Put the AI Playbook to work in your unit
Kent State staff are already recovering meaningful time through AI, the UCM pilot showed 2.25–3.75 FTE of recovered capacity across one division. The AI Playbook gives every unit a practical framework for finding the right tasks, using safe tools and building processes that outlast the person who set them up.
Start with the AI Playbook
The AI Playbook (maintained by the Division of IT) walks unit leaders through a step-by-step process: inventory your team's recurring tasks, screen for data risk, identify your best candidate using the 2×2 task matrix, and run a structured pilot. It assumes you are not a technologist.
Find the right tasks: the 2×2 matrix
Not every task is a good AI candidate. The matrix separates tasks that are tedious for people and fast for machines, your best starting points, from tasks where AI adds overhead without saving time. Run this with your team before committing to anything.
Do I need IT involved?
Many AI uses are self-service, your department decides and owns them. Others benefit from IT guidance, and some (anything involving FERPA, HIPAA, or mission-critical decisions) require IT as a co-owner. When in doubt, contact IT first. It is easier to start right than fix it later.
Document what you build
The most common failure mode is an AI workflow tied to one person's account that breaks silently when they leave. Every AI-enabled process needs a process map, a system message on file, and at least two people who can maintain it.
Your first 90 days
From "I've read this" to "we have one AI-enabled process running, measured and documented" in roughly one quarter.
- Weeks 1–2 — Inventory & orientShare the Playbook with your team. Ask each person to list their recurring weekly tasks. Identify a 2–4 person working group and attend one session at training.kent.edu.
- Weeks 3–6 — Select & pilotRun the 2×2 matrix. Pick one Quadrant 1 candidate. Screen for data risk; engage the LEAN Office if the process needs cleanup first. Capture your baseline: time, accuracy, volume.
- Weeks 7–12 — Measure & documentRun the AI-assisted version alongside your current process for 2–3 weeks. Track time saved, accuracy, and intervention rate. Produce the documentation bundle. Share results with your AVP and IT.