Multiple efforts are underway, but nothing connects them.
Multiple efforts are underway, but they're disconnected — each built on its own assumptions, with no shared standard connecting them. Pull three senior leaders aside separately at this level and you'll get AI initiatives named, but materially different explanations of which decisions matter or why. The task isn't more experimentation. It's narrowing to the few decisions that actually matter and establishing the ownership and shared definitions that let those efforts start accumulating learning instead of just activity.
Strategy is conceptual. Leaders agree AI matters but describe different objectives when asked directly. Initiatives are driven by tools and enthusiasm rather than defined decision problems, so work spreads across many places without learning accumulating anywhere. The task is narrowing to the few decisions that actually matter.
Governance is situational. Ownership may exist on paper but isn't exercised consistently, and similar situations produce different outcomes depending on who's involved. What has to be established before the next Maturity Level is repeatable ownership — knowing in advance who owns what.
Data exists but isn't a reliable decision asset — fragmented across systems, definitions varying by team, reconciliation happening informally. If two teams answer the same question differently and can't trace why, the organization is still exploring. What's needed is shared definitions for the handful of critical elements that support key decisions, not a comprehensive data strategy.
Expectations are unclear and behavior reflects it. Some people lean heavily on AI outputs, others ignore them, and neither approach is grounded in shared guidance. What has to be established isn't a sophisticated interpretation standard — just basic expectations for when AI should be used, and how.
Technology is fragmented and isolated in small pilots. Change is easy here, but not in a useful way — if a model is replaced, very little breaks, because very little is actually supported yet. What needs building is stable integration points where behavior starts to matter.
Moving Forward
Advancing from Level 2 to Level 3 requires closing gaps across all five perspectives, not just the most visible ones. SIMA-Probe identifies where you stand; SIMA-Flow structures how you advance.
See Level 3: ApplyingSIMA-Probe measures your current maturity level across all five perspectives and tells you exactly what to address next.