturity
- Team skills and capabilities
- Data availability and quality
- Organizational culture and change readiness
- Adapt your questions and terminology based on the stakeholder's responses and apparent technical knowledge.
- Take notes during the interview to capture key insights.
- In the final 5 minutes, summarize your understanding of their readiness level and potential next steps.
Feedback Mechanism:
- The interviewer should provide feedback on one effective aspect of the candidate's interview technique (e.g., excellent follow-up questions) and one area for improvement (e.g., better explanation of technical concepts).
- Give the candidate an opportunity to conduct a 5-minute follow-up with the stakeholder, implementing the suggested improvement.
Activity #4: AI Implementation Roadmap Development
This exercise evaluates the candidate's ability to synthesize findings from an AI readiness assessment into a practical implementation roadmap. This skill is essential for translating assessment insights into actionable plans that guide organizations through the AI adoption journey.
Directions for the Company:
- Prepare a comprehensive AI readiness assessment report for a fictional functional team, including findings related to:
- Current technology infrastructure
- Data quality and governance
- Team skills and capabilities
- Identified AI use cases and their potential impact
- Organizational change readiness
- Include both strengths and significant gaps that would affect AI implementation.
- Provide the candidate with this report 24 hours before the exercise.
- Allocate 90 minutes for the candidate to develop an implementation roadmap.
- Evaluate the candidate on their ability to prioritize initiatives, create realistic timelines, identify resource requirements, and address potential implementation challenges.
Directions for the Candidate:
- Review the AI readiness assessment report thoroughly.
- Develop a phased implementation roadmap that addresses the identified gaps while leveraging existing strengths.
- Your roadmap should include:
- Prioritized initiatives with clear rationale for sequencing
- Realistic timelines for each phase
- Required resources (human, technological, financial)
- Key milestones and success metrics
- Risk mitigation strategies
- Change management considerations
- Create a visual representation of the roadmap (timeline, Gantt chart, or similar format)
- Prepare a 20-minute presentation explaining your roadmap and the reasoning behind your recommendations.
Feedback Mechanism:
- The interviewer should provide feedback on one strength of the roadmap (e.g., excellent prioritization logic) and one area for improvement (e.g., more detailed change management planning).
- Allow the candidate 15 minutes to revise the section of their roadmap that needs improvement, demonstrating their ability to refine their work based on feedback.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should we adapt these exercises for candidates with different levels of experience?
For junior candidates, consider providing more structured templates and focusing evaluation on fundamental skills like analytical thinking and communication. For senior candidates, increase complexity by adding constraints like budget limitations or organizational resistance, and evaluate their strategic thinking and leadership capabilities.
What if our organization doesn't have team members who can effectively role-play for these exercises?
Consider bringing in consultants familiar with AI implementation or training HR team members on the basics of AI readiness. Alternatively, you can modify the exercises to use written case studies instead of live role plays, though this may limit your ability to assess communication and adaptability.
How can we ensure these exercises don't take too much of the candidate's time?
Be transparent about time expectations in your job posting and interview process. Consider compensating candidates for extensive preparation time, especially for activities requiring pre-work. You can also scale the complexity of exercises based on the stage of the interview process.
Should we share our actual organizational data for these exercises?
It's generally not recommended to share sensitive organizational data. Instead, create realistic fictional scenarios based on your organization's context but with anonymized or synthetic data. This protects your information while still testing relevant skills.
How do we evaluate candidates who have strong technical AI knowledge but less experience with change management?
Use a weighted scoring system that aligns with your specific needs. If technical expertise is more important for your context, weight those criteria accordingly. However, remember that successful AI implementation typically requires both technical and organizational change capabilities.
Can these exercises be conducted remotely?
Yes, all of these exercises can be adapted for remote interviews using video conferencing tools. For collaborative activities, consider using virtual whiteboarding tools or shared documents to facilitate interaction.
AI readiness assessment is a multifaceted skill that requires both technical understanding and organizational change expertise. By using these work samples, you can more effectively evaluate candidates' abilities to guide functional teams through the complex journey of AI adoption. Remember that the best AI readiness specialists combine analytical rigor with practical implementation knowledge and strong communication skills.
For more resources to improve your hiring process, check out Yardstick's AI Job Descriptions, AI Interview Question Generator, and AI Interview Guide Generator.