ProfitComm • 6–7 min read
Plan in horizons, not dates
AI adoption isn’t linear. Teams ramp, data quality shifts, and rules evolve. A horizon-based plan keeps you focused on outcomes while allowing pace to adjust. Think in iterations with gates, not a calendar promise.
Guardrails first
Set the boundaries so every decision ladders to value:
- Business outcomes: two or three measurable goals (e.g., shorter cycle time, lower handling cost).
- Data & access: where the data lives, who owns quality, and how models are allowed to use it.
- Risk & compliance: privacy, human review, and audit paths that are simple and enforceable.
- Operating model: who funds, who decides, who maintains.
- Scorecard: adoption, value delivered, and risk posture, reported the same way each cycle.
What repeats each cycle
Four progress checkpoints
Gate 1 — Foundations live
A narrow, high-impact workflow (e.g., routing, triage, invoice prep) running with real metrics.
Exit: measurable lift, support path defined, adoption trending up.
Gate 2 — First value in production
A narrow, high-impact workflow (e.g., routing, triage, invoice prep) running with real metrics.
Exit: measurable lift, support path defined, adoption trending up.
Observability, automated testing, release pipelines, and standards so teams ship safely.
Exit: new use cases deploy quickly; platform cost and support are predictable.
Ownership sits with the line of business; lightweight governance reviews risk and performance.
Exit: value reported like finance; backlog refreshed on a regular cadence.
Pace by evidence
Progress depends on data quality, team capacity, and risk tolerance. Keep the gates fixed and adjust speed based on your scorecard and retrospectives. If value arrives quickly, widen scope. If risk or quality lags, stabilize and harden before adding more.
People and spend (right-sized)
A small cross-functional core partners with domain teams. Investment shifts from build early to scale and adoption as you progress, then optimization.
Start now
Write a one-pager: goals, guardrails, and three candidate use cases. Name owners and baseline the metric each will move. Stand up the smallest platform that lets you ship safely.
Publish the scorecard on a regular cadence and adjust the backlog based on results.
Bottom line: You don’t need to promise a finish date. You need clear gates, visible value every cycle, and the freedom to pace responsibly. That’s how ideas become outcomes, without overcommitting the calendar.