How to Create An AI Roadmap

An AI Vision Statement sets the ambition. An AI Council provides ownership. An AI Charter codifies governance. An AI Policy establishes the rules. And use cases and pilots show what’s possible.

But without an AI Roadmap, it’s easy for these efforts to remain scattered.

The roadmap is where vision becomes execution.

It is the bridge between aspiration and action—a dynamic plan that sequences initiatives, allocates resources, and ensures AI adoption advances in a deliberate, coordinated way.

What an AI Roadmap Is

An AI Roadmap is a 12–24 month strategic plan that:

• Identifies the AI initiatives with the greatest potential to create value.
• Prioritizes those initiatives based on impact and feasibility.
• Sequences them in a phased approach that aligns with organizational readiness.
• Integrates governance (Council, Charter, Policy) into decision-making.
• Monitors performance and evolves as technology and business needs change.

It’s not static. It should be reviewed quarterly and adjusted annually.

Step 1: Anchor in Vision and Charter

The roadmap begins with the AI Vision Statement—the inspirational declaration of why your organization is pursuing AI. It also draws authority from the AI Charter, which defines the Council’s remit and long-term goals. Together, these documents ensure the roadmap is aligned with purpose and governance.

Step 2: Gather and Evaluate Use Cases

Use your Use Case Assessment to gather potential initiatives from across the organization. Score them on two dimensions:

• Value: efficiency gains, cost savings, revenue growth, risk reduction.
• Feasibility: data readiness, tool availability, integration complexity.

This process helps you identify quick wins as well as long-term bets.

Step 3: Sequence and Prioritize

Map initiatives into a phased plan:

• Phase 1 (0–6 months): Quick-win pilots, foundational training, and governance.
• Phase 2 (6–12 months): Scaling successful pilots, vendor integration, initial cross-functional adoption.
• Phase 3 (12–24 months): Expansion across business units, advanced automation, and strategic reinvestment.

Each phase should have clear KPIs and decision gates—what you need to see before moving to the next stage.

Step 4: Integrate Governance

Keep the roadmap tethered to your Council, Charter, and Policy. Define review cadences. Ensure each initiative passes through ethical, compliance, and strategic filters before launch. T

his prevents “random acts of AI adoption” and reinforces discipline.

Step 5: Plan for Resources

• Budget: Allocate funds for tools, training, pilots, and integration.
• People: Define roles (Council members, functional champions, technical leads).
• Change management: Build a plan for communication, training, and cultural adoption.

Without resourcing, even the best roadmap will stall.

Step 6: Monitor, Measure, Adapt

Track progress against KPIs like efficiency gains, cost savings, revenue uplift, or customer satisfaction. Use these metrics to refine priorities. Document lessons learned. Fold those lessons back into the roadmap.

Remember: the roadmap is a living document, not a one-time plan.

The Value in the Process

As with the Vision Statement, much of the value comes from the work itself. Building an AI Roadmap forces alignment, surfaces trade-offs, and creates a shared understanding of priorities.

Done well, the roadmap becomes a strategic muscle: a rhythm of quarterly reviews and annual resets that keeps AI adoption both deliberate and adaptable.