Module 1 · 25 minutes
The strategy trap
Expose why your current AI approach is not a real strategy. Most organizations fall into one of four traps that feel like strategy but lack the teeth to create competitive advantage.
"Which strategy trap are we in?"
Exercise
Strategy Trap Diagnostic
Look at the four traps below. Each participant gets 3 dot votes. Place your votes on the traps you recognize most in your organization's current AI approach. You can put multiple votes on one trap if it strongly resonates.
Strategy trap map
0 votes placed
AI as Vision
Inspiring but not actionable. Grand ambitions about "becoming AI-first" without concrete choices about where to compete or how to win.
0 votes
AI as Plan
Tactical project lists disguised as strategy. Dozens of use cases prioritized by effort/impact without a unifying theory of competitive advantage.
0 votes
AI as Reaction
"Things move too fast to commit." Waiting for the technology to mature, chasing each new model release, never making durable strategic choices.
0 votes
AI as Optimization
Improving the status quo rather than creating advantage. Using AI to do the same things slightly cheaper or faster, not to change the game.
0 votes
Facilitator note
Debrief after voting. Ask the group: "What pattern do we see?" Most SMEs cluster in Optimization or Plan traps. Use this to motivate the shift: "Today we move from a list of AI projects to a real strategy with choices." Remind them that strategy means making choices that exclude other options.
Module 2 · 30 minutes
Winning aspiration
Define what winning with AI looks like — not in vague terms, but as a statement sharp enough to guide every subsequent choice. A winning aspiration is not about being "good" at AI; it is about being the best at something specific for someone specific.
"If we win with AI, what does that look like for our clients?"
Exercise
Draft winning aspiration
Draft individually (5 min), then refine in pairs (5 min), then converge as a group on one aspiration (15 min). Use the template below to structure your thinking. Then stress-test it with the sharpness checklist.
Winning aspiration template
We will become
that
for
by
.
Facilitator note
Push for specificity. If the aspiration sounds like it could apply to any company, it is not sharp enough. Challenge with: "Could your competitor say the exact same thing?" If yes, iterate. Remind participants that Lafley's test is: a winning aspiration should make you uncomfortable because of what it excludes.
Module 3 · 35 minutes
Where to play
Choose the specific markets, customer segments, and AI use cases where you will compete. Strategy is as much about where you will NOT play as where you will. This module forces explicit choices.
"Where do we have a right to win with AI?"
Exercise
Right to win matrix
Map your potential AI plays on the 2x2 matrix. Consider customer segments, geographies, use cases, and product lines. Place each opportunity in the quadrant that best reflects your right to win and the client's AI need. Be honest about "Deprioritize."
Where to play matrix
Client need for AI →
Explore
PLAY HERE
Deprioritize
Harvest
Our right to win →
Where we will NOT play
Facilitator note
The exclusion list is the hardest part. Executives resist writing down what they will not do. Push them: "If everything is a priority, nothing is." The exclusion list should contain real, tempting opportunities they are choosing to walk away from — not obviously bad ideas.
Module 4 · 40 minutes
How to win
Define the competitive advantage that AI creates for you — one that competitors cannot easily copy. Use the Prediction Machines AI Canvas to map client decisions to prediction opportunities, then stress-test with the "What must be true" framework.
"What competitive advantage does AI create that competitors can't easily copy?"
Exercise
AI Decision Map
For each "Where to Play" area, identify the key client decisions that AI can improve. Map the prediction needed, the judgment that remains human, the data required, and the competitive moat this creates. Based on the Prediction Machines AI Canvas.
AI Decision Map
| Client Decision | Prediction Needed | Judgment Required | Data Input | Competitive Moat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Exercise
What must be true
For your "How to Win" choices to work, what must be true about your clients, competitors, and your own capabilities? This is Lafley's reverse-engineering test: if any of these assumptions are wrong, the strategy fails.
About our clients
About our competitors
About our capabilities
Facilitator note
The "What Must Be True" test is the most important tool in the sprint. It turns assumptions into testable hypotheses. After filling it in, ask: "Which of these assumptions are we least confident about?" Those become the first experiments in the 30-day sprint. Reference Lafley Ch. 8: "The key to strategy is not certainty but testability."
Module 5 · 35 minutes
Capabilities & systems
Identify the capability gaps between where you are and where your strategy needs you to be, then design the management systems that will keep the strategy alive after this workshop ends.
"What must be in place for this strategy to work?"
Exercise
Capability gap assessment
List the core capabilities required for your strategy. Rate your current level (1 = nonexistent, 5 = world-class) and the level required by your strategy. The gap determines priority. Focus on the 2-3 largest gaps as your first investments.
Capability assessment
| Capability | Current (1-5) | Required (1-5) | Gap | Priority action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Exercise
Management systems design
A strategy without a management system dies within weeks. Design the rhythms that will keep your AI strategy alive. What gets reviewed, how often, and by whom?
Management systems
Weekly rhythm
Monthly review
Quarterly strategy check
Metrics we track
Facilitator note
Push for concrete rhythms, not aspirational ones. "We'll review monthly" is not enough. Ask: "Who chairs it? What data is on the table? What decisions come out?" If they cannot answer these questions, the system is too vague to survive. Lafley's insight: the management system is where most strategies die.
Module 6 · 45 minutes
Strategy on a page & sprint
Synthesize all five choices into a single, coherent strategy page. Then commit to specific 30-day actions that will begin testing and executing your strategy immediately. A strategy without action is just a slide deck.
"What will we do in the next 30 days?"
Exercise
Build your strategy on a page
Transfer your choices from each module into this single view. This is the artifact that leaves the room. It should fit on one printed page, be understandable by anyone in the organization, and be specific enough to guide decisions.
Strategy on a page
Winning aspiration
Where to play
How to win
Core capabilities
Management systems
Exercise
30-day sprint
Commit to 3 concrete actions for the next 30 days. Each action should test one of your strategy assumptions or close one capability gap. Assign an owner, a deadline, and a success metric. No action without accountability.
30-day sprint actions
| Action | Owner | Deadline | Success Metric |
|---|---|---|---|
Facilitator note
End with commitment, not consensus. Go around the table and ask each person: "What is your one action, and when will it be done?" Public commitment dramatically increases follow-through. Schedule the 30-day check-in before anyone leaves the room. Offer Digital Bricks as the accountability partner for the sprint.