A practical AI adoption roadmap for small businesses
Adoption is not a single decision. It is a series of small ones, made over a few months, that move your team from curious to capable. Here is a roadmap that works for businesses with fewer than fifty people.
Month one: explore
Give two or three people a paid plan on a general assistant. Ask them to use it daily and share what they find. The point is not to deliver projects yet. It is to build instinct.
Month two: pick three workflows
Choose three repeated tasks across the business. They should be small, well understood, and sit with people who are open to change. Document each one as a short workflow.
Month three: train the wider team
Hold a short, hands-on session for everyone. Walk through the three workflows. Show real examples from inside your business. Skip the theory.
Month four onwards: build a habit
Add one new workflow each month. Review use, gather examples, retire what is not working. Keep a single internal page with the current set of approved workflows and tools.
What to measure
Time saved on specific tasks. Number of people actively using the tools each week. Quality of customer-facing output. Avoid vanity metrics like total prompts run.
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