EUQA vs spreadsheets
Most firms start their AI governance in a spreadsheet and a shared document. That is a reasonable start, and for a very small team it may be enough for a while. The comparison below is about what happens when a client asks for proof.
What a spreadsheet does well
- Free, and everyone can use it
- Fine for a first inventory of AI tools
- No procurement process to buy it
Where it stops working
- No proof the list is current — a spreadsheet has no recheck cadence
- No signature record for the policy, so AI literacy and acceptable use cannot be evidenced per person
- No named ownership that survives staff changes
- Nothing a client can verify independently; they have to trust your file
- Regulatory changes do not turn into assigned actions
What EUQA adds
- Governance — Maintain the policy and operating rules for AI use.
- Ownership — Assign a named person accountable for AI oversight.
- AI literacy — Record how staff are supported to use AI responsibly — the practical fluency behind the obligation.
- Inventory — Know which AI tools and digital workers your business uses.
- Verification — Publish evidence that clients, insurers and procurement teams can check.
Honest verdict
If you have five people and one AI tool, a spreadsheet plus a policy document is a defensible start. If clients are asking AI questions in supplier reviews, the gap is verification, not record-keeping.