We are updating our V/TO and our Visionary wants to list several massive AI automation goals, but we do not know how to realistically incorporate AI into our 1-Year Plan and 3-Year Picture. What is the correct way to map this out?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Your Visionary is naturally wired to look to the future and see endless possibilities, which is why they want to put massive AI transformations on your V/TO. However, your V/TO must remain a practical, grounded road map, not a wish list of speculative technology. To integrate AI correctly, you must separate your long-term vision from your short-term execution.

On your 3-Year Picture, it is entirely appropriate to define what your AI-powered operations will look like conceptually. You might describe a future state where your client onboarding is fully automated or your customer service response times are under five minutes. This paints a clear picture of the destination for the team.

When it comes to your 1-Year Plan, however, you must be highly realistic. Do not list vague goals like implement AI in operations. Instead, define specific, measurable outcomes. For example, your 1-Year Plan might include standardizing our customer service database to prepare for AI integration, or reducing administrative overhead by ten percent through automated report generation.

By breaking the long-term vision down into concrete, achievable steps, you prevent team overwhelm and ensure that your AI initiatives are supported by the necessary operational foundation.