🎯 The AI Strategy Framework (Built for Real-World Execution)

#7: How Can Enterprises Build an AI Strategy That Actually Works—Without the Hype?

Let’s skip the hype.

Most AI strategy decks are either:

A) too abstract to use, or

B) too narrow to scale.

So here’s the stack I use with enterprise teams when they ask:

“Where do we even start with AI?”

🧭 1. Strategic Compass

Start by aligning leadership around the why — not the tools. Is your AI initiative about cost? Transformation? Speed? Risk mitigation?

✅ Best practice: If your C-suite can’t agree on which 2 of the 6 drivers matter most, don’t launch the project yet.

🔁 2. CIO/CDO Pipeline

This is where vision meets ops. Start small. Run lean pilots. Make validation the gate to scale.

✅ Best practice: No pilot launches without a clear success metric and a kill condition.

📊 3. ROI vs ROE Context

Every move has to earn its seat—financially and strategically. That means balancing hard ROI (cost, efficiency) with softer ROE: trust, transparency, security, brand.

✅ Best practice: Use this section to make hidden risks visible—especially in front of the board.

🔄 4. Agile Operating Model

AI strategy isn’t static. You need a loop, not a ladder. Annual vision + quarterly reviews = traction with accountability.

✅ Best practice: Institutionalize your process, not just your ambitions. The smartest orgs I’ve seen treat this like DevOps for strategy.

This framework works when:

• Strategy owns or deeply integrates with IT & data
• Evaluation beats evangelism
• You’re building layers, not launching one-off experiments

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Let’s stack it up.

— A. Pawlowski | The Strategy Stack