Coached Machine 90-Day Framework and Audit

What this is

The book's implementation sequence for a Coached Machine: a 90-day framework in three phases (Foundation, Expansion, Integration) written separately for individuals, managers and leaders; a 16-line Coached Machine Checklist across the Analyze, Coach, Transform and Integration layers; six common pitfalls with fixes; a four-level measurement model; a sustaining cadence; and an audit template scored 1-5 on each line. The chapter's thesis: "The difference isn't the tools. It's the implementation."

Use when / Do not use when

Use when starting a personal, team or organizational AI-plus-human coaching system, or when auditing one that exists.

Do not treat the audit score as a validated maturity measure. The book gives bands but no validation, and the arithmetic of the template does not match its stated total.

The Instrument

The 90-day framework (book wording)

Days 1-30: Foundation

Individuals

• Choose one foundation model for reflection. Pick one. Don't tool-hop. Consistency matters, not which one.
• Choose one method for tracking. Journal. App. Spreadsheet. Whatever you'll actually use.
• Build the daily habit. Five minutes. Same time each day. Attach to existing routine.
• Identify one skill to practice weekly. "Not five skills. One."
• Define what success looks like. Book example: "I'll reflect 25 out of 30 days. I'll practice once a week. That's success."

Managers

• Pilot on yourself for two weeks. "You can't credibly recommend what you haven't tried."
• Identify 2-3 enthusiastic early adopters. Not skeptics. Start with the curious.
• Introduce tools without mandating. Invitation, not requirement.
• Establish baseline. Current coaching frequency and quality.
• Define what you'll measure. Adoption. Behavior change. Outcomes. Pick 2-3 metrics.

Leaders

• Select 2-3 tools to evaluate. "You're testing hypotheses, not building a catalog."
• Identify a pilot team or function. Small enough to support well. Large enough to learn from.
• Define success metrics at each level: adoption, behavior, outcome, business.
• Create communication plan. Why are we doing this? What's changing? What stays the same?
• Establish governance. Who owns this? Who makes decisions? Who solves problems?

Days 31-60: Expansion

Individuals

• Add the weekly practice layer. Daily reflection is habitual now.
• Increase complexity of practice scenarios. Easy first, harder as skill builds.
• Start monthly pattern review. AI analyzes your journal entries. You look for blind spots.
• Identify human coaching relationship for Transform work (coach, mentor, therapist). Make sure you have one.
• Refine based on what's working. Drop what doesn't help. Double down on what does.

Managers

• Expand to full team. Invite everyone.
• Integrate AI into coaching conversation rhythm. Pre-conversation prep becomes standard. Post-conversation handoff becomes automatic.
• Train team on how to use tools effectively. "Don't assume they'll figure it out. Teach them."
• Begin collecting feedback. What's valuable? What's friction? What's missing?
• Adjust based on early learning. Expect to change your approach.

Leaders

• Expand pilot based on learning. Scale what worked. Fix what didn't first.
• Develop training curriculum (manager training, employee training, part of onboarding).
• Build feedback loops: regular surveys, focus groups, usage data analysis.
• Address resistance and concerns. "Don't ignore skeptics. Engage them. Learn from them."
• Refine measurement approach. Are you measuring what actually matters?

Days 61-90: Integration

Individuals

• Full rhythm operational: daily, weekly, monthly. All layers working.
• Clear boundary. AI for Analyze and Coach. Human for Transform.
• Measuring. Am I developing faster? Is this working?
• Iterating. Small adjustments. Continuous improvement.

Managers

• Full team using tools consistently. "It's become normal, not novel."
• AI prep integrated into all coaching conversations.
• Between-conversation support automated. AI handles follow-up. You focus on presence.
• Measuring. Is my team developing faster? Are goals getting hit? Is engagement up?
• Sharing. What can you teach peers?

Leaders

• Organization-wide rollout planned or in progress.
• Training and enablement systematized. New managers get trained. New employees get onboarded.
• Measurement dashboard operational.
• Continuous improvement process established. Regular reviews. Iteration cycles.
• Long-term roadmap defined.

The 90-Day Implementation Checklist (book wording)

The Coached Machine Checklist (book wording: "Use this to audit your system at any level")

Analyze layer

• AI can access relevant performance data
• AI generates useful insights and patterns
• Managers know how to request and interpret analysis
• Analysis informs human conversations (but doesn't replace them)

Coach layer

• Team members have access to skill practice tools
• Practice is connected to real development goals
• Feedback is specific, timely, and actionable
• Accountability systems are in place between conversations

Transform layer

• Human coaching time is protected
• Escalation protocols exist and are actually used
• Managers are skilled at Transform conversations
• There's a clear path to human coaching when needed

Integration

• AI and human coaching work together (not parallel silos)
• Data flows appropriately between systems
• The experience feels coherent to the person being coached
• Measurement captures what matters

The six pitfalls and fixes (book wording)

Measurement that matters: four levels (book wording)

• Level 1: Adoption. Tool usage rates; session frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, never); feature utilization; user satisfaction (do people find it valuable, would they recommend it?).
• Level 2: Behavior. Coaching conversation frequency; goal creation and tracking; practice session completion; skill demonstration changes.
• Level 3: Outcome. Performance improvement; goal attainment rates; ramp time reduction; engagement scores; retention rates.
• Level 4: Business Impact. Revenue per employee; customer satisfaction; quality metrics; speed metrics; competitive advantage indicators.

Measurement Dashboard Design (book wording, blank fields)

• ADOPTION: Active users this month ___; Average sessions per user ___; Feature utilization rate ___; User satisfaction score ___
• BEHAVIOR: Coaching conversations/manager ___; Goals set and tracked ___; Practice sessions completed ___; Skill improvement evidence ___
• OUTCOMES: Performance ratings improved ___; Goal attainment rate ___; Ramp time (new hires) ___; Engagement score ___; Retention rate ___
• BUSINESS: Revenue per employee ___; Customer satisfaction ___; Quality metrics ___; Speed metrics ___

Sustaining the system (book wording): "not a project with an end date. It's a new operating rhythm."

• Monthly: Review adoption metrics (who's using tools, who's not, why). Gather user feedback. Make small adjustments.
• Quarterly: Review outcome metrics. Assess tool effectiveness. Train new managers. Share success stories.
• Annually: Review business impact. Assess tool landscape. Refresh training. Update roadmap.

The Coached Machine Audit Template (book wording)

"Rate each area 1-5 (1=needs work, 5=excellent):"

Total score: ___/60

Scoring bands (exactly as the book gives them):

Change management communication templates (book wording, summary)

• Announcement: "We're launching a new approach to development that combines AI coaching with human coaching. Here's why: [the coaching gap]. Here's how it works: [brief explanation]. Here's what this means for you: [specific changes]. Here's how to get started: [next steps]."
• Manager briefing: "Your role is changing from doing all the coaching to orchestrating coaching. AI will handle analysis and skill practice. You'll focus on presence and transformation. Here's how to make this work: [implementation guide]."
• Employee FAQ: "Is AI replacing my manager?" "No. AI extends your manager's reach. More support, not less human connection." / "Is this surveillance?" "No. This is development support. Data is used to help you grow, not to monitor you." / "What if I don't want to use it?" "We encourage trying it, but it's not mandated. We think you'll find it valuable." / "What happens to my data?" "[Specific privacy policy]. Your development data is protected and used only for your benefit."

Book illustrations (unverified, not for ROI or proof claims)

The chapter gives three stories: an individual who built a daily, weekly and monthly personal coaching rhythm; a manager who piloted on himself, started with two early adopters and integrated AI prep into his coaching rhythm; and a company that bought a platform, mandated adoption, gave no training and measured only logins. The figures in the stories are omitted here. They illustrate the framework and are not evidence.

How to run it (Performance Lab suggested practice)

1. Pick the role (individual, manager, leader) and copy its three phases into your plan with dates.
2. At day 0, complete the Audit Template as a baseline, and record your own bands alongside the book's.
3. Run the checklist at the end of each phase. Carry unticked items forward.
4. Choose 2-3 metrics from the four levels at day 1 (the book says 2-3 for managers).
5. At day 90, re-run the audit, compare line by line rather than relying on the total, and note which pitfalls appeared.

Record sheet (Performance Lab suggested practice)