The situation
Harbour Lane needs a common way to see which governance areas have work and which still have gaps.
Lesson 5 of 12 · 6-minute lesson
Use the six Essential AI practices
Choose the right guidance depth and connect each practice to official sources and workspace work.
For: Governance leads, executives and reviewers
This lesson uses National AI Centre guidance: Essential AI practices, Guidance for AI adoption: foundations, Guidance for AI adoption: implementation guidance, Be clear about AI-generated content.
The problem
A compliance score would hide the difference between guidance, recorded activity and proven effectiveness.
The choice
Maya selects the appropriate guidance depth and opens each practice's related work and official source.
What you will learn
By the end of this lesson
- Choose Foundations or Implementation depth.
- Review all six official practice titles.
- Follow guidance to related work and official sources.
The complete set
Know what each item helps you do
- 01
Decide who is accountable
Name responsibility, decisions and escalation.
- 02
Understand impacts and plan accordingly
Identify affected people and plan responses.
- 03
Measure and manage risks
Record harms, controls and unresolved uncertainty.
- 04
Share essential information
Explain AI use, limits and contact points.
- 05
Test and monitor
Test intended and failure cases, then monitor change.
- 06
Maintain human control
Keep people able to review, intervene and stop.
The pivotal moments
What changes—and why it matters
Moment 1
Review all six practices
What the person does
Maya opens governance coverage and scans the six official titles.
What the workspace records
Each practice links to the selected guidance depth and related North Star work.
Notice
Coverage is not a compliance score.
Why it matters
The organisation can discuss gaps using a shared structure.
Moment 2
Choose the right depth
What the person does
Maya compares Foundations with Implementation guidance.
What the workspace records
The workspace keeps the selected depth visible.
Notice
Foundations is not a lower compliance grade.
Why it matters
Readers see guidance appropriate to their maturity and task.
Moment 3
Follow guidance to its source
What the person does
Maya follows the publisher, checked date and official link.
What the workspace records
Source history explains how the app uses each reference.
Notice
zedhaque screens are not National AI Centre templates.
Why it matters
Readers can check each guidance claim against its official source.
Official guidance used in this lesson
Check the published guidance
National AI Centre
Essential AI practices
Provides the six practices used to organise safe and responsible AI use.
Last checked 30 September 2026
National AI Centre
Guidance for AI adoption: foundations
Provides core actions for organisations beginning responsible AI governance.
Last checked 30 September 2026
National AI Centre
Guidance for AI adoption: implementation guidance
Provides operational detail for more established governance work.
Last checked 30 September 2026
National AI Centre
Be clear about AI-generated content
Provides specific guidance about transparency for AI-generated content.
Last checked 30 September 2026
The complication
The difficult part stays visible
Recorded coverage can show that work exists; it cannot prove that controls are effective or that legal duties are satisfied.
The outcome
Harbour Lane can connect each practice to guidance and related work, while keeping missing work visible.
Check your understanding
Does complete coverage mean compliant?
Show the answer
No. Coverage shows recorded work against guidance. It is not certification, legal advice or proof of control effectiveness.
Key points
Remember these three things
- Use the six official practice titles.
- Choose depth for the task and maturity.
- Treat coverage as evidence of work, not compliance.
What happens next