Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)
Phase 1 establishes the groundwork for AI-assisted development within your organization. Over the first four weeks, teams assess and select appropriate AI tools, define baseline security policies, onboard developers through structured training, identify pilot projects, and establish measurement baselines. Modern AI tools are ready out of the box — procurement and configuration should not drag this phase beyond one month. This phase is deliberately constrained in scope — success here is measured not by breadth of adoption but by the quality of foundations laid for Phase 2: Structured Expansion.
Goals
Phase 1 has five primary goals, each supported by a dedicated workstream:
- Evaluate and select AI development tools that meet enterprise security, quality, and integration requirements — see AI Tool Assessment & Selection
- Establish baseline security policies that protect intellectual property, prevent data leakage, and define acceptable use boundaries — see Baseline Security Policies
- Train an initial developer cohort in effective, responsible AI-assisted development practices — see Developer Training & Onboarding
- Select and launch pilot projects that demonstrate value while containing risk — see Pilot Project Selection Criteria
- Establish measurement baselines that enable data-driven evaluation of AI adoption impact — see Measurement Baseline Establishment
Deliverables
By the end of Phase 1, the following artifacts MUST be produced and approved by the Steering Committee:
| Deliverable | Owner | Approval Required |
|---|---|---|
| AI Tool Assessment Report with scoring matrix | Platform Engineering Lead | CISO + CTO |
| Approved tool list with configurations | Platform Engineering Lead | CISO |
| Baseline Security Policy document | Security Lead | CISO + Legal |
| Acceptable Use Policy (signed by all pilot developers) | Security Lead | HR + Legal |
| Training curriculum and materials | Training Lead | Engineering Director |
| Training completion records for all pilot developers | Training Lead | Engineering Director |
| Pilot project charters (1-2 projects) | Pilot Team Leads | Steering Committee |
| Measurement baseline report | Metrics Lead | Steering Committee |
| Phase 1 Completion Report with go/no-go recommendation | Phase Lead | Steering Committee |
Team Composition
Phase 1 requires a cross-functional team. The following roles MUST be staffed:
Core Team (Dedicated)
- Phase Lead (1 person, 50-75% allocation) — Accountable for all Phase 1 deliverables, timeline, and Steering Committee reporting. SHOULD be a senior Engineering Manager or Director.
- Security Lead (1 person, 50% allocation) — Owns security policy development, tool security assessment, and acceptable use policy. MUST have application security expertise.
- Platform Engineering Lead (1 person, 50% allocation) — Owns tool assessment, configuration, and integration. MUST have CI/CD and developer tooling expertise.
- Training Lead (1 person, 25-50% allocation) — Develops curriculum, delivers training, and tracks completion. SHOULD have developer education experience.
Pilot Team Members (Dedicated)
- 2-3 Senior Developers per pilot project — These developers will be the first to use AI tools under AEEF standards. They MUST be experienced in the project's technology stack and willing to provide detailed feedback.
- 1 Tech Lead per pilot project — Responsible for code review of all AI-assisted output and pilot project delivery.
Advisory (Part-Time)
- Legal/Compliance Representative — Reviews acceptable use policy, licensing implications, and regulatory compliance. 10-15% allocation.
- Engineering Director/VP — Provides executive sponsorship, removes blockers, and chairs the Steering Committee.
- Metrics Analyst — Assists with baseline data collection and dashboard setup. 25% allocation.
Success Criteria
Phase 1 is considered successful when ALL of the following criteria are met:
Mandatory Criteria
- At least one AI development tool has been assessed, approved, and configured per the AI Tool Assessment framework
- Baseline security policies are documented, approved, and enforced in approved tool configurations
- 100% of pilot team developers have completed the training curriculum and passed assessment
- At least one pilot project is operational with AI-assisted development underway
- Measurement baselines are established for all required metrics categories
- No Critical or High severity security incidents attributable to AI tool usage during the phase
Recommended Criteria
- Developer satisfaction scores for AI tools are above 3.5/5.0
- Pilot team velocity shows no degradation compared to baseline (learning curve expected)
- At least 80% of pilot developers report confidence in applying AI tools effectively
- Prompt patterns used by pilot teams are documented in a shared repository
Timeline
| Week | Activities |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Kick off Phase 1; form core team; begin tool assessment; initiate security policy drafting; draft acceptable use policy |
| Week 2 | Finalize tool selection and procurement; configure approved tools; complete security policies; begin training delivery |
| Week 3 | Deploy tools to pilot teams; complete training; select and launch pilot projects; begin baseline measurement |
| Week 4 | Monitor pilots; collect baseline data; compile Phase 1 Completion Report; conduct go/no-go review |
Risks and Mitigations
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tool procurement delays | Medium | High | Begin procurement process in Week 2; have backup tool selections |
| Developer resistance | Low | Medium | Involve developers in tool selection; emphasize augmentation not replacement |
| Security policy too restrictive | Medium | Medium | Balance security with usability; plan for iterative policy refinement |
| Pilot project too complex | Low | High | Apply Pilot Project Selection Criteria rigorously |
| Insufficient baseline data | Medium | Medium | Begin data collection before tools are deployed; use historical data |
Phase Gate: Go/No-Go for Phase 2
At the end of Phase 1, the Steering Committee MUST conduct a formal go/no-go review. The Phase Lead SHALL present the Phase 1 Completion Report, including evidence of all mandatory success criteria being met.
Go decision requires unanimous Steering Committee approval with all mandatory criteria satisfied.
Conditional go MAY be granted if no more than one mandatory criterion is partially met, with a documented remediation plan and timeline.
No-go requires a remediation plan and a re-assessment date no more than 2 weeks later.
Phase 1 is the most critical phase of the transformation. Cutting corners here leads to compounding problems in Phase 2 and Phase 3. Invest the focus to build solid foundations — but do not confuse thoroughness with slowness.