What this is

The purchase is approved. Nobody in the room can name what it’s for.

Organizations are buying AI the way they bought cloud, and analytics, and the CRM before that — capability first, use case later. The pattern has a cost, and it shows up eighteen months on as licenses nobody logs into and a platform that quietly became somebody’s side responsibility.

This workshop is a decision gate. Over two days a buying team applies Balanced Scorecard methodology to one specific proposed purchase: test it against actual organizational goals, assess whether you have the data, skills and process to use it, define in advance exactly what evidence would prove it was worth the money, and reach an evidence-based decision — buy, adapt the scope, or don’t.

It works on any major purchase. AI is the one everybody’s facing right now; the same discipline applies to a cloud migration, an analytics platform or a CRM.

Who it’s for

For the people who’ll own the ROI after the signature.

This course is for you if…

You’re an executive, budget owner or project sponsor with a pending AI, cloud or major technology purchase
You’re accountable for the return on that purchase once it’s signed
You’re a CFO, CIO, head of AI/data or procurement lead
You’re a functional leader whose team is expected to actually use the thing
Somebody has already said “everyone else is doing it” out loud in a meeting

Look elsewhere if…

You want a technical evaluation of vendors — this tests the need, not the feature matrix
The contract is already signed and the money is spent
You want organizational strategy rather than a single decision — that’s the VAST five-day

What you leave with

Seven things this prevents.

The output is a decision you can defend to a board, in either direction.

Clearer strategic alignment — confirmation the purchase supports a real organizational goal, not industry pressure
Stronger success criteria — defined before signing: exactly what evidence would prove this was worth it
Better cross-functional buy-in — IT, finance and the business unit aligned on why the purchase exists, before it’s owned by nobody
More confident go/no-go decisions — FOMO-driven buying replaced with a documented, defensible case
Reduced shelfware risk — capability purchased and never adopted gets caught now, not in next year’s audit
A named owner for the outcome — someone accountable for whether the purchase actually gets used
A repeatable screen — the same discipline available for the next major purchase, not just this one

The agenda

Eight sessions across two days.

Day 1 goes from an assumed need to an evidence-based case. Day 2 produces the decision and, if it’s yes, the adoption plan.

DAY 1 You Must Add Value → Defining ImpactSessions 1–4 · from assumed need to a documented case ›

Morning — sessions 1 & 2

You Must Add Value — rate the decision on a spectrum from “clear need” to “because everyone else has it”
The purchase justification hierarchy: FOMO → Feature Parity → Efficiency Gain → Strategic Necessity
Purchase value proposition exercise, including an alternatives inventory: what could you achieve without buying anything?
Setting Goals & Intent — the four perspectives applied to the purchase; the purchase as a testable hypothesis
Strategic context analysis and a plain-language statement of intended use — versus the vendor pitch deck

Afternoon — sessions 3 & 4

You Are Here — readiness maturity assessment across data, skills, process and governance
Stakeholder value assessment: who actually asked for this, versus who’s being told to use it?
Vendor promise versus realistic delivery gap analysis; SWOT including the risk of buying and not using it
Themes & Objectives — 3–5 success themes the purchase must deliver against
Objectives across all four perspectives, with a check for any objective nobody can actually own

You leave the day with: a documented case for — or against — the purchase, a statement of intended use, a readiness assessment with prioritized gaps, and 3–5 success themes carrying 10–14 objectives.

DAY 2 Telling the Value Story → Make It HappenSessions 5–8 · the strategy map, the metrics, the decision, the adoption plan ›

Morning — sessions 5 & 6

Telling the Value Story — a strategy map connecting the purchase to real outcomes
An honest narrative about what this purchase will and won’t do, built for the board
Value dialogue simulation, including the “but the board already approved budget” objection
Measure What Matters — adoption metrics versus vanity metrics: usage, not just procurement
KPI development by objective; OKR integration; measurement system and cadence design

Afternoon — sessions 7 & 8

Prioritize & Deliver — implementation initiatives, or the case for the off-ramp
Prioritization, resource requirements, roadmap sequencing and dependencies
Pilot-before-scale approach and value release planning
Make It Happen — impediment assessment and mitigation strategy
30/60/90-day adoption planning, accountability framework, and commitment

You leave the day with: a strategy map from purchase to outcome, success metrics defined before signing, a documented go/no-go decision, and — if it’s go — a 90-day adoption plan with a named owner.

How it runs

Delivered in the room, or live online.

In person

A facilitated working session — breakout space, wall work, and cross-functional groups. This is the format the material was designed for.

Live online

Same facilitator, same exercises, run in a virtual workspace. Fully live — not a recorded course you watch alone.

Private cohort

Run for your organization, on your strategy, with your own examples. This one is usually run privately, for the single team facing the decision. Private sessions from $10,000.

Digital materials, always. Workbook, templates, and worksheets go out digitally — in person or online. Nobody wants to carry a binder home.
Interactive by design. Expect individual reflection and small-group exercises throughout, not a lecture with slides.
Every participant leaves with their own artifacts — the deliverables listed in the agenda above are yours, built on your real work.

Before You Buy: AI & Technology Purchase Readiness

The purchase is approved. Nobody in the room can name what it’s for.

For the people who’ll own the ROI after the signature.

This course is for you if…

Look elsewhere if…

Seven things this prevents.

Eight sessions across two days.

Delivered in the room, or live online.

In person

Live online

Private cohort

Scheduled cohorts

The rest of the catalog

Intent, Value & Impact

Strategy for Product Managers

VAST Certified Strategist

The purchase is approved. Nobody in the room can name what it’s for.

For the people who’ll own the ROI after the signature.

This course is for you if…

Look elsewhere if…

Seven things this prevents.

Eight sessions across two days.

Delivered in the room, or live online.

In person

Live online

Private cohort

Scheduled cohorts

Join the interest list

The rest of the catalog

Intent, Value & Impact

Strategy for Product Managers

VAST Certified Strategist