FOCUS

Selects the right first opportunity.

Start here when a team has too many AI ideas and needs to separate useful work from interesting noise.

ValueFeasibility

High value / low feasibility

High value / high feasibility

Low value / low feasibility

Low value / high feasibility

Purpose

Choose the first opportunity worth building.
Prevent AI enthusiasm from outrunning feasibility.
Keep the team focused on the best first use case.

When to use

There are multiple possible AI ideas and the team needs a filter.
Stakeholders keep asking for automation before the workflow is clear.
You need to sort high-value work from low-value work.

When not to use

The real workflow is still undefined.
The task is a one-off question with no repetition.
The team is already committed to a specific solution.

Decision tree

Use FOCUS to ask the first question: what deserves attention first?

If value is low, do not build yet.
If feasibility is low, redesign the process before moving on.
If value and feasibility are both high, the opportunity can move forward.

Process

List the candidate ideas

Capture the possible AI opportunities without ranking them too early.

Test value and feasibility

Use the matrix to see which idea deserves the first investment.

Select one first opportunity

Choose the best starting point and defer the rest until the team has learned.

AI prompts

Prompt 1

Act as a workshop facilitator. Review these AI ideas and rank them by value and feasibility. Do not recommend automation until the workflow is clear.

Prompt 2

Act as a strategy advisor. Which first opportunity creates the most leverage without over-automating the process?

Examples

Example

A team wants AI for admissions emails, FAQ handling, and policy exceptions. FOCUS selects FAQ handling first because it is repeated, structured, and feasible.

Common mistakes

Treating excitement as feasibility.
Automating before the workflow is understood.
Trying to build every idea at once.

Downloadable checklist

The problem is repeated.
The value is clear.
The workflow is feasible.
The first opportunity is specific.
The team agrees on what comes next.

Download checklist