AI Maturity Assessment

My role involves writing code

Adds engineering-specific questions about how you work with AI coding tools.

1. You need to prepare a report that involves data from three different sources. How do you approach this?

I gather the data manually, compile the report myself, and don't use AI at allI've tried pasting some data into ChatGPT to see what it does, but I end up writing the report myself anywayI gather the data myself and use AI to help me write the report fasterI'm testing a way to get AI to pull and merge the data — it's not reliable yet, but I'm iterating on the prompts and processI have a saved workflow: AI pulls and merges the data, I review and edit the outputI've built a system where the report generates itself from the sources — I only step in to review edge cases and add interpretation

2. A colleague asks you how you use AI in your daily work. What do you show them?

I tell them I don't really use AI — my work doesn't seem like a fit for itI mention I've played around with it a bit but haven't found a regular use for it yetA few prompts I've found useful for common tasksA workflow I'm building — it's not finished yet, but I can show the approach I'm testingTemplates and workflows I've built that I use repeatedly across projectsA redesigned process where AI handles execution and I focus on direction and quality

3. Your team is behind on a deliverable. How does AI factor into catching up?

It doesn't — I just work longer hours or reprioritize tasksI might try asking AI for help but I'm not confident enough in its output to rely on it under pressureI use AI to speed up my own tasks — write faster, edit faster, research fasterI try to set up a quick AI workflow for the team to parallelize, even if it's rough — we can iterate on quality laterI deploy shared AI workflows so multiple team members can parallelize work with consistent qualityThe bottleneck is probably a coordination problem, not a speed problem — I look at which handoffs or dependencies AI can eliminate entirely

4. A new AI tool is released that's relevant to your work. What do you do?

I don't follow AI news — I'll look into it when someone tells me toI read about it but probably won't try it unless a colleague shows me how it worksTry it out to see if it's faster or better than what I'm using nowTest whether it can replace a manual step in a workflow I'm building — I'm actively looking for better tools for specific tasksEvaluate whether it fits into my existing workflows and could replace or improve a stepAssess whether it changes what's possible — could it eliminate a process, a role boundary, or a dependency that currently exists?

5. You're onboarding a new team member. How does AI come up?

It doesn't come up — AI isn't part of how we onboard peopleI might mention that AI tools exist, but I don't have specific guidance to shareI mention which AI tools we use and share some tipsI share what I've been building and show them the workflows I'm experimenting with, even though they're still evolvingI walk them through the team's AI workflows and templates so they can use them immediatelyI explain how the role works — what they direct, what the system handles, and how to judge when to intervene

6. If AI tools disappeared tomorrow, what would happen to your work?

Nothing would change — I don't use AI toolsI'd barely notice — I only use AI occasionally and could easily do without itI'd be slower, but I'd do everything the same way — just manuallyI'd lose the workflows I've been building and have to go back to fully manual processes for tasks I was starting to automateSeveral of my regular workflows would break and I'd need to rebuild them as manual processesMy role would need to be fundamentally redefined — much of what I do is directing AI systems

7. You notice AI gives inconsistent quality on a recurring task. What do you do?

I don't use AI for recurring tasks — I prefer doing them myself so I know they're rightThat's exactly why I stopped using it — the output wasn't reliable enoughTry different prompts until I find one that works betterI'm working on building a more structured prompt with examples and constraints — testing iterations to get consistent resultsBuild a structured template with clear inputs, constraints, and evaluation criteria so results are consistentRedesign the process — if AI is inconsistent, the spec is probably under-defined. I tighten the spec and add automated checks

8. How do you decide which parts of your work to involve AI in?

I haven't thought about it — AI isn't part of my workflowI've tried it on a couple of things but I'm not sure where it actually helpsI try AI on tasks when I think it might help, mostly for writing, research, or analysisI've identified the tasks where AI could help most and I'm actively building workflows for them — some work, some are still experimentalI've mapped my workflows and identified which steps benefit most from AI — I use it systematically thereI start from the opposite end: which parts require my judgment? Everything else should be automated by default

9. Your manager asks 'how did AI help this quarter?' What's your answer?

It didn't — I didn't use AI this quarterI experimented a bit but I can't point to a specific result it improvedI list the tasks where AI saved me time — drafting, summarizing, brainstormingI show the workflows I've been building — some are already saving time, others are still being testedI show before/after metrics for the workflows I've transformed — time per task, throughput, error ratesI describe which processes have been redesigned so that my time goes to judgment calls and direction rather than execution

10. You're planning your work for next quarter. How does AI factor into your planning?

It doesn't — I plan my work the same way I always haveI'm vaguely aware I should be using AI more, but I don't know where to startI assume AI will help me be more productive on my existing tasksI have specific workflows I want to finish building and new ones I want to start — I'm planning around what to automate nextI plan which workflows to transform next and estimate the gains from eachI plan based on where AI capabilities will likely advance — I allocate my attention to the highest-judgment work and plan to automate the rest