The Echidna AI workspace.

One shared home for everything we build together.

Organised by session: what to read before each one, and what came out of it.

COMING UP

What's next.

If you read one thing, make it the pre-read at the top. Everything marked READ FIRST is meant to be done before the session, and takes the time shown.

SEPTEMBER · DATE TO COME

Risk & governance

The go/no-go framework for new tools, data ownership and vendor terms, and what to watch as usage grows.

LATE SEPTEMBER · BY ROLE

Training begins

Sessions built around what people actually do, pitched at the comfort level each group told us they were at.

OCTOBER

Handbook & handover

The prompt library, the internal handbook, a light onboarding version for next year's new hires, and the AI Guides taking it forward.

ALREADY HAPPENED

What we've settled so far.

Each session shows its outcome up front. Open one to see what we read going in and the evidence behind it.

FRIDAY 21 AUGUST · SENIOR TEAM

The tool decision

Detail +Detail −
DECIDED
Pathway C, with Claude alongside Gemini, for the whole team
The decision memo
CAME OUT OF IT The tool setup checklist Getting from decided to running: Claude from scratch, Gemini’s settings reviewed, and what changes for everyone
WE READ The tool decision — three pathways The options as honestly costed, superseded by the decision above
EVIDENCE Staff diagnostic — what the team told us All thirteen responses, the team map, the account reality
EVIDENCE Data posture — the vendor comparison Retention, training on your data, and legal posture, side by side
WEDNESDAY 29 JULY · LEADERSHIP

The posture working session

Detail +Detail −
DECIDED
Permissive with guardrails, AI Guides, and the refined red lines
The session notes
WE READ Leadership diagnostic — results Posture, red lines, capability self-ratings, and where views diverged
CAME OUT OF IT AI Guides — role & expectations Draft · for senior staff review before it goes to the team
CAME OUT OF IT Staffing & AI Guide options memo Draft · who holds this work after October, timed to your 2027 budget
TUESDAY 21 JULY · ACCRA · EVERYONE

Kickoff

Detail +Detail −
AGREED
Scope locked on the foundation: tool, policy, training. Build ideas parked.
Notes & takeaways
EVIDENCE January survey — what we learned The twelve staff responses, and the gap between intent and practice
EVIDENCE AI diagnostic — leadership wave The deeper-not-broader diagnostic, shipped 15 July
WHAT'S BEING DELIVERED

The six deliverables.

What was agreed at the outset, and where each one stands. Click through to anything already delivered.

✓
DELIVERABLE 1

Use-case assessment & risk map

Where AI genuinely helps at Echidna and where it doesn't, drawn from both diagnostics, the January survey and the systems review, with the risks named against each.

DELIVERED
✓
DELIVERABLE 2

Tools recommendation

The pathways, honestly costed, the live bake-off, the vendor evidence, and the decision the senior team reached on 21 August.

DELIVERED
✓
DELIVERABLE 3

Adoption strategy & decision framework

How the tools actually reach people: the AI Guides who carry it, who gets what, and the go/no-go framework for anything new that comes along. The all-staff note introducing it all is with Emily to send to the team.

DELIVERED
◑
DELIVERABLE 4

AI policy & data governance

The living policy: green, yellow and red data zones, account rules, grantee data handling, and the red lines. The draft is complete and with senior staff for the final decisions, then the AI Guides for a fresh-eyes review before sign-off.

WITH SENIOR STAFF
·
DELIVERABLE 5

Risk management framework

Data ownership, storage, vendor terms and liability, and what to monitor as usage grows. Vendor and insurance questions surfaced for your counsel and broker rather than answered here. Built on the signed-off policy.

AFTER SIGN-OFF
◑
DELIVERABLE 6

Training, handbook & implementation support

Two Foundations sessions for everyone, three clinics by function, weekly office hours, the prompt library and the internal handbook, with hands-on support on the first priority use cases.

PLAN IN DRAFT
HELD FOR LATER

The 2.0 list.

PARKED · BY DESIGN

Ideas captured at kickoff, held for the later phase

Program officer portfolio dashboards. Automated monthly and quarterly EGGs reports. Portfolio forecasting. Research and literature scanning. The girls' education language project. Writing support agents, including second-language drafting.

These sit outside the foundation work your Board asked for. The list stays here so nothing gets lost, and we'll come back to it with options for how to take it on.

WHO'S WHO

The team.

LEAD CONSULTANT

Shabnam Aggarwal

Leads the engagement end to end: strategy, tool selection, policy, and education.
aggarwal.shabnam@gmail.com

RESEARCH & TRAINING

Sara

Human-centered design and policy researcher supporting discovery and training. Background →

ECHIDNA GIVING

The AI Working Group

Kim, Dana & Emily steering; Katrina coordinating scheduling, milestones, and logistics.

LEADERSHIP

The engagement proposal.

LEADERSHIP ONLY

Scope, phasing & commercial terms

The full engagement proposal. Enter the leadership password when prompted — shared with Kim, Dana, Emily & Katrina. Open →