When painting our 3-Year Picture on the V/TO®, how do we define our future state when the pace of AI advancement makes it impossible to know what tools will even exist thirty-six months from now?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The purpose of the 3-Year Picture on your V/TO® is not to predict specific technological tools. It is to define the physical look, feel, and scale of your business. Trying to guess which specific artificial intelligence platforms you will use in thirty-six months is a waste of time. Instead, focus on your operational metrics and capabilities. Define how your business model will leverage technology to scale. For example, focus on your target revenue, your projected profit margins, and your total headcount. Specify how your unit economics will improve through automation. You might paint a picture of a business that generates double its current revenue with only a twenty percent increase in headcount, driven by an optimized technology stack. Focus on the capabilities your team will possess, such as real-time customer data analysis or instant service delivery. Ground this in the behavioral profiles of your future team using tools like the Predictive Index assessments. What cognitive and behavioral traits will your team need to run this high-leverage model? By focusing on capabilities, scale, and talent profiles rather than specific software names, you keep your 3-Year Picture highly relevant and actionable, regardless of how fast technology changes.