A target model is not a tool. It's the platform specification your team argues about, signs off on, and refreshes every quarter.
Enterprise AI platforms aren't built by picking vendors one-by-one. They're built by deciding which capabilities matter, which gaps are tolerable, and which tradeoffs your organization accepts. Target Model structures that decision into a single artifact.
A structured three-step workflow. One artifact the whole team can review.
Standing up an AI platform the whole org will use. Needs a defensible artifact that procurement, legal, and security can sign off on.
Owns the AI stack across multiple product teams. Needs to consolidate, reduce vendor sprawl, and decide which capabilities are core vs. optional.
Running quarterly reviews. Needs to track what changed, surface new gaps, and keep the target model in sync with evolving requirements.
Export it as an Architecture Decision Record. Share it. Re-run it. Target models aren't frozen spreadsheets — they evolve as your stack, vendors, and requirements change.