The rubric v1(proposed)

Process counts, but measured results carry the most weight.

Each criterion is scored 1 to 5. Only the anchors 1, 3 and 5 are defined; 2 and 4 sit between them. The overall score is the weighted average, from 1.0 to 5.0.

Criteria and weights
Criterion	What it covers	Weight
1Strategy and leadership	Leaders own the change: clear goals, budget, visible sponsorship.	15%
2People and culture	Adoption across staff, training, how resistance was handled.	20%
3Process redesign	Work was rebuilt around AI, not AI bolted onto the old process.	25%
4Measured business results	Change against a baseline: time, cost, quality, revenue or risk.	40%

1Strategy and leadership 15%

Score anchors for Strategy and leadership
Score	What it looks like	Evidence
1	AI is a side project of one enthusiast. No goal, no budget.	None beyond the nominator's word
3	A named executive sponsor and a written goal. Budget exists for one area.	Strategy note, roadmap or board slide
5	AI is part of company strategy. Leaders use it themselves, review progress regularly and fund it across the company.	Strategy document plus a sponsor statement or a reference call

2People and culture 20%

Score anchors for People and culture
Score	What it looks like	Evidence
1	A few people use AI on their own. No training.	None
3	One team or function uses AI weekly. Basic training done. Resistance acknowledged.	Share of staff using AI weekly and how it was measured; training plan
5	Most staff use AI weekly in real work. Ongoing training. Resistance handled openly, with roles or incentives changed.	Usage data, training records, an example of how resistance was resolved

3Process redesign 25%

Score anchors for Process redesign
Score	What it looks like	Evidence
1	AI tools added on top of the old way of working.	None
3	At least one core process redesigned and running in production for 3+ months.	Before and after process description, named process owner
5	Several core processes rebuilt. Roles, handoffs or org structure changed. Survives staff changes.	Process maps or SOPs, months in production, owner names

4Measured business results 40%

Score anchors for Measured business results
Score	What it looks like	Evidence
1	Claims without numbers.	None
3	A clear before and after on at least one metric in one area.	Baseline, current number, method
5	Material improvement on several metrics, sustained for 3+ months, at company level.	Baselines, current numbers, method, plus confirmation in a reference call

Scoring rules

No baseline, no high score: Without a documented baseline, measured results are capped at 2.
Threshold: An overall score below 3.5 means no award this year.
Evidence over claims: A score above 3 on any criterion needs at least one artifact listed in its anchor row.
Verification: One short reference call per finalist with someone other than the nominator.