AI Roadmap Workbook for Non-Technical Business Leaders
A straightforward, no-jargon workbook showing the real areas where AI adds value — and where it doesn’t.
The Dev Guys — Built with clarity, speed, and purpose.
Purpose of This Workbook
If you run a business today, you’re expected to “have an AI strategy”. All around, people are piloting, selling, or hyping AI solutions. But most non-tech business leaders face two poor choices:
• Agreeing to all AI suggestions blindly, expecting results.
• Rejecting all ideas out of fear or uncertainty.
It guides you to make rational decisions about AI adoption without hype or hesitation.
You don’t need to understand AI models or algorithms — just your workflows, data, and decisions. AI should serve your systems, not the other way around.
Using This Workbook Effectively
Work through this individually or with your leadership team. The purpose is reflection, not speed. By the end, you’ll have:
• Clear AI ideas that truly affect your P&L.
• Recognition of where AI adds no value — and that’s okay.
• A realistic, step-by-step project plan.
Use it for insight, not just as a template. If your CFO can understand it in a minute, you’re doing it right.
AI planning is business thinking without the jargon.
Starting Point: Business Objectives
Start With Outcomes, Not Algorithms
The usual focus on bots and models misses the real point. Non-technical leaders should start from business outcomes instead.
Ask:
• Which few outcomes will define success this year?
• Where are mistakes common or workloads heavy?
• Which decisions are delayed because information is hard to find?
AI matters when it affects measurable outcomes like profit or efficiency. Ideas without measurable outcomes belong in the experiment bucket.
Start here, and you’ll invest in leverage — not novelty.
Understand How Work Actually Happens
Understand the Flow Before Applying AI
AI fits only once you understand the real workflow. Simply document every step from beginning to end.
Examples include:
• New lead arrives ? assigned ? nurtured ? quoted ? revised ? finalised.
• Customer issue logged ? categorised ? responded ? closed.
• Invoice issued ? tracked ? escalated ? payment confirmed.
Every process involves what comes in, what’s done, and what moves forward. AI belongs where the data is chaotic, the task is repetitive, and the result is measurable.
Step 3 — Prioritise
RAGScore AI Use Cases by Impact, Effort, and Risk
Choose high-value, low-effort cases first.
Think of a 2x2: impact on the vertical, effort on the horizontal.
• Quick Wins — high impact, low effort.
• Reserve resources for strategic investments.
• Minor experiments — do only if supporting larger goals.
• Avoid for Now — low impact, high effort.
Always judge the safety of automation before scaling.
Your roadmap starts with safe, effective wins.
Balancing Systems and People
Get the Basics Right First
Without clean systems, AI will mirror your chaos. Ask yourself: Is the data 70–80% complete? Are processes well defined?.
Human Oversight Builds Trust
Let AI assist, not replace, your team. Over time, increase automation responsibly.
The 3 Classic Mistakes
Learn from Others’ Missteps
01. The Shiny Demo Trap — getting impressed by flashy demos with no purpose.
02. The Pilot Problem — learning without impact.
03. The Automation Mirage — expecting overnight change.
Fewer, focused projects with clear owners and goals beat scattered enthusiasm.
Collaborating with Tech Teams
Non-tech leaders guide direction, not coding. Focus on measurable results, not buzzwords. Expose real examples, not just ideal scenarios. Clarify success early and plan stepwise rollouts.
Transparency about failures reveals true expertise.
Signs of a Strong AI Roadmap
How to Know Your AI Strategy Works
It’s simple, measurable, and owned.
Buzzword-free alignment is visible.
Ownership and clarity drive results.
Essential Pre-Launch AI Questions
Before any project, confirm:
• What measurable result does it support?
• Is the process clearly documented in steps?
• Do we have data and process clarity?
• Where will humans remain in control?
• What is the 3-month metric?
• What’s the fallback insight?
Conclusion
Good AI brings order, not confusion. A real roadmap is a disciplined sequence of high-value projects that strengthen your best people. When AI becomes part of your workflow quietly, it stops being hype — it becomes infrastructure.