🧩 The AI Build Blueprint

#46: How to Evaluate & String Tools Together Without Creating "Frankenstacks"

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The GenAI ecosystem is exploding. But most teams don’t have an AI strategy—they have a pile of unintegrated tools.

One tool for summaries.
One for slides.
One for workflow planning.
None of it connects.

📉 Result: Frankenstacks.
⚠️ Consequence: Redundant spend, tool fatigue, shallow adoption.

To avoid this, CSOs and strategy leaders need to treat their AI stack like an architectural system—not a toy drawer.

Today’s issue gives you the cheat sheet to do just that.

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📌 The 3-Layer Blueprint for Building a Strategic AI Stack

Think like an architect, not just a buyer.

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🛠️ Real-World Example:

A mid-cap medtech firm I recently worked with tested 6 tools across 3 departments.
After 30 days:

• Only 2 stuck. Why?

• They fit into an existing cadence (e.g., weekly market memo)

• They had 1 accountable owner

• They replaced an existing pain point—not layered over it

The rest? Shelfware.

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✅ Build Rules for CSOs

Use these to vet new tools and avoid strategic clutter:

1. Every tool must have a job.
   If you can’t describe what decision or workflow it enhances—pass.

2. Design from the inside out.
   Don’t start with the tech. Start with:
   ➤ A real workstream
   ➤ A friction point
   ➤ A measurable gain

3. Use the "Strategic Stack" Fit Test:
   For each tool, ask:

   • Which layer does it live in?

   • Who owns it weekly?

   • What metric will it move in 30 days?

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🧭 Strategy Leader Shortcut

🟩 Don’t evaluate tools one by one.
Instead, ask: What is our AI capability map?

Define your stack goals across:

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🧾 Download: AI Stack Planner Framework

👇 Use this one-pager to structure your current AI stack, identify overlaps, and assign real owners.