# AI roadmap template.

URL: https://levystreet.com/resources/ai-roadmap-template/
Updated: 2026-10-19

AI roadmap template for New Zealand businesses: goals, a prioritisation score, three horizons over 12 months, gate measures and a quarterly review agenda.

## Short answer

An AI roadmap template sets out which AI initiatives a business will run over the next 12 months, in what order, with owners, budgets, dependencies and the measure each must hit before the next starts. This version uses business goals, a prioritisation score, three horizons (foundations, first projects, scale), gate measures and a quarterly review, so the plan changes when the evidence does.

- Start from two or three business goals with numbers, not a list of tools.
- Score candidates on value, feasibility, data readiness and risk.
- Foundations first: policy, approved tools, data inventory and training.
- Nothing moves to the next horizon until its gate measure is met.

Use this template after you have run the [AI readiness checklist](/resources/ai-readiness-checklist/) and listed a few candidate workflows. It is built for a business of roughly 10 to 300 people planning the next 12 months. Fill in the five parts in order; each one feeds the next.

## The AI roadmap template

### Part A: Business goals

Two or three goals the roadmap serves. If an initiative does not move one of them, it does not go on the roadmap.

| Goal | Measure | Baseline | Target | By |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [e.g. Respond to customer enquiries faster] | Median first response time | | | |
| | | | | |

### Part B: Candidate scoring

Score each candidate from 1 to 5 on four criteria, then calculate:

**Priority score** = (Value × 2) + Feasibility + Data readiness + (6 − Risk). The range is 5 to 25.

| Criterion | 1 | 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Value | Little effect on any goal | Large, measurable effect on a goal |
| Feasibility | Needs skills and tools we lack | Doable with current tools and people |
| Data readiness | Data scattered, missing or unreliable | Data current and accessible |
| Risk | Little harm if it goes wrong | Serious harm to people, money or reputation |

| Initiative | Value | Feasibility | Data | Risk | Score | Horizon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | | | | | | |

### Part C: Roadmap by horizon

| Horizon | Initiative | Owner | Start | Gate measure | Budget (NZ$) | Depends on | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundations (months 0–3) | | | | | | | |
| First projects (months 3–6) | | | | | | | |
| Scale (months 6–12) | | | | | | | |

### Part D: Foundations checklist


- AI use policy approved and briefed ([template](/resources/ai-use-policy-template-for-nz-smbs/)).
- Approved tools on business plans, with personal accounts retired for work use.
- Data inventory for the first projects ([template](/resources/ai-data-inventory-template/)).
- Training needs assessed and the first sessions booked.
- Risk register and incident log in place.
- A named owner for AI across the business.


### Part E: Quarterly review agenda

1. Gate measures: which initiatives met their gate, and which did not.
2. Spend against budget, including model usage and staff time.
3. Incidents and near misses since the last review.
4. Changes in tools, prices and models that affect the plan.
5. Re-score remaining candidates and update the horizons.
6. Decisions, owners and the next review date.

## How to build the roadmap


1. **Agree goals with the decision-makers.** One meeting, two or three goals, each with a measure.
2. **List candidates from real work.** Ask team leads for the tasks that eat the most time; map the top ones with the [AI workflow mapping template](/resources/ai-workflow-mapping-template/).
3. **Score them together.** Two or three people score independently, then agree.
4. **Put foundations first.** Foundations usually take weeks, not months, and every project depends on them.
5. **Set one gate per initiative.** For a pilot, use the decision rule in the [AI pilot scorecard](/resources/ai-pilot-scorecard/).
6. **Book the quarterly reviews now.** A roadmap without review dates becomes a wish list.


## Worked example

Illustrative example: a 70-person Canterbury manufacturer wants to cut time lost searching for maintenance information and processing supplier paperwork.

| Initiative | Value | Feasibility | Data | Risk | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Supplier document extraction](/industries/manufacturing/supplier-document-extraction/) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 20 |
| [Maintenance knowledge search](/industries/manufacturing/maintenance-knowledge-search/) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 19 |
| Quality inspection report triage | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 17 |
| Customer quote drafting | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 14 |
| Website chatbot | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 13 |

| Horizon | Plan | Gate |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations, November to January | Policy, approved tools, data inventory for supplier documents and manuals, training for office and maintenance leads | Policy approved; all office staff on business accounts |
| First projects, February to April | Pilot supplier document extraction | Pilot score 75 or more, with all gates passed |
| Scale, May to October | Run extraction in production; pilot maintenance knowledge search; clean inspection data so triage can be re-scored | Extraction live with monitoring; search pilot scored |

Inspection triage scored highest on value but low on data readiness, so the roadmap fixes the data first instead of starting a project likely to fail. The website chatbot was dropped: it served no goal.

## Common mistakes

- **Starting from tools.** "Roll out Copilot" is not a roadmap item; "cut enquiry response time" is.
- **Too many projects at once.** One or two at a time for a business this size.
- **No gates.** Without them, every pilot continues by default.
- **Ignoring price and product timing.** Introductory prices end: Gemini 4 Argon's API price doubles from 1 December 2026 ([Google](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing)), and Microsoft's discounted Copilot Business price in New Zealand applies to the first year of annual commitments made by 31 December 2026 ([Microsoft](https://www.microsoft.com/en-nz/copilot/pricing/business)). Budget for the full price.
- **Skipping the exit question.** MBIE's quickstart asks businesses to think about what they will do if something goes wrong or they want to stop using an AI tool ([MBIE](https://www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/businesses-using-ai-tools.pdf)).

## Next step

Write a [business case](/resources/ai-business-case-template/) for the first project on the roadmap, and plan the rollout with [planning a safe AI rollout](/learn/planning-a-safe-ai-rollout/). If you want an outside view on priorities, our [AI implementation roadmap](/services/ai-implementation-roadmap/) service builds this plan with your team.

## Questions people ask

### What should an AI roadmap include?

Business goals with measures, a scored list of candidate initiatives, the order you will tackle them in, owners and budgets for each, the dependencies between them, a gate measure each must meet before the next step, and a date to review the whole plan. It should also include the foundations, such as an AI policy and staff training, that every project relies on.

### How long should an AI roadmap cover?

Twelve months in detail is enough for most New Zealand businesses, with the first quarter planned week by week and the last two quarters held loosely. Models, prices and products change several times a year, so a three-year AI roadmap is mostly guesswork beyond the first year. Review it every quarter.

### How do you prioritise AI projects?

Score each candidate on value to a business goal, feasibility with current tools and skills, readiness of the data it needs, and risk if it goes wrong. Weight value most heavily. Start with something valuable and feasible with modest risk, so the first project proves the approach and builds confidence for harder ones.

### Is there funding for AI planning in New Zealand?

In January 2026 the Government announced an AI Advisory Pilot giving eligible small businesses co-funding of up to 50%, capped at $15,000, to develop an AI plan through the Regional Business Partner Network. It ran from 19 January to at least 30 June 2026 for existing Regional Business Partner customers. Check with your regional partner whether it is still available.


## Sources

- [AI Advisory Pilot announcement](https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/new-pilot-helps-small-businesses-harness-ai)
- [Quickstart: Businesses using AI tools](https://www.mbie.govt.nz/assets/businesses-using-ai-tools.pdf)
- [Gemini Developer API pricing](https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/pricing)
- [Microsoft Copilot business pricing (New Zealand)](https://www.microsoft.com/en-nz/copilot/pricing/business)

Published by Levy Street (https://levystreet.com), Wellington, New Zealand.