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Military & Defense Executives
Capstone: Mission-Aligned AI Playbook
Capstone: Mission-Aligned AI Playbook
This capstone converts course learning into a mission-specific, audit-ready playbook. Participants identify a real opportunity, assess risk and ethics, select and justify tools, map the acquisition path, plan workforce readiness, and script an executive rollout, producing a single, coherent reference that leaders can brief and teams can execute across VA and defense contexts.
Aligned with VA Ethical Principles, NIST AI RMF, and OMB Memos M-25-21 and M-25-22
This capstone converts course learning into a mission-specific, audit-ready playbook. Participants identify a real opportunity, assess risk and ethics, select and justify tools, map the acquisition path, plan workforce readiness, and script an executive rollout, producing a single, coherent reference that leaders can brief and teams can execute across VA and defense contexts.
Aligned with VA Ethical Principles, NIST AI RMF, and OMB Memos M-25-21 and M-25-22
Outcomes You Can Expect
Outcomes You Can Expect
You will learn to:
You will learn to:
- A complete, organization-specific AI Playbook aligned to mission goals and constraints.
- Clear decision records: assumptions, trade-offs, and acceptance criteria.
- A documented risk, ethics, and compliance posture with evidence plans.
- A defensible tool/approach selection with alternatives considered.
- A practical pilot plan with metrics, gates, and rollback criteria.
- A concise executive brief ready for leadership review and approval.
Capstone: Mission-Aligned AI Playbook
Capstone: Mission-Aligned AI Playbook
Capstone Structure: Six Checkpoints
Capstone Structure: Six Checkpoints
Opportunity Identification
Define the mission problem, desired outcomes, stakeholders, and success signals.
Outputs: one-page problem statement, value hypothesis, stakeholder map.
Risk Assessment
Analyze operational, security, privacy, legal, bias, and reputational risks.
Outputs: risk register with severity/likelihood, mitigations, and owners.
Tool Selection
Compare options (build/buy, hosted/on-prem, retrieval/fine-tune) against criteria.
Outputs: comparison matrix, recommended option, assumptions, and fallbacks.
Legal + Ethical Framing
Map obligations (e.g., privacy, records, accessibility) to concrete actions.
Outputs: control mappings, evidence plan, decision log for trade-offs.
Workforce Readiness
Define roles, training, and change management for adoption.
Outputs: RACI, reskilling plan, communications cadence, support model.
Executive Rollout Strategy
Plan a small, safe pilot; set metrics and gates; script the path to scale.
Outputs: pilot charter (scope, metrics, stop-rules), timeline, and budget sketch.
Required Deliverables (assembled into the Playbook)
Required Deliverables (assembled into the Playbook)
- Mission problem statement and success criteria
- Stakeholder map and operating constraints
- Risk & ethics register with mitigations and owners
- Tool/approach selection matrix with rationale and alternatives
- Compliance & evidence plan (what to collect, when, and how)
- Pilot charter: scope, metrics, stop-rules, and rollback plan
- Adoption plan: roles, training tracks, communication rhythm
- Draft artifacts: requirements outline, evaluation factors, acceptance criteria
- Post-pilot decision brief: go/no-go options with cost/schedule implications
- Executive slide deck (5–8 slides) summarizing the Playbook
Assessment & Completion Criteria
Assessment & Completion Criteria
- Completeness across all six checkpoints
- Traceability from problem to pilot metrics
- Clear documentation of risks, mitigations, and decisions
- Readiness to brief: concise, defensible, and execution-oriented
Working Sessions & Reviews
Working Sessions & Reviews
- Workshop 1: Opportunity + Risk (checkpoint 1–2)
- Clinic 1: Tool selection and constraints (checkpoint 3)
- Clinic 2: Legal/ethical framing + workforce plan (checkpoint 4–5)
- Final Review: Pilot plan and executive brief (checkpoint 6)
Templates Provided
Templates Provided
- Problem statement & value hypothesis
- Risk register and ethics checklist
- Tool selection matrix and assumptions log
- Pilot charter (metrics, gates, rollback)
- RACI and change-communication plan
- Executive brief deck outline
Optional Track Focus (Choose One)
Optional Track Focus (Choose One)
Teams apply the same six-checkpoint structure but tailor artifacts, SMEs, and metrics to a mission domain. Select a track at kickoff.
Teams apply the same six-checkpoint structure but tailor artifacts, SMEs, and metrics to a mission domain. Select a track at kickoff.
Track A — Procurement & Contracting
Track A — Procurement & Contracting
Focus: Market research, requirements quality, evaluation factors, vendor risk.
Focus: Market research, requirements quality, evaluation factors, vendor risk.
Extras: Compliance matrix, data-rights clause notes, QASP outline, protest-risk scan.
Extras: Compliance matrix, data-rights clause notes, QASP outline, protest-risk scan.
Policy Emphasis: FAR/DFARS, records, competition integrity.
Policy Emphasis: FAR/DFARS, records, competition integrity.
Example Metrics: RFP cycle time, ambiguity defects found/resolved, evaluation consistency.
Example Metrics: RFP cycle time, ambiguity defects found/resolved, evaluation consistency.
Track B — Clinical / PHI-Adjacent Work
Track B — Clinical / PHI-Adjacent Work
Focus: Privacy, safety, explainability, human oversight in care-adjacent tasks.
Focus: Privacy, safety, explainability, human oversight in care-adjacent tasks.
Extras: HIPAA/Privacy Act mapping, de-identification plan, clinician review loop, harm analysis.
Extras: HIPAA/Privacy Act mapping, de-identification plan, clinician review loop, harm analysis.
Policy Emphasis: HIPAA, Privacy Act, Section 508, VA clinical governance.
Policy Emphasis: HIPAA, Privacy Act, Section 508, VA clinical governance.
Example Metrics: Error classes caught pre-release, PHI handling conformance, clinician satisfaction.
Example Metrics: Error classes caught pre-release, PHI handling conformance, clinician satisfaction.
Track C — Edge / Defense & Denied Connectivity
Track C — Edge / Defense & Denied Connectivity
Focus: Offline/air-gapped operation, model size/latency, ruggedization, updates.
Focus: Offline/air-gapped operation, model size/latency, ruggedization, updates.
Extras: SWaP profile, offline telemetry plan, secure update/rollback playbook, ATO pathway sketch.
Extras: SWaP profile, offline telemetry plan, secure update/rollback playbook, ATO pathway sketch.
Policy Emphasis: Zero-trust at the edge, data residency/CUI, supply-chain integrity.
Policy Emphasis: Zero-trust at the edge, data residency/CUI, supply-chain integrity.
Example Metrics: Time-to-decision at edge, update success rate, anomaly detection latency.
Example Metrics: Time-to-decision at edge, update success rate, anomaly detection latency.
Track D — Data & Analytics Modernization
Track D — Data & Analytics Modernization
Focus: Pipelines, lineage, quality, retrieval for decision support.
Focus: Pipelines, lineage, quality, retrieval for decision support.
Extras: Data catalog slice, lineage map, quality thresholds, access model (roles/entitlements).
Extras: Data catalog slice, lineage map, quality thresholds, access model (roles/entitlements).
Policy Emphasis: Records, PRA, CUI handling, transparency.
Policy Emphasis: Records, PRA, CUI handling, transparency.
Example Metrics: Data freshness, completeness, defect rate, decision lead time.
Example Metrics: Data freshness, completeness, defect rate, decision lead time.
Track E — Cybersecurity & Model Assurance
Track E — Cybersecurity & Model Assurance
Focus: Threat modeling for AI systems, monitoring, incident response.
Focus: Threat modeling for AI systems, monitoring, incident response.
Extras: Model threat model (MITRE ATLAS-style), drift/abuse indicators, IR runbook, SBOM/signing notes.
Extras: Model threat model (MITRE ATLAS-style), drift/abuse indicators, IR runbook, SBOM/signing notes.
Policy Emphasis: FISMA/NIST 800-53, continuous monitoring, SOC integration.
Policy Emphasis: FISMA/NIST 800-53, continuous monitoring, SOC integration.
Example Metrics: MTTD/MTTR for model incidents, drift alarms resolved, false-positive rate.
Example Metrics: MTTD/MTTR for model incidents, drift alarms resolved, false-positive rate.
How to Use Track Focus
How to Use Track Focus
Select at Kickoff: Declare the track on the Playbook cover.
Select at Kickoff: Declare the track on the Playbook cover.
SME Assignment: Name the domain SME(s) and reviewer of record.
SME Assignment: Name the domain SME(s) and reviewer of record.
Artifact Tailoring: Include the listed extras in your Required Deliverables bundle.
Artifact Tailoring: Include the listed extras in your Required Deliverables bundle.
Metric Binding: Choose at least three example metrics to track in the pilot charter.
Metric Binding: Choose at least three example metrics to track in the pilot charter.
Note: All tracks must still complete the six checkpoints; Track Focus only adjusts emphasis and evidence.
Note: All tracks must still complete the six checkpoints; Track Focus only adjusts emphasis and evidence.
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