Foundation
Weeks 1–4: individual foundations, project launch and a controlled baseline.
EAU OPEN LEARNING · EOL-TMAI-001
Advanced strategic management · FREE PRACTICAL TRAINING
Advanced Technology Management: AI Strategy, Investment & Digital Transformation
Compare AI and non-AI options, test value and governance assumptions, evaluate vendors and design a credible operating model and 90-day transformation roadmap.
PROGRAMME AT A GLANCE
Choose the right investment. Prove its value before scaling.
12 weeks · 24 live hours · approximately 24 guided practice hours. Workload estimates are not academic credits.
Who it is for
- Technology and transformation managers
- Product, operations or investment leaders
- Professionals responsible for technology decisions
Entry readiness
- Management or operational experience
- Comfort with spreadsheets and financial assumptions
- Ability to evaluate organisational change
Meridian
Build an investment-decision dossier for a fictional services organisation, comparing four opportunities and progressively testing finance, governance, pilots, vendors and adoption.
THREE CONNECTED PHASES
Each month raises the standard of evidence and delivery.
Build and test
Weeks 5–8: deeper application, documented decisions and staged evaluation.
Integrate and hand over
Weeks 9–12: integrate evidence, transfer the skill and deliver the final portfolio.
COMPLETE PUBLIC CURRICULUM
Twelve weeks. A clear practical deliverable every week.
Open any week to review the focus, practical work and public deliverable. Internal cases, answer keys and restricted data are not published.
W01Strategic Diagnosis & KPI Baseline
Focus: Business problem framing; KPI definition and baseline sources; Facts versus assumptions versus unknowns; Decision question before technology.
Practical work: Frame a neutral business problem, define three measurable KPIs and log verified facts, assumptions and unknowns.
Deliverable: Individual Diagnostic Brief.pdf + KPI Dictionary.xlsx.
W02Technology Strategy & Project Initiation
Focus: Technology strategy and capability gaps; Project scope, sponsor and exclusions; Stakeholder mapping; Strategy-on-a-page.
Practical work: Scope Meridian, map business capabilities and stakeholders, and complete a one-page technology strategy.
Deliverable: Project Charter + Capability Gap Map + Strategy-on-a-Page.
W03AI Opportunity & Non-AI Alternatives
Focus: AI use-case suitability and non-AI baselines; Data readiness and mandatory gates; Weighted opportunity scoring; Sensitivity and recommendation.
Practical work: Score all four opportunities against weighted criteria and independent mandatory gates; explicitly compare a non-AI solution.
Deliverable: Individual Opportunity Screening Memo + AI/Non-AI Scorecard.
W04Technology Finance, Value & Analytics
Focus: Total cost of ownership; Released time versus realized cash saving; Base/downside/upside scenarios; Executive financial recommendation.
Practical work: Calculate an auditable 12-month TCO, separate released working capacity from cash savings, and stress-test adoption and pricing.
Deliverable: Business Case v1.xlsx + Two-Page Executive Decision Memo.
W05AI Product Discovery & Pilot Design
Focus: Product discovery and user journey; Testable pilot hypotheses; Acceptance and stop conditions; Human oversight.
Practical work: Design a bounded product pilot: user journey, falsifiable hypothesis, baseline, sample, negative cases and stop conditions.
Deliverable: Individual Product Brief + Pilot Charter + Acceptance Matrix.
W06Technology Project, Programme & Portfolio Management
Focus: Project/programme/portfolio distinctions; Capacity and dependencies; RAID and gating; Budget-constrained prioritization.
Practical work: Prioritize a feasible portfolio within staff and funding limits; record dependencies and adjust the portfolio for a 25% funding cut.
Deliverable: Portfolio Decision Sheet + Dependency Roadmap + RAID Log.
W07AI Governance, Data & Risk
Focus: AI governance and data responsibilities; NIST AI RMF concepts; Risk register and evidence; Approval gates and RACI.
Practical work: Prepare an AI risk register, accountable decision gates and RACI; identify when privacy/data-rights uncertainty requires HOLD.
Deliverable: Individual AI Governance Pack: Risk Register + Decision Gates + RACI.
W08Digital Transformation & Change Leadership
Focus: Transformation across people/process/data/technology; Stakeholder change; Adoption versus outcome KPIs; Pilot gate decision.
Practical work: Design stakeholder training and adoption measures; distinguish usage from outcome, then issue a pilot gate decision.
Deliverable: Change & Adoption Plan + Pilot Gate-2 Memo.
W09Cloud, Platform & Vendor Strategy
Focus: Build/buy/partner and platform strategy; Vendor mandatory gates; TCO and lock-in; Data portability and exit.
Practical work: Evaluate three fictional vendor responses, apply mandatory gates before weighted scores, calculate TCO and document portability and exit.
Deliverable: Individual Vendor Decision Memo + TCO & Exit Workbook.
W10Technology Leadership & Target Operating Model
Focus: Target operating model; Run versus change; Service and financial ownership; Capability transfer and continuity.
Practical work: Create a target operating model with decision rights, support accountability, capability handover and continuity under staff loss.
Deliverable: Target Operating Model + RACI + Skills & Handover Plan.
W11Integrated Transformation Case & Benefits Realization
Focus: Pilot evidence reconciliation; Benefits ownership and measurement; Risk-adjusted recommendations; 90-day roadmap.
Practical work: Reconcile new pilot results, update the financial case and benefits ledger, and defend a conditional 30/60/90-day roadmap.
Deliverable: Final Transformation Dossier + Benefits Ledger + 90-Day Roadmap.
W12Executive Defence & Independent Transfer Assessment
Focus: Executive communication; Challenging assumptions; Independent new-case transfer; Professional advisory boundaries.
Practical work: Assess a new unseen organisational case independently and defend the final simulated Meridian decision and client handover.
Deliverable: Individual Unseen-Case Assessment + Final Team Dossier + Simulated Client Handover.
YOUR PRACTICAL PORTFOLIO
What you will document through the pathway.
Tools: Spreadsheets, decision frameworks, fictional vendor evidence and management presentation tools. Python is not required.
Professional boundary: A simulated introductory advisory engagement, not production AI delivery, legal advice or a guarantee of investment return.
- Strategic diagnosis and KPI baseline
- AI/non-AI option assessment
- Financial and TCO workbook
- Governance and vendor decision
- Target operating model and 90-day roadmap
USEFUL QUESTIONS
Understand the boundaries before you choose.
Do I need Python?
No. The emphasis is technology decision-making, spreadsheets, finance, governance and change.
Will I build a production AI system?
No. You develop a decision dossier, pilot design and transformation plan using fictional data.
EAU OPEN LEARNING
Review the details, then start your free application.
This is free independent non-degree training. It creates no academic student number and requires no payment. Moodle access remains a manual step after training acceptance.