Ready… Set… AI
The AI Readiness Scorecard
Before you start reading this, by far the quickest way to get a result is to head to our AI Readiness Test. It’s an online tool which will ask you some questions and give you a diagnosis that’s unique to your agency. It’s free and you’ll have action points to start with from the get go.
But, if you’re looking for the depth (and it’s a fair read - 7.5 mins, so grab a cuppa before you embark on it), this is where you’ll want to be. Read on.
The AI Readiness Scorecard - a simple, grounded way to see where your agency stands and what you should do next.
We’ve aimed to keep it as straightforward as possible. There are three stages, with seven pillars. You just need to score each pillar 1 to 3. Circle your two lowest scores and start there.
The Three Levels
Level One: Exploration - People are experimenting and learning. It’s useful, but inconsistent.
Level Two: Integration - AI is becoming part of the way work gets done. Habits, systems and standards are forming.
Level Three: Evolution - AI meaningfully expands capability across the agency, with quality, trust and people protected.
The Seven Readiness Pillars
Pillar 1: Strategy Readiness
Does the agency have a clear direction, or is everyone just rowing their own boat?
Level One: Exploration The "Shiny Object" phase. AI adoption is driven by individual enthusiasm rather than business needs. There is no shared direction.
Look for: Tool choices depending entirely on who is in the room. A strategy that consists mostly of "we need to do AI." A disconnect between leadership’s vision and the team's reality.
Level Two: Integration The "Intentional Focus" phase. Leadership has defined a clear stance (Acceleration, Expansion, or Evolution). Resources are focused on a few high-value priorities rather than trying to do everything.
Look for: A shortlist of approved initiatives. A clear "No" list (things you aren't doing yet). A shared language across the agency about why we are using these tools.
Level Three: Evolution The "Competitive Advantage" phase. AI is embedded in how the agency wins business and defines its market position. The strategy has moved from "how do we save time" to "how do we outperform the market."
Look for: AI-driven differentiators in pitch decks. Strategic initiatives that wouldn’t be possible without AI. A roadmap that plans for 12–24 months out.
Pillar 2: Workflow Readiness
Are you just using tools, or are you building systems?
Level One: Exploration The "Solo Tinkerer" phase. Traditional workflows remain unchanged, but individuals use AI secretly or in isolation to patch holes.
Look for: "I used ChatGPT for this, but don't tell anyone." Great results that are impossible to replicate because the prompt wasn't saved. Inconsistent output formats.
Level Two: Integration The "Standardized Process" phase. AI is formally inserted into key steps of the process. There are templates, prompt libraries, and agreed-upon checkpoints.
Look for: "The Agency Way" of doing specific tasks with AI. Shared prompt libraries. Defined moments where humans must review AI output before it moves forward.
Level Three: Evolution The "Agentic System" phase. Modular, semi-autonomous workflows support the team. The system handles the routing, rough drafting, and checking, allowing humans to focus purely on decision-making and craft.
Look for: Workflows that run in the background (e.g., auto-briefing). "Human-in-the-loop" systems where AI handles the baton pass between departments.
Pillar 3: Talent Readiness
Do your people feel replaced, or do they feel supercharged?
Level One: Exploration The "Uneven Playing Field" phase. A few power users are carrying the agency while others watch with skepticism or fear. Skills are self-taught and inconsistent.
Look for: The "AI Person" whom everyone relies on. Junior staff worried about their future. Senior staff dismissing AI because "it can't write like me."
Level Two: Integration The "Role-Specific" phase. Training is tailored to the job. Strategists, designers, and PMs all have different, clear expectations for how AI fits their specific day-to-day.
Look for: Documentation on "What Good Looks Like" for AI-assisted work. Upskilling programs that focus on critical thinking and curation, not just prompting.
Level Three: Evolution The "Elevated Expert" phase. The team has shifted from "doers" to "orchestrators." Fluency is widespread.
Look for: Junior staff acting as editors and curators. Senior staff using AI to widen their creative range. A culture where "taste" and "judgment" are valued higher than "grinding."
Pillar 4: Culture Readiness
Is the vibe fear and secrecy, or curiosity and craft?
Level One: Exploration The "Shadow AI" phase. Curiosity exists, but it’s mixed with anxiety. People use AI but hide it because they fear it devalues their work or gets them in trouble.
Look for: Reluctance to share screens. "Is this AI?" being asked as an accusation rather than a question. A quiet fear of redundancy.
Level Two: Integration The "Open Kitchen" phase. Experimentation is structured and safe. Failures are shared as learning moments. The team understands that AI is a tool for them, not a replacement for them.
Look for: "Show and Tell" sessions where prompts are shared. Leaders openly using AI to do their own grunt work. A vibe of "augment, not replace."
Level Three: Evolution The "High-Craft" phase. The novelty has worn off. The team is ruthless about quality and refuses to let "AI slop" leave the building. Psychological safety is high.
Look for: A team that pushes back on AI output because their taste level is high. Use of AI to break creative blocks without shame. A collective pride in the final human polish.
Pillar 5: Governance & Ethics Readiness
Are you protecting your clients, or just hoping for the best?
Level One: Exploration The "Blind Eye" phase. Risk is handled informally or ignored. There are no clear guardrails on where client data goes.
Look for: Client strategy docs being pasted into public chatbots. Confusion about who owns the copyright. Account teams "winging it" when clients ask about data safety.
Level Two: Integration The "Guardrails" phase. Practical rules exist. The team knows the "Red Lines": what tools are banned, what data is sensitive, and when disclosure is mandatory.
Look for: A signed policy by every employee. An approved tool list (and a blocked list). Mandatory human review gates before anything goes to a client.
Level Three: Evolution The "Safety Net" phase. Governance is embedded into the software and workflow. Compliance doesn't slow the work down because it's baked in.
Look for: Automated PII (Personal Identifiable Information) scrubbing. Clear, proactive conversations with clients about IP. Ethics treated as a premium feature of your agency’s brand.
Pillar 6: Measurement Readiness
Are you measuring value, or just guessing?
Level One: Exploration The "Vibes" phase. Wins feel anecdotal. "It feels faster" is the primary metric. There is no baseline data to compare against.
Look for: "Wow" moments that don't translate to business results. No tracking of how much time tasks actually take.
Level Two: Integration The "Efficiency" phase. The agency tracks practical metrics in key workflows. You know roughly how much time is being saved on specific tasks.
Look for: Tracking time-to-first-draft. Measuring utilization rates. A focus on "hours saved."
Level Three: Evolution The "Value" phase. Impact is measured across quality, trust, and profit—not just speed.
Look for: Measuring Rework Rate (did AI help us get it right the first time?). Measuring Margin (are we more profitable?). Measuring Throughput (can we do more work with the same team?).
Pillar 7: Commercial & Client Readiness
Are you ready to sell and price in this new reality?
Level One: Exploration The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" phase. Agency is likely using AI to speed up work but still billing purely by the hour, creating a risk of revenue decline or ethical murkiness.
Look for: A reliance on the "black box" approach (clients don't know AI is used). Account managers panic when clients ask about AI policies. A fear that efficiency will result in lower client fees.
Level Two: Integration The "Transparent Partnership" phase. The agency actively discloses AI use. Pricing models are shifting from hourly estimates to fixed-project fees to capture the value of efficiency.
Look for: Updated MSAs (Master Services Agreements) that include AI terms. A standard "AI Approach" slide in pitch decks. Pricing that focuses on deliverables rather than time-sheets.
Level Three: Evolution The "Value-Based" phase. The agency has decoupled time from money. You are selling outputs, outcomes, or licensed AI products/utilities, not just hours.
Look for: New revenue streams (e.g., licensing a custom brand bot). "Outcome-based" pricing. Higher margins despite fewer hours worked. Clients buying your system, not just your people.
Interpreting Your Score: The 3 Paths Forward
You’ve circled your numbers. You’ve looked at the shape of your agency. Now, what do you actually do?
First, a reality check: There is no perfect score.
The goal isn't to be "Level 3" at everything by next Tuesday. An agency that rushes to Level 3 in Workflow but stays at Level 1 in Governance is a lawsuit waiting to happen. An agency that hits Level 3 in Strategy but Level 1 in Talent will have a revolt on their hands.
The goal is balance and forward momentum.
Find the profile below that best matches your current scorecard, and follow the prescription.
If you are mostly in "Exploration" (Level 1s)
The Diagnosis: You are likely feeling a mix of anxiety ("we're behind") and overwhelm ("there are too many tools"). You have pockets of enthusiasm, but the agency as a whole is reactive.
The Trap: Trying to boil the ocean. Agencies in this phase often sign up for 10 enterprise tool licenses, hire a "Head of AI," and announce a "transformation" before they’ve even updated their privacy policy.
Your Strategic Focus: Stabilize & Focus. You need to move from chaos to clarity. Stop the random experiments and build a safe foundation.
Your Action Plan:
Publish the Guardrails (Move 2): get that one-page policy signed. If your team doesn't know the rules, they will hide their usage. Light is the best disinfectant.
Pick ONE Pilot: Don't try to fix Strategy, Creative, and Production at once. Pick one painful workflow (e.g., "The way we summarize client feedback") and solve it perfectly with AI. Publicize that win to the company.
Appoint a Lead: Stop letting "everyone" figure it out. Give one person 4 hours a week to be the specific owner of AI tooling and testing.
Audit the Risk: If you are using free tools with client data, stop immediately. Get on the enterprise/team plans that protect your data.
If you are mostly in "Integration" (Level 2s)
The Diagnosis: You’re doing well. The tools are deployed, the team is trained, and the work is getting faster. But you might be feeling a new problem: The Efficiency Paradox. You are doing work faster, but because you charge by the hour, you might be accidentally lowering your revenue.
The Trap: The "Good Enough" Plateau. You’ve automated the easy stuff (meeting notes, image resizing), but you haven't changed the business model or the creative ceiling. You’re just a faster version of your 2022 agency.
Your Strategic Focus: Systemize & Commercialise. You need to move from "using tools" to "building systems" and ensure you are getting paid for the value you create.
Your Action Plan:
Standardize the ‘Way of Working’: Take those individual pockets of brilliance and turn them into SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). If one strategist has a great prompting method, turn it into a template for all strategists.
Update the Contracts: It is time to have the conversation. If AI cuts a 20-hour task down to 2 hours, do not bill for 2 hours. Move that project to a fixed fee or value-based pricing model.
Deepen the Training: Move beyond ‘Intro to Midjourney.’ Start training your team on curation, editing, and legal/ethics. The skill gap is no longer technical; it’s critical thinking.
Connect the Silos: Start looking for workflows that cross departments. How does the Strategy AI output feed directly into the Creative AI brief?
If you are mostly in "Evolution" (Level 3s)
The Diagnosis: You are ahead of the pack. You have custom workflows, you’re confident in your stack, and your clients trust you. The danger here isn't failure; it's homogenization. If you use the same advanced tools as everyone else, your work starts to look like everyone else's.
The Trap: Over-automation. You automate so much that you lose the "soul" of the agency. The work becomes efficient but generic. The humans in the loop are your competitive advantage, not the tools - they’re table stakes.
Your Strategic Focus: Differentiate & Scale. You need to use your maturity to build things other agencies can't, and to widen the "Taste Moat."
Your Action Plan:
Build "Agentic" Utilities: Stop just doing the work; build the machine that does the work. Create proprietary agents (e.g., a ‘Trend Hunter’ bot specific to your niche) that act as IP for your agency.
Sell Products, Not Just Services: Package your AI capability. Can you sell a ‘Competitor Monitoring System’ as a subscription to your client?
The ‘Taste’ Audit: Review your output ruthlessly. Because AI raises the floor of quality, you must raise the ceiling. Invest heavily in Creative Directors whose sole job is to ensure the "human touch" is visible in the final 10%.
Market Your Maturity: Stop being humble. Use your governance and security maturity as a sales tool to win enterprise clients who are terrified of working with less mature agencies.
Summary: The Cycle
This scorecard is not a one-time event. AI moves too fast for that.
We recommend running this audit quarterly. You will find that as you fix one pillar (e.g., Workflow), another one breaks (e.g., Talent needs new training). That is normal. That is evolution.