Description

A focused course, tailored for you

The Chief Digital and AI Officer Operating Cadence Playbook

Run the monthly AI portfolio review, the quarterly board readout, and the academic cohort brief from one operating cadence, with the artefacts each audience signs off on.

The CDAIO seat asks one person to own portfolio governance, board reporting, model-risk registers, customer-experience programmes, AI talent build, and an academic affiliation that wants the same person in front of a cohort. The job lives or dies on whether the operating cadence behind those duties is engineered, or improvised every month.

$199 one-time

Tailored to your situation. Access within 24 hours. 30-day money-back.

Includes a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access, generated for your specific situation.

Why this course

Three audiences sit in the CDAIO's calendar each month. Operating-unit heads want the AI portfolio sequenced against their P&L commitments. The board wants one page that ties AI spend to gross-margin movement and answers the model-risk question before it is asked. The academic cohort wants this quarter's live deployments translated into a case-study brief by next term. Without a shared cadence underneath, each audience pulls the CDAIO into a different document, the portfolio sheet drifts from the board narrative, the model-risk register goes stale between audits, and the cohort brief is written the weekend before class. The cadence in this playbook collapses those three reporting lines into one monthly rhythm with four canonical artefacts that each audience signs off on.

What you walk away with

A monthly operating cadence the CDAIO runs the same way every cycle, with the four canonical artefacts produced as outputs not by-products.
A portfolio sheet that ties each AI initiative to the operating-unit P&L line it lifts, with the value-realised column updated before the cadence meeting not after.
A one-page board readout that answers the AI-spend, AI-value, and model-risk questions in the order the chair tends to ask them.
A model-risk register that reads cleanly for an external examiner and for the internal audit committee, refreshed inside the same monthly cadence not as an annual scramble.
A cohort brief generator that converts this month's deployment into next term's teaching case in under two hours of CDAIO time.

The 12 modules

Module 1. The CDAIO operating cadence: month, quarter, half-year

The skeleton the rest of the course hangs from. Defines the monthly review with operating-unit heads, the quarterly board readout, the half-yearly portfolio reset, and the academic-term cohort brief as one connected rhythm. Walks through the calendar layout, the prep window before each meeting, and the canonical artefact each cycle produces. Sets the four artefacts as outputs of the cadence rather than documents written between meetings.

Module 2. The AI portfolio sheet that maps to the operating P&L

How to lay out the portfolio so every initiative ties to a specific operating-unit P&L line and to a named accountable executive on that unit. Covers the template, the value-categorisation taxonomy (margin lift, cost-to-serve reduction, revenue uplift, risk-cost reduction), and the discipline of refreshing the value-realised column inside the monthly cadence not at year end. Includes the conversation script for unit heads who resist the mapping.

Module 3. The model-risk register an auditor reads in twenty minutes

Builds the register that satisfies both internal audit and an external examiner, structured as one row per deployed model with the risk-tier, data-lineage anchor, performance-drift signal, fallback procedure, and last-revalidation date. Covers the linkage to the broader operational-risk framework, the artefacts the model owner is responsible for maintaining, and the question set the register is built to answer. Includes the template and the maintenance rhythm.

Module 4. The one-page board readout: AI spend, AI value, AI risk

Turns the portfolio sheet and the model-risk register into one page the board sees every quarter. Walks through the layout that answers the chair's three standing questions in their natural order, the colour rule for spend versus value movement, and the narrative sidebar that explains any red flag before the chair has to ask. Shows the iteration loop with the company secretary and the audit-committee chair before the page lands in the board pack.

Module 5. Customer-experience programmes inside the AI portfolio

How to sequence the customer-experience workstream so its value contribution shows up on the portfolio sheet alongside the back-office initiatives, not in a parallel deck. Covers the metric mapping from CX outcomes to operating-unit P&L lines, the joint governance with the chief customer officer or equivalent role, and the cadence by which CX initiatives are added to or retired from the portfolio. Includes the template for the joint review meeting.

Module 6. AI talent build inside the operating cadence

Treats the AI capability build as another initiative on the portfolio rather than a separate strategy document. Covers the role catalogue, the build-versus-buy decision template, the partnership-with-academic-institution pattern that converts cohort projects into pipeline, and the workforce-planning artefact that goes to the CHRO. Walks through the conversation with finance about classifying the spend correctly so it shows on the portfolio sheet.

Module 7. Regulatory and governance constraints the register has to address

Walks through the regulatory and supervisory expectations that shape the model-risk register and the board readout. Covers the cross-cutting requirements that apply to most AI-using organisations regardless of sector, the sector-specific overlays (banking, insurance, healthcare, public services, education), and the documentation discipline that lets the same register serve internal audit and an external examination. Includes the mapping template that ties register rows to the applicable supervisory expectation.

Module 8. Vendor and third-party model governance

Extends the model-risk register to cover vendor-hosted, foundation-model, and embedded-AI components. Covers the contractual artefacts the CDAIO needs from each vendor (model card, evaluation documentation, performance commitments, change-notification rights), the inventory pattern for shadow AI use across the business, and the question set procurement runs before any new AI-enabled vendor is onboarded. Includes the vendor-governance review checkpoint inside the monthly cadence.

Module 9. The value-realised log and the conversation with finance

How to maintain the value-realised log so the CFO accepts the numbers in the board readout without a separate verification cycle. Covers the joint definition meeting with finance, the attribution discipline for shared benefits, the treatment of value that arrives over multiple periods, and the audit trail every claimed value figure carries back to. Includes the value-realised template, the conversation script with the FP&A lead, and the rule for when value is taken off the log.

Module 10. The academic cohort brief generator

Converts this month's live deployment into next term's case-study brief without doubling the CDAIO's writing load. Covers the brief template that mirrors a real CDAIO portfolio decision, the redaction rule that lets sensitive material reach a teaching context, the pairing of brief with discussion questions for the cohort, and the publication rhythm that aligns with the academic calendar. Includes the brief generator and the cohort-feedback loop that feeds back into the portfolio sheet.

Module 11. The board, audit committee, and risk committee conversation set

Walks through the specific conversations the CDAIO holds with the board, the audit committee, and the risk committee across a year, and the artefacts each conversation runs from. Covers the standing question every committee tends to ask, the preparation pattern with the company secretary, the discipline of leaving each meeting with one written decision, and the cadence by which the CDAIO follows up between meetings. Includes templates for the meeting briefs and the post-meeting decision log.

Module 12. Running the first quarter of the cadence in production

Pulls every artefact together into a single first-quarter operating run. Walks through week one (portfolio refresh and stakeholder alignment), week two (model-risk register update and vendor governance review), week three (board pack drafting and finance reconciliation), week four (board readout, decision capture, and cohort brief). Includes the running-the-cadence checklist, the standing-meeting agenda templates, and the criteria for declaring the cadence in steady-state operation.

How this addresses your situation

Specific modules that map to what you said you are dealing with.

Months one and two cover the cadence skeleton and the portfolio sheet so the monthly review with operating-unit heads has a backbone before the next board cycle.

Modules three and four build the model-risk register and the board readout so the next quarterly board pack ships with both artefacts in their final shape.

Modules five through nine extend the portfolio to customer experience, talent build, regulatory constraints, vendor governance, and the value-realised conversation with finance.

Modules ten through twelve close the loop with the academic cohort brief, the committee conversation set, and a guided first quarter of running the cadence end to end.

What you get with this course

Twelve text-based modules walking through the operating cadence, the four canonical artefacts, and the end-to-end first quarter.
Downloadable templates for the AI portfolio sheet, model-risk register, board readout, value-realised log, cohort brief, vendor-governance checklist, and committee meeting briefs.
Worked examples for every artefact showing how the same row, slide, or page evolves across a quarter.
Conversation scripts for the monthly operating-unit review, the finance reconciliation meeting, and the board and committee conversations.
Hand-built implementation playbook tuned to the buyer's portfolio mix, operating-unit list, regulatory context, and academic affiliation.

What you will have in hand by Day 1, Week 1, Month 1

Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.

Modules and templates are available immediately on provisioning. Self-paced study, typical completion four to six weeks at three to five hours per week.

The implementation playbook lands in parallel with course access and is hand-built to the buyer's specific portfolio, operating-unit list, and reporting context.

Before and after

Before

The portfolio sheet, the board deck, the model-risk register, and the cohort brief are four documents written separately, each one the weekend before it is needed. The CDAIO spends the back half of every month redrawing slides instead of running the portfolio.

After

Those four documents are outputs of one monthly cadence. The portfolio sheet refreshes the value-realised log inside the cadence. The board readout is built from the portfolio sheet without a separate writing cycle. The model-risk register stays current because vendor governance and model performance feed it monthly. The cohort brief is generated from the same source material in under two hours.

What happens if you do not address this

The CDAIO seat that runs on improvised reporting eventually meets a board that wants the AI-spend, AI-value, and AI-risk questions answered on one page, in the same shape, every quarter, with the same provenance. The seats that survive the next reset cycle are the ones whose holders had the operating cadence ready before the board asked.

Who it is for

Chief Digital and AI Officers, Chief AI Officers, Heads of Digital Transformation, and senior digital leaders who carry portfolio, governance, board reporting, customer-experience programmes, and an academic or professional-body affiliation in parallel. Particularly relevant for leaders operating in regulated or cross-border contexts where model-risk and AI-governance artefacts need to read for both an internal board and an external examiner.

Who this is NOT for. Individual contributors building AI features without portfolio responsibility. Consultants advising on AI strategy without ownership of an operating P&L. Leaders whose remit is purely technical platform engineering with no board reporting line. People looking for an introduction to machine learning concepts.

How it arrives

Text-based course in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every module, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.

Time investment. Three to five hours per week across four to six weeks for the full course. The cadence itself, once in steady state, lands inside the CDAIO's existing monthly calendar rather than adding to it.

Why $199 is the right number

An executive AI programme at a top business school covers AI strategy concepts but does not hand the buyer the four canonical artefacts and the monthly cadence template. A management consultancy will build the artefacts as a one-off engagement and leave without transferring the operating rhythm. A free PMI or industry body resource gives the language but not the templates. This playbook is the operating cadence and the artefact set, hand-tuned to the buyer's portfolio.

FAQ

Does this assume a specific regulatory regime?

No. The model-risk register and the governance overlay modules cover the cross-cutting expectations and the sector-specific overlays. The hand-built implementation playbook applies the buyer's specific regulatory context to every artefact.

We already have a portfolio sheet. Does this replace it?

It is more likely to refactor than replace it. The course covers the mapping from your existing portfolio columns into the cadence-aligned template, including which columns to retire and which to add so the value-realised log connects cleanly to finance.

How does the academic-cohort module work if I do not teach a cohort?

The brief generator works equally well for internal capability-build cohorts, partner-organisation briefings, and senior-leadership development sessions. The template stays the same. The hand-built playbook substitutes the audience that matches your context.

Is there any live component?

The course is self-paced text plus templates and worked examples. The hand-built implementation playbook is the personalised component and is delivered alongside course access.

30-day money-back guarantee. If after a week of working through the materials this is not what you needed, reply to the receipt email and a full refund is processed. No questions, no forms.

Within 24 hours your account in the learning environment is provisioned and the tailored implementation playbook is delivered alongside it.