Stage 1 of the AI Lifecycle is Concept:
- Purpose: Identify a use case, scope the capability, and run the AI BoM addition through the AI Task Force gate.
- Duration: Typically 2–8 weeks.
- Governance stage gate (GOV-15) sequence:
- Problem statement
- Capability scope
- AI BoM addition
- Risk Class exposure assessment
- Tier classification
- Portfolio visibility: Concept-stage capabilities appear in the Capability Portfolio (SUS-10) with status “Concept”.
- Stage outcomes:
- Build authorisation, or
- Hold for rescoping, or
- Rejection (rejections are captured as DE-2 evidence, demonstrating that not every proposed capability proceeds).
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Flow diagram of Stage 1 Concept in the AI Lifecycle from use case identification to build authorisation, rescoping, or rejection.
A key control in Stage 1 is that **rejected concepts are recorded as DE-2 evidence**, proving that the governance process actively filters out capabilities that should not proceed.