How to Prepare Your Organization for AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic ambition—it’s a critical component of business strategy. However, while the potential is massive, many organizations rush to adopt AI tools without building the foundation for successful deployment. 

At Synergy Technical, we’ve worked with organizations across industries to develop clear, secure, and scalable AI strategies. We’ve learned that the most successful AI initiatives begin long before the first model is deployed. They start with governance, data maturity, cross-functional leadership, and compliance readiness.

Step 1: Establish Strong AI Governance

AI governance isn’t just about risk—it’s about clarity. Without a defined governance structure, teams tend to make siloed decisions, increasing the risk of tool sprawl, data misuse, or security breaches.

What to include in your governance plan:

• A clear AI policy that defines acceptable use, tool evaluation criteria, and ethical boundaries.
• Ownership of AI strategy across departments (not just IT).
• Frameworks for tracking usage, performance, and bias in AI outputs.
• Prompt engineering guidance, especially with tools like Microsoft Copilot.

Step 2: Assess Data Maturity

AI is only as good as the data it learns from. Before deploying tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot or Copilot Studio, your organization needs to evaluate its data hygiene, availability, and structure.

Questions to ask:

• Do you know where your most valuable unstructured data lives (emails, documents, chat)?
• Is sensitive information properly labeled and protected?
• Are users regularly accessing outdated or inaccurate sources?

Even the most advanced AI can’t deliver insight without quality data to work from. Start with a data audit to ensure you’re ready.

Step 3: Form an AI Advisory Committee

AI transformation touches every part of the business. That’s why leadership must come from across the organization—not just IT or compliance.

Your advisory committee should include:

• Executive sponsor: Provides strategic oversight to ensure that AI initiatives align with the organization’s broader business goals.
• Data and IT leads: Manages infrastructure and governance.
• Department champions: Provide real-world use cases and user feedback.
• Legal and HR: Addresses critical issues related to risk, privacy, ethics, and employee impact.

The committee’s goal is to shape the roadmap, prioritize use cases, and establish accountability throughout the rollout.

Synergy Technical Tip: Assign “AI champions” in each department to encourage adoption and collect ongoing feedback from frontline users.

Step 4: Address Compliance and Risk from Day One

AI introduces new dimensions of risk, from hallucinated outputs to unauthorized data sharing. Your compliance readiness will either accelerate or stall your deployment.

Compliance areas to review:

• Regulatory frameworks (GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, etc.)
• Data sovereignty (where data is stored and processed)
• AI explainability and auditing
• Third-party AI vendor certifications and security models

Synergy Technical Tip: Use Microsoft’s security and compliance offerings to build controls around AI tools like Copilot, including sensitivity labels, audit logs, and access boundaries.

Where to Go Next: The AI Roadmap

AI success isn’t a destination—it’s a journey. If your organization is early in that journey, our AI Strategy Engagement is designed to guide you through every phase, from opportunity identification and technology evaluation to roadmap development and scaling.

Whether you’re evaluating Microsoft Copilot, exploring vendor-specific AI solutions, or trying to understand how to build your first AI bot in Copilot Studio, Synergy Technical can help you build a secure, scalable path forward.

Ready to get started? Contact us to schedule your AI Readiness Workshop.

We are not just consultants––we are practitioners. As users of various AI tool within our organization, personal lives, and client environments, we bring first-hand expertise to guide your AI journey. Don't miss out on the opportunity to drive efficiency, productivity, and innovation. Contact us today to unlock the full potential of AI for your organization.