This course equips you to make informed decisions about generative AI investments. You'll learn to appraise AI use cases by balancing their potential for "Hard ROI" against organizational readiness and technical debt. The curriculum covers how to conduct rigorous vendor and tool evaluations within the Microsoft ecosystem, moving beyond surface-level feature checklists to assess architectural fit and long-term total cost of ownership. You will learn to structure robust investment cases that account for the Verification Tax and ongoing maintenance costs. Throughout the course, you will produce executive-level artifacts, including an AI Opportunity Prioritization Matrix, a Vendor Evaluation Scorecard, and a Multi-Year AI Financial Model. These practical exercises enable you to confidently lead technology investment decisions, effectively defend your proposals to a board of directors, and drive sustainable value realization across your enterprise.
What you'll learn
Evaluate generative AI use cases
Analyze organizational readiness for AI investments
Conduct vendor and tool evaluations in the Microsoft ecosystem
Create executive-level investment artifacts
Course objectives
Develop a structured approach to AI investment decisions
Understand the implications of technical debt and maintenance costs
Produce comprehensive financial models for AI initiatives