Time horizon
The number of years you realistically expect to run a capability, over which all three options must be priced on the same basis. A build's front-loaded cost and a subscription's compounding cost cross over as the horizon lengthens, so a stated, shared horizon is what makes a TCO comparison honest.
Defined in 3 GAGE programs, which carry 3 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in Certified AI Governance Professional (CAIGP).
How each discipline defines it
The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.
The number of years you realistically expect to run a capability, over which all three options must be priced on the same basis. A build's front-loaded cost and a subscription's compounding cost cross over as the horizon lengthens, so a stated, shared horizon is what makes a TCO comparison honest.
The number of years a cost-benefit model counts costs and benefits over. Confusing a one-time cost with a recurring one across the time horizon (Section 3G's Pattern 4) is a common source of inflated or deflated totals.
The deadline by which a robot's dollar target must be reached, and the stated consequence if it is not. A target with no time horizon cannot be judged to have succeeded or failed, and is not a complete scope.
Where it is taught
The exact lessons this term appears in. The first 7 topics of every program are free with a free account.
- Build, buy, or wrap: the decision framework with your organization's real budget · Shipping AI and Surviving the Incident, Certified AI Governance Professional (CAIGP)
- Quantitative Impact Assessment: Modeling Regulation's Costs and Benefits · AI Economics and Impact Modeling, The AI Lobbyist: Certified AI Policy Strategist
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.