How do I take a vision of the future into action now?

By now, you’ve identified your biggest pain points, prioritized the 10X opportunities that can make the biggest impact with highest chance for success, and assessed your AI readiness to tackle these improvements. Now comes the exciting part: crafting the roadmap for action. A well-crafted plan will ensure your AI initiatives don’t just stay as ideas but create into real, tangible results.

Roadmaps are critical for early & ongoing alignment - they communicate strategic priorities, predict the timing, resources, and costs for implementation, and ensure teams across your organization are committed to the same objectives.

For many housing organizations, roadmaps also include ongoing progress assessment, go/no-go decision points, and identified milestones including funding, education, and strategic differentiation.

Creating Your AI Roadmap

Here's how we think about AI roadmaps at The Strategic Edge:

Set an Inspiring Vision & Objectives for AI

Every AI initiative should start with a clear vision of what success looks like. Here's what is critical to communicate to your teams:

• What do you want to achieve?

• How will you measure progress and outcomes?

• Who is responsible and accountable for these objectives?

• What’s the timeline for hitting your milestones?

These objectives will guide the rest of your planning and help keep your efforts focused.

Map Out Your Timeline

When implementing an AI initiative, it’s essential to have a realistic timeline that balances urgency with feasibility. A timeline with clear checkpoints will keep your team aligned and on track, while also giving you the flexibility to adjust if needed. Break down the process into manageable phases:

• Short-Term Goals: What can you achieve in the next 30, 60, or 90 days? Quick wins will help build momentum, particularly in cross-functional work.

• Mid-Term Milestones: What do you want to accomplish in the next 6-18 months? These are your larger, transformational goals.

• Speed Bumps & Road Blocks: What known barriers exist that may slow down or impede progress? Holidays, competing priorities, events, and more may interfere with your timeline.

Allocate Resources Effectively

For your roadmap to be successful, you need to ensure the right people, tools, and budget are in place at the right time. Be realistic about your current resources and plan for what’s needed to execute without overburdening your team.

• People: Who will own each part of the initiative? Ensure that key players are committed and have the time to focus on the project.

• Technology: Do you have the systems in place to support automation, data analysis, and workflow improvements?

• Budget: Make sure you’ve allocated the necessary funds for any new tools, training, or additional resources.

Identify and Mitigate Risks

As with any major initiative, there will be risks. Consider potential roadblocks; identifying these risks early allows you to develop strategies to mitigate them, ensuring smoother execution.

• Operational Disruption: How can you minimize disruption to daily operations during implementation?

• Technical Issues: Do you have contingency plans if a new tool doesn’t integrate as expected?

• Stakeholder Resistance: How will you address pushback from team members, partners, or tenants?

Build in Flexibility and Iterate

Remember, a roadmap is not set in stone. As you implement your AI initiatives, be prepared to learn from what works and adjust your plan accordingly. Regular check-ins and reviews will allow you to make informed adjustments, ensuring that you stay on the path to success.

Drafting Your AI Roadmap

Creating a roadmap takes time, but it’s one of the most crucial steps in transforming your operations for AI implementation and adoption. A hot tip from our advisors: a roadmap is a directional - not a predictive - document for early and ongoing alignment. Expect your roadmap to change and evolve as you learn and adapt your organizational processes, workflows, and people.

If you need help building out your plan or want to ensure you’re focusing on the right priorities, I’m here to help. Book a 15 minute call with our advisors to talk through your roadmap and ensure you’re set up for success.

Onward and upward!