Capstone
Capstone Purpose
The capstone serves four essential purposes:
1. Prove Independent Competence
Throughout the course, learners developed capabilities with instructor support, peer collaboration, and structured guidance. The capstone removes these scaffolds. Success requires demonstrating that the learner can execute the methodology without hand-holding.
This is the "solo flight" after training with an instructor. The capstone proves readiness for independent practice.
2. Apply the Full A.C.O.R.N. Cycle
The course progressed through modules sequentially, building understanding phase by phase. The capstone integrates all phases into a complete cycle:
- ASSESS: Identify friction and opportunities
- CALCULATE: Build the business case with measured baselines
- ORCHESTRATE: Design the human-AI workflow
- REALIZE: Execute the pilot and validate results
- NURTURE: Establish sustainability for ongoing value
Partial completion is not acceptable. The capstone demonstrates mastery of the complete discipline, not just individual phases.
3. Create Real Organizational Value
The capstone must address a genuine organizational need and deliver measurable value. Simulated exercises, theoretical analyses, or hypothetical opportunities do not qualify.
Real value means:
- Actual time savings measured in reduced hours
- Actual throughput improvements measured in increased output
- Actual quality improvements measured in reduced errors
- Actual stakeholder satisfaction measured in surveys or feedback
The organization should be better off because of the capstone project. This is not academic exercise—it is professional practice.
4. Demonstrate Without Hand-Holding
The capstone tests whether learners can navigate ambiguity, make judgment calls, and recover from setbacks without constant guidance. Instructors and mentors are available for questions, but the capstone is fundamentally independent work.
Success requires:
- Self-directed problem-solving
- Appropriate judgment under uncertainty
- Resilience when plans don't work as expected
- Professional communication with stakeholders
Capstone Requirements
Requirement 1: Select a New Opportunity
The capstone opportunity must be:
New: Not the R-01 opportunity developed during the course. Not a case study from course materials. Not a project already in progress before the course.
Real: An actual organizational need with genuine stakeholders. Not a hypothetical scenario or simulation.
Yours: An opportunity where the learner has or can obtain authority to implement. Not an opportunity that requires approvals unlikely to be granted.
Rationale: Using R-01 would not demonstrate independent capability—the work was already guided through the course. Using a pre-existing project would not demonstrate the assessment skills. The capstone must be fresh application of the methodology.
Requirement 2: Execute the Complete Cycle
The capstone requires completion of all five A.C.O.R.N. phases:
| Phase | Minimum Requirements |
|---|---|
| ASSESS | Friction inventory (≥5 friction points documented), opportunity assessment, selection with rationale |
| CALCULATE | Baseline metrics using all three lenses, ROI model with transparent assumptions, business case presentation |
| ORCHESTRATE | Current-state workflow documentation, future-state design with collaboration pattern, implementation blueprint |
| REALIZE | Pilot scope definition, measurement plan, pilot execution, results documentation |
| NURTURE | Sustainability plan including monitoring, ownership, knowledge management |
Each phase must produce the deliverables specified in the corresponding module. Quality standards from course materials apply.
Requirement 3: Document All Deliverables
Documentation serves three purposes:
- Evidence of work completed
- Reference for future replication
- Basis for assessment
Documentation requirements:
- All templates completed with actual data
- Narrative explaining methodology application
- Decisions and rationale recorded
- Results compared to projections
- Lessons learned captured
The capstone submission should be a complete package that another practitioner could reference to understand what was done and why.
Requirement 4: Measure Results Using Three Lenses
Results must be measured using the Module 3 framework:
| Lens | Measurement Required |
|---|---|
| Time | Before/after comparison of time investment per unit of work |
| Throughput | Before/after comparison of volume processed |
| Focus | Before/after assessment of cognitive burden and discretionary time |
Projections from the business case must be compared to actual results. Variance analysis is required: where results differed from projections, explain why.
Requirement 5: Present to Stakeholders
The capstone includes a formal presentation:
- Duration: 20-30 minutes plus Q&A
- Audience: Organizational stakeholders, peers, evaluators
- Purpose: Communicate value delivered and lessons learned
Presentation is not optional. The discipline includes communication—practitioners must be able to articulate what they did, why it matters, and what was learned.