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COMPEL Glossary / sunset-decommission-case

Sunset / decommission case

A structured argument to stop running an AI feature whose realized value no longer justifies its TCO.

What this means in practice

Essential counter to the sunk-cost fallacy; the sunset case surfaces realized-value data, retirement cost, data-retention obligations, and alternative-use-case value.

Synonyms

AI sunset case , decommission decision

See also

  • Stage-gate value review — A COMPEL-stage gate where realized-value-to-date is compared against the business case, and the investment is continued, adjusted, or sunset.
  • Realized value — The outcome the organisation actually captures from an AI feature, after accounting for adoption, override, and drift effects — distinct from shipped value, which is the theoretical capacity.
  • Total cost of ownership (TCO, AI) — Build + run + refresh + govern + retire cost across an AI feature's full life.
  • AI portfolio scorecard — An executive dashboard showing all AI investments with status, realized value, risk flag, and next decision.