Six Essential Elements Companies Need to Focus on When Creating an AI Strategy
Headlines are shouting that organizations need to adopt AI today, and those who wait will quickly find themselves behind the rest of the world. But diving into the pool of AI without a strategy will actually put you further behind — in adoption and resources. By pausing to create an AI strategy before taking the plunge, your organization can use AI to achieve its existing business goals instead of falling prey to the shiny new object syndrome.
It’s easy to focus on AI technology. What tools are the best to use? How do you use the tools? But there’s more to it than just technology. Many organizations overlook the actual keys to success when creating their strategy.
Over the past year, internationally ranked architecture and engineering firm SSOE, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, worked with YegaTech to create a strategy and launch three new AI projects.
SSOE team members share six essential elements they learned about creating an AI strategy during that process:
Denys Chernenko,
Structural Designer at SSOE
1. Focus on the culture.
Peter Drucker once said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” implying that a firm’s culture will always determine its success no matter how solid its strategy may be. The famous phase proved to be true as SSOE began its AI journey. While the firm tried a few siloed AI initiatives before partnering with YegaTech, Denys Chernenko, Structural Designer and a member of SSOE’s AI Task Force, says initially, they didn’t gain traction because their employees weren’t culturally ready to embrace a concept they didn’t fully understand. He says that he feels more confident after working through the process and senses optimism throughout the company. By getting buy-in from the bottom up, the attitude towards AI has changed as employees began to understand the technology and the possibilities.
“We discovered we already had a staff with a real passion for AI. Embracing this passion and engaging them in the workshops helped us nurture the ideas and build the momentum needed to shift the culture,” says Chernenko. “People went from a fear of the unknown to excitement about the possibilities.”
2. Let go of preconceived notions.
Lauren Collier, Director of Project Technology at SSOE, says one of the biggest lessons she learned is that you need to be willing to turn things on their head and to look at your business and AI through a new lens. During the process, SSOE created a multi-disciplinary AI task force to determine ways that AI can help solve business challenges. Collier says that participating in the AI Foundation training session made her let go of her preconceived notions and gain a better perspective on the path forward. By looking at topics such as what skill sets they needed, whether they should focus on data harvesting, and whether they should hire consultants, Collier was able to grow along with the organization throughout its AI journey.
3. Know how to protect your organization.
Before working with YegaTech, SSOE considered purchasing a small commercial AI tool. However, they realized during the research process that they needed a better understanding of the technical language and how to protect the organization. By creating a common language, the SSOE team began to address critical concerns, such as how to protect the company’s data and files. Additionally, they considered what data stays in and what leaves their domain.
4. Gain enterprise-level commitment to succeed.
To achieve enterprise commitment and support from all levels in the company, SSOE rewrote its strategic plan in 2023 to incorporate AI. The firm also modified other affected strategies accordingly. SSOE’s Board of Directors made a significant financial contribution in support of the plan, ensuring the availability of funding for the advancement of SSOE’s AI initiative. This enterprise-level commitment is and will be crucial for the success of forward-looking companies.
5. Set the tone for success.
As SSOE was kicking off its AI initiatives, YegaTech conducted a full-day workshop at the firm’s annual business planning meeting. Collier says that meeting set the tone for success by balancing creating excitement with education. During the meeting, the leaders learned about AI and participated in brainstorming sessions to get an innovation pipeline started. After the meeting, SSOE launched its AI Task Force and provided them with a detailed playbook.
“The planning meeting generated a lot of energy and lit the fire to get everyone excited by showing us the ideation process at full speed,” says Collier. “Then, when we launched the groups, the facilitators had both the attitude and the aptitude for success.”
Lauren Collier,
Director of Project Technology at SSOE
6. Understand your processes and your data.
Throughout the process, the SSOE team realized that they couldn’t create the right strategy without understanding their existing processes and data. Collier says that while working on each project, the questions always came back to “What data do we have?” They learned that their data doesn’t have to be perfect or even clean, but they did need to know where it was located. By documenting the data and process, they had a place to start.
Collier says that her best advice for an organization starting its AI journey is to start process mapping. “If you haven’t started your digital transformation journey and want to start your AI journey, they are synchronous. You can do both at the same time. If you want to go on an AI journey, your digital transformation journey starts the same day. You will begin digitizing your processes as part of your AI journey,” says Collier.
To learn more about how YegaTech can help your organization create an AI strategy through building the culture and processes needed for success, visit www.yegatech.com.
