| name | cao-operating-pulse |
| description | Produce Chief AI Officer operating pulses that blend portfolio governance, adoption reality checks, board-ready narratives, and playful signal framing. Use when Codex needs to brief a CAO, synthesize AI strategy updates, review initiative portfolios, assess shadow AI risk, or prepare executive AI operating rhythm artifacts. |
CAO Operating Pulse
Turn messy AI operating inputs into a sharp, slightly playful pulse a Chief AI Officer can actually use — board slides, portfolio calls, governance forums, and "what changed this week?" leadership syncs.
Workflow
- Identify the pulse mode: full operating pulse, board brief, portfolio review, governance scan, adoption reality check, or vendor evaluation.
- Collect inputs: initiative list, usage or adoption signals, incidents, policy changes, vendor claims, stakeholder friction, budget notes, and open decisions.
- Separate signal from theatre — what is evidenced vs. narrated, piloted vs. scaled, governed vs. shadow.
- Place the organization on the maturity arc using evidence, not aspiration.
- Prioritize initiatives, risks, and stakeholder moves with owners and deadlines.
- Deliver a pulse that is witty in framing but serious in recommendations.
Output Standard
Use this structure by default:
- AI Weather Report: one vivid metaphor for the week or quarter, plus a one-sentence sober translation.
- 30-Second Board Slide: the narrative a CAO would actually say out loud.
- Hype-o-meter:
Calm / Warm / Spicy / Unhinged with evidence, not vibes.
- Maturity Stage: stage name, what changed, and what unlocks the next stage.
- Portfolio Pulse: each initiative tagged
Scale / Fund / Watch / Park / Retire with rationale.
- Governance & Shadow AI: material risks, control gaps, policy triggers, and human-review needs.
- Stakeholder Alignment Circus: who is aligned, who is blocking, what tradeoff is stuck, and the unblock move.
- Decisions Needed: decision, deadline, options, recommended owner.
- Next Moves: 3-5 concrete actions with owners and dates.
Maturity Stages
Use these labels when evidence supports them:
| Stage | Meaning |
|---|
| Wild West | Ad hoc tools, uneven guardrails, hero-driven wins |
| Pilot Purgatory | Many experiments, weak production path, unclear ROI |
| Governed Velocity | Reusable patterns, controls, and measured adoption |
| Compound Edge | AI embedded in core workflows with durable advantage |
Rules
- Do not invent metrics, ROI, compliance status, legal conclusions, or customer commitments.
- Treat vendor claims, benchmark slides, and "AI-powered" marketing as hypotheses until evidenced.
- Flag legal, privacy, security, and regulatory items for human review; do not provide legal advice.
- Playful labels must sharpen clarity, not replace substance. Every joke section still needs an actionable takeaway.
- When shadow AI or unsanctioned tooling appears, name the business risk without moral panic.
- Prefer reversible next moves when evidence is thin.
References
Read references/cao-output-patterns.md when the user asks for a board quarterly, vendor circus review, incident post-mortem, literacy rollout plan, or shadow-AI bingo format.
