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Governed AI adoption

Governed AI adoption and workflow assessment guide

Governed AI adoption starts with a defined business task, approved information, a named owner and explicit limits on what the system can read, create or change. High-impact actions need human approval, useful logging, safe failure behaviour and a tested way to suspend access.

Practical assessment guideReviewed UK organisations

Control checklist

What to verify first.

Use evidence from the real environment. A written policy without current configuration, ownership or testing is not enough.

  1. Name the business outcome, workflow owner and people affected by the AI-enabled decision.

  2. Inventory prompts, models, data sources, retrieval stores, tools and external services.

  3. Classify information before deciding what the workflow may read or retain.

  4. Give each tool and connector the minimum permission needed for the defined task.

  5. Require human approval before external communication, material changes or sensitive decisions.

  6. Test prompt injection, misleading source content, excessive agency and unsafe tool sequences.

  7. Log inputs, tool calls, approvals, outputs and exceptions at a proportionate level.

  8. Define suspension, rollback, incident handling and periodic review before production use.

Decision flow

Move from uncertainty to evidence.

The sequence keeps discovery, control changes and proof connected.

  1. 01

    Define

    Choose one bounded workflow with a measurable business outcome and owner.

  2. 02

    Constrain

    Limit data, tools, actions, retention and external communication.

  3. 03

    Test

    Challenge instructions, source content, permissions and failure behaviour.

  4. 04

    Operate

    Monitor evidence, exceptions and value with a working suspension route.

Assessment template

Record control status and evidence.

Use the blank fields in a workshop or print this page. Mark a control evidenced only when the supporting record is current and attributable.

Control areaEvidence to locateStatusOwner / action
Purpose and ownership Defined task, owner, users and prohibited uses Gap Partial Evidenced
Data boundary Approved sources, classification and retention decision Gap Partial Evidenced
Tool permissions Connector scope and least-privilege review Gap Partial Evidenced
Human control Approval points, override and suspension process Gap Partial Evidenced
Assurance Test cases, logs, incidents and scheduled review Gap Partial Evidenced

Related service

AI Automation & Assistants

Design and operate useful AI workflows with approved data, constrained permissions, human checkpoints and retained evidence.

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Official sources

Continue with primary guidance.

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Related analysis

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