Compass publishes AI project evaluation framework to predict implementation success
Compass has published a framework for evaluating AI project viability before implementation, addressing a persistent gap in enterprise decision-making. The eROI model decomposes investment bets into three measurable dimensions: potential value, success probability, and resource cost. The framework emerged from Compass's own experience: their Likely-to-Sell recommendation engine generated nine-figure annual revenue, while a separately championed pricing tool warranted shelving despite similar initial promise. Traditional ROI analysis failed to distinguish between these outcomes. This work matters because most organizations lack systematic methods to filter AI initiatives early, leading to resource waste on low-impact projects and missed opportunities on high-leverage ones. The framework gives executives a repeatable evaluation template applicable across industries.
Modelwire context
Skeptical readThe paper doesn't clarify whether eROI is a novel decomposition or a repackaging of existing expected value analysis. Compass's two case studies (one success, one failure) are cherry-picked retrospectives, not prospective validation. The framework's actual predictive power on new projects remains undemonstrated.
This connects directly to the PDE discovery evaluation paper from the same day. Both surface a shared problem: organizations deploy single-metric or informal evaluation schemes that mask downstream brittleness. But where the PDE work identifies a fundamental tension between competing scientific demands, Compass proposes a three-factor template without addressing whether those factors are sufficient or how to weight them when they conflict. The gap between having a framework and having one that prevents bad bets is precisely what the post-hoc evaluation research flags as unresolved.
If Compass publishes a prospective validation study tracking eROI predictions against actual project outcomes across 20+ organizations over 12 months, the framework moves from vendor playbook to testable methodology. If no such study appears within 18 months, treat this as internal retrospective rationalization rather than generalizable decision science.
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MentionsCompass · Likely-to-Sell · Time-on-Market pricing tool · eROI framework
Modelwire Editorial
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