Our leadership team is setting quarterly Rocks around AI adoption, but we keep missing them because we get bogged down in the technical implementation. How do we structure an AI integration Rock so it actually gets done?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The reason most AI-related Rocks fail is that they are written too broadly, such as automate customer service or implement AI in marketing. These are not Rocks; they are massive, multi-phased initiatives. To ensure execution, you must break the implementation down into highly specific, bite-sized deliverables that can be completed in ninety days. A well-structured Rock must be specific, measurable, and realistic. Instead of focusing on the technology, focus on the operational milestone. For example, write your Rock as: document the billing matching SOP and build an OpenAI Assistant to draft vendor discrepancy emails. This gives the owner of the Rock a clear starting point and a defined finish line. Additionally, ensure the person owning the Rock has the capacity to execute it. If your operations manager is already fully loaded, they cannot build an AI system. You may need to allocate budget for an external specialist or reallocate some of their daily tasks. Review the progress of the Rock during your weekly Level 10 Meeting to catch any technical hurdles early, and use IDS to resolve bottlenecks before they derail the quarter.