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AI Platform Selection — Governance Framework

AI Platform Selection Decision Tree

v3.0 7 Stages 25 Decision Nodes 9 Terminal Outcomes
01

The decision tree

1. Validation
2. Audience
3. Compliance
4. Data
5. Complexity
6. Governance
7. Result
STOP
REVIEW
APPROVED
flowchart LR

  %% ===== Stage 1: Validation =====
  start{"Is AI the
right solution?"} start -->|"Yes"| audience start -->|"No"| stop_not_ai([STOP: AI Not
Recommended]) start -->|"Maybe"| stop_discuss([REVIEW: Discuss
with Governance]) %% ===== Stage 2: Audience ===== audience{"Who needs access?
Filters platform options"} audience -->|"Everyone 500+"| security audience -->|"Team 10-100"| security audience -->|"Individual 1-5"| security %% ===== Stage 3: Compliance ===== security{"Data sensitivity?"} security -->|"Low"| region_check security -->|"Medium"| region_check security -->|"High PII"| stop_legal([REVIEW: Legal
Review Required]) region_check{"Regional restrictions?"} region_check -->|"None"| data_type region_check -->|"Approved tool"| data_type region_check -->|"Unapproved tool"| stop_works([REVIEW: Regional
Approval Required]) %% ===== Stage 4: Data ===== data_type{"What data does
the solution need?"} data_type -->|"Search company
knowledge"| glean_check data_type -->|"Create / edit in
Google Workspace"| google_tools data_type -->|"External Systems"| external_check data_type -->|"Large Files"| large_context data_type -->|"Multiple Sources"| multiple_sources glean_check{"Sources in Glean?
15 connectors enabled"} glean_check -->|"Yes"| context_check glean_check -->|"Build connector"| stop_connector([REVIEW: Evaluate
Glean Connector]) glean_check -->|"No API"| stop_no_api([STOP: No
Integration Path]) context_check{"Fits 128K tokens?"} context_check -->|"Yes"| complexity context_check -->|"No"| large_context google_tools{"Google AI tool?
Write / edit / act"} google_tools -->|"Gemini"| complexity google_tools -->|"Gems"| complexity google_tools -->|"NotebookLM"| complexity google_tools -->|"None fit"| external_check external_check{"External API?"} external_check -->|"Yes + governance"| mulesoft_path external_check -->|"Yes, simple"| complexity external_check -->|"Glean Action"| complexity external_check -->|"No API"| stop_no_api mulesoft_path{"MuleSoft
Agent Fabric"} mulesoft_path -->|"Proceed"| complexity mulesoft_path -->|"Custom + logging"| complexity multiple_sources{"All in Glean?"} multiple_sources -->|"Yes"| complexity multiple_sources -->|"Glean + MCP"| complexity multiple_sources -->|"Custom orchestration"| complexity large_context{"Large context needs
Claude filtered by
audience + German"} large_context -->|"Gemini"| complexity large_context -->|"NotebookLM"| complexity large_context -->|"Claude"| complexity large_context -->|"Custom chunking"| complexity %% ===== Stage 5: Complexity ===== complexity{"Task complexity?"} complexity -->|"Simple Q and A"| governance_eval complexity -->|"Guided Workflow"| governance_eval complexity -->|"Multi-step"| governance_eval complexity -->|"Integration"| governance_eval %% ===== Stage 6: Governance ===== governance_eval{"Governance level?"} governance_eval -->|"High"| operations governance_eval -->|"Standard"| operations governance_eval -->|"Minimal"| operations operations{"What if it breaks?"} operations -->|"Builder maintains"| builder_check operations -->|"Platform managed"| recommendation operations -->|"Mission critical"| stop_governance([REVIEW: Governance
Review]) builder_check{"Builder available?"} builder_check -->|"Confirmed"| recommendation builder_check -->|"Backup needed"| stop_backup([REVIEW: Identify
Backup Owner]) builder_check -->|"Cannot meet reqs"| stop_find_owner([STOP: Find
Different Owner]) %% ===== Stage 7: Result ===== recommendation([Platform
Recommendation]) %% ===== Styles ===== classDef s1 fill:#EEF1FF,stroke:#4F46E5,stroke-width:2px classDef s2 fill:#F5EEFD,stroke:#7C3AED,stroke-width:2px classDef s3 fill:#FDEEEE,stroke:#DC2626,stroke-width:2px classDef s4 fill:#E6F4FA,stroke:#0E7490,stroke-width:2px classDef s5 fill:#EBF1FE,stroke:#2563EB,stroke-width:2px classDef s6 fill:#FBF3E2,stroke:#D97706,stroke-width:2px classDef stopNode fill:#FEE2E2,stroke:#DC2626,stroke-width:2px classDef reviewNode fill:#FEF3C7,stroke:#D97706,stroke-width:2px classDef resultNode fill:#D1FAE5,stroke:#059669,stroke-width:2.5px class start s1 class audience s2 class security,region_check s3 class data_type,glean_check,context_check,google_tools,external_check,mulesoft_path,multiple_sources,large_context s4 class complexity s5 class governance_eval,operations,builder_check s6 class stop_not_ai,stop_no_api,stop_find_owner stopNode class stop_discuss,stop_connector,stop_governance,stop_backup,stop_legal,stop_works reviewNode class recommendation resultNode
02

Terminal outcomes

Stop
AI Not Recommended
Consider rules-based automation or human process instead. Low volume, high stakes, or requires strict accountability.
Stage 1 - Validation
Review
Discuss with Governance
Mixed signals suggest this needs team discussion. Document the use case and schedule a review with your governance team.
Stage 1 - Validation
Review
Legal Review Required
High-sensitivity data (PII, financial, legal) requires Legal and Governance approval before proceeding.
Stage 3 - Compliance
Review
Regional Approval Required
Tool requires regional regulatory or legal approval before use. Check applicable compliance frameworks for your jurisdiction.
Stage 3 - Compliance
Review
Evaluate Glean Connector
Required data source not in Glean but API exists. Evaluate custom connector feasibility before proceeding.
Stage 4 - Data
Stop
No Integration Path
External system has no API. Consider manual data export, vendor API request, or alternative data source.
Stage 4 - Data
Review
Additional Governance Review
Mission-critical solutions require evaluation against all five criteria: Reliability, Governance, Traceability, Auditability, Fault Tolerance.
Stage 6 - Governance
Review
Identify Backup Owner
Primary builder needs a backup owner identified. Document handoff procedures and schedule knowledge transfer.
Stage 6 - Governance
Stop
Find Different Owner
Current builder cannot meet maintenance requirements. Find different owner, reduce scope, or switch to platform-managed solution.
Stage 6 - Governance
Approved
Platform Recommendation
All checks passed. Dynamic recommendation based on audience, compliance, data type, complexity, and governance needs.
Stage 7 - Result
How to read this tree. Start at “Is AI the right solution?” on the left. Follow branches right through 7 evaluation stages. Diamond nodes are decision points. Rounded nodes are terminal outcomes -- either STOP (red), REVIEW (amber), or APPROVED (green). Use zoom controls or Ctrl/Cmd+scroll to inspect details.

Disqualifiers first. This tree front-loads audience scope (Stage 2) and compliance checks (Stage 3) before asking about data or platform selection. This ensures users never invest time exploring a platform path only to discover it is blocked by scale requirements or regional regulatory restrictions.