Workshop Day | AI Strategy Map Workshop

Module 1 09:00 - 09:45 45 min

The AI Strategy Gap

Objective

Surface the gap between current AI activity and strategic alignment, making visible how disconnected most AI initiatives are from business outcomes.

Key question

"What are we actually trying to achieve with AI?"

Exercise

Map your current AI initiatives on the Point Solution - Application Solution - System Solution spectrum. Use sticky notes. Each participant places their known AI activities on the spectrum, then the group discusses patterns and gaps.

💡 Facilitator cue

Most initiatives will cluster in "Point Solution." That is the insight. Let the room discover this themselves -- do not lead them to it. Energy is high at the start: use it to create honest, unfiltered sticky-note output before groupthink kicks in.

Canvas: AI Initiative Spectrum

Point Solution

Solves one task. Low integration. No system change required. Easy to adopt, easy to abandon.

Place initiatives here

Application Solution

Improves a workflow. Some integration needed. Changes how a team operates. Requires training and process change.

Place initiatives here

System Solution

Transforms a business model. Deep integration. Changes decision-making. Requires organizational redesign.

Place initiatives here

Module 2 09:45 - 10:15 30 min

The Strategy Map Framework

Objective

Introduce the Kaplan & Norton Strategy Map adapted for AI, giving participants a shared visual language for connecting AI investments to business outcomes.

Key question

"How do our AI investments connect to business outcomes?"

Exercise

Walk through the blank AI Strategy Map Canvas with a worked example. Facilitator explains each perspective layer, then traces one real initiative from Learning & Growth up through Internal Process and Customer to Financial impact. Participants ask questions and identify where their own initiatives would sit.

💡 Facilitator cue

This is a teaching module, not a working session. Keep it crisp. Use a concrete example the room can relate to (e.g., customer service chatbot mapped across all four perspectives). Leave participants eager to fill in their own map after the break.

Canvas: AI Strategy Map

Financial Perspective

"How do we create value for shareholders?"

Strategic objectives

Customer Perspective

"How do we create value for customers?"

Strategic objectives

Internal Process Perspective

"Which processes must we excel at?"

Strategic objectives

Learning & Growth Perspective

"What capabilities do we need?"

Strategic objectives

Module 3 10:30 - 11:45 75 min

Financial & Customer Perspectives

Objective

Define the top half of the strategy map: the financial outcomes AI must deliver and the customer experience changes it must enable.

Key question

"What financial outcomes must AI deliver, and how should it change the customer experience?"

Exercise

Break into small groups (3-4 people). Each group writes strategic objectives on sticky notes for both the Financial and Customer perspectives. Use the category labels as prompts. Groups then present back, consolidate overlapping objectives on the wall, and agree on the final set.

💡 Facilitator cue

Watch for objectives that are activities rather than outcomes ("implement chatbot" vs. "reduce response time by 40%"). Coach groups to write outcomes, not tasks. This is the longest pre-lunch module -- keep energy up with standing work and visible progress on the wall.

Canvas: Financial & Customer Perspectives

Financial Perspective

Revenue Growth

Objectives

Cost Reduction

Objectives

Risk Mitigation

Objectives

Capital Efficiency

Objectives

Customer Perspective

Acquisition

Objectives

Retention

Objectives

Satisfaction

Objectives

Value Expansion

Objectives

Module 4 12:30 - 13:45 75 min

Process & Learning Perspectives

Objective

Define the bottom half of the strategy map and complete all cause-and-effect chains from Learning & Growth through to Financial outcomes.

Key question

"Which processes must we reinvent, and what capabilities do we need?"

Exercise

Identify "Glued Systems" -- rules and processes too interconnected to change in isolation -- and map Centaur (human leads, AI assists) vs. Cyborg (AI leads, human supervises) work patterns for each process area. Then trace cause-and-effect chains upward through the full strategy map.

💡 Facilitator cue

Post-lunch energy dip is real. Start with a standing exercise. The Glued Systems concept will be new to most participants -- give one vivid example (e.g., "your approval chain touches 6 systems, you cannot automate just one"). Watch the clock on cause-and-effect mapping; it can absorb unlimited time.

Canvas: Process & Learning Perspectives

Internal Process Perspective

Operations

Objectives

Client Mgmt

Objectives

Innovation

Objectives

Regulatory

Objectives

Learning & Growth Perspective

Human Capital

Objectives

Info Capital

Objectives

Org Capital

Objectives

AI Readiness

Objectives

Module 5 14:00 - 15:00 60 min

Initiative Portfolio Scoring

Objective

Prioritize AI initiatives using a defensible, transparent framework that the leadership team can stand behind and communicate to the organization.

Key question

"What do we do now, next, and later?"

Exercise

Score each AI initiative from the strategy map on three dimensions: Strategic Impact (1-5), Feasibility (1-5), and Readiness (1-5). Calculate totals, then assign priority buckets: Now (score 12-15), Next (score 8-11), Later (score 3-7). Debate and adjust as a group.

💡 Facilitator cue

The scoring itself takes 20 minutes. The debate about scores takes 40. That is by design -- the conversation is the product. Watch for HiPPO effect (Highest Paid Person's Opinion) and ensure quieter voices contribute scores independently before group discussion. Use dot voting if consensus stalls.

Canvas: Initiative Scoring Matrix

Initiative	Strategic Impact	Feasibility	Readiness	Total	Priority
Initiative 1	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 15	Now
Initiative 2	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 15	Now
Initiative 3	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 15	Next
Initiative 4	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 15	Next
Initiative 5	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 15	Later
Initiative 6	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 5	_ / 15	Later

Module 6 15:00 - 15:45 45 min

90-Day Roadmap

Objective

Turn the strategy map into actionable next steps with clear owners, milestones, and success metrics for the first 90 days.

Key question

"What are our first concrete steps?"

Exercise

For each "Now" priority initiative, define: the owner (name, not role), the first milestone for each 30-day window, and the success metric that proves progress. The group commits out loud to their 30-day actions before leaving the room.

💡 Facilitator cue

This is the closing module. Energy may be low but commitment must be high. Push for specific names on each action ("Jan will..." not "someone from finance will..."). End 5 minutes early for a round-the-table commitment statement. Photograph the roadmap before anyone leaves.

Canvas: 90-Day Roadmap

Days 1 - 30

Quick wins & foundations

Initiative Owner

Milestone Due date

Success metric Target

Days 31 - 60

Build & integrate

Initiative Owner

Milestone Due date

Success metric Target

Days 61 - 90

Scale & measure

Initiative Owner

Milestone Due date

Success metric Target