Safe-to-Test AI Workflow Approval Brief
A one-page template for agreeing on a controlled AI workflow test.
Use this brief to agree on one controlled test. Keep each answer to one or two lines. If something is unknown, name who will resolve it and by when.
1. Decision requested
Sponsor: [name]
Decision needed by: [date]
Ask: Approve / revise / defer a [duration] test with [cohort].
Support needed: [access, funding, or leader reinforcement]
2. Workflow and intended result
Workflow: [specific task]
Current owner: [person or team]
Business priority: [priority]
Expected result beyond time saved: [quality, consistency, speed to decision, customer outcome, etc.]
Success signals: [one or two observable measures]
3. Test boundary
Users and dates: [named group; start–end]
Approved inputs: [systems, folders, or data]
Excluded data: [data the workflow must not use]
May read: [sources]
May write: [draft or live destinations]
May share or publish: [audience and channel]
Out of scope: [actions the test will not take]
4. Controls and review
Access restrictions: [workspace, role/group, sign-in, or connector limits]
Retention or deletion: [requirement]
Human approval required before: [data write, publication, external delivery, or other consequential action]
Reviewer: [name]
Escalation owner: [name]
Test record: [where to keep source links, versions, approvals, changes, errors, and overrides]
5. Test plan and rules
Workflow owner: [name]
IT/security partner: [name, if needed]
Instructions and support: [link or channel]
Continue when: [success and control conditions]
Pause and investigate when: [recoverable concern]
Stop when: [material risk or failure]
Only [role] may restart the test.
6. Evidence and next decision
Collect: [outcome signal], [quality or correction rate], [control issues], [user feedback], and [support effort].
Evidence owner: [name]
Scale decision date: [date]
At the end, [sponsor] will expand, revise, or stop the workflow based on this evidence.
Recommendation
Test [workflow] with [cohort] for [duration] to improve [business outcome]. Use only [approved inputs], require human approval before [consequential action], and stop if [condition].
Final check
- Read/write/share limits are clear.
- Human review covers the risky step.
- Continue/pause/stop rules are observable.
- One person owns the next decision.
