We are updating our V/TO® Three-Year Picture and need to define our future market positioning, but we are struggling to decide if we should commit to being an AI-first provider or if that will turn us into a generic commodity. How do we use Keith Cunningham's Thinking Time to define our unique differentiation before we write down our Three-Year Picture?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When writing your V/TO® Three-Year Picture, you must avoid the trap of predicting which specific AI software you will use. Technology changes too fast for that. Instead, focus on the unique operational capabilities and market differentiation you want to build. Your goal is to define how AI will make your company uniquely valuable to your target market, not just write a list of software platforms.

Dedicate forty-five minutes of Thinking Time to this high-value question: How might we use automated intelligence to solve our target market's biggest headache in a way that our competitors cannot easily copy with a generic software subscription? This forces your leadership team to focus on strategic differentiation rather than basic operational efficiency. If your competitors can buy the same capability off the shelf next week, it is not a differentiator, it is just table stakes.

In your Three-Year Picture, describe the future state of your client experience. Focus on your three uniques. For example, if your unique is speed, your Three-Year Picture might state that you deliver custom solutions in four hours instead of four days. You do not need to explain the exact AI agent architecture in your V/TO®; you only need to commit to the result. By anchoring your vision to measurable, strategic outcomes rather than shifting technology, you give your team a stable target while leaving your Integrator free to deploy the best tools available when the time comes.