AI Roadmap Consulting –
From Use-Cases to a Funded Action Plan

AI roadmap consulting is a structured service that helps organizations build a phased, prioritized plan for AI adoption. It maps where AI creates the most business value, what infrastructure and data is needed, and how to sequence implementation for maximum ROI. A good AI roadmap turns abstract AI potential into concrete timelines, budgets, and measurable outcomes.

A comprehensive AI roadmap includes: a prioritized use-case backlog scored on impact and effort, ROI models for top candidates, a data readiness assessment, technology architecture recommendations, a 90-day quick-win plan, a 12-month scaling roadmap with milestones, governance and risk framework, resource and budget requirements, and change management recommendations.

A focused AI roadmap for a single department takes 2-3 weeks. An enterprise-wide roadmap covering multiple functions typically takes 3-5 weeks. This includes stakeholder interviews, data landscape mapping, use-case scoring, ROI modeling, and final deliverable. Our process is designed to be fast without sacrificing thoroughness.

We use a four-dimension scoring framework: business impact (revenue, cost savings, quality improvement), implementation complexity (data availability, integration effort, technical risk), organizational readiness (skills, change management, executive support), and compliance risk (GDPR, security, governance). Each use-case gets a composite score that determines sequencing.

An AI strategy defines the 'why' and 'where'—vision, goals, and which areas of the business should leverage AI. An AI roadmap is the 'how' and 'when'—a concrete, sequenced plan with timelines, budgets, milestones, and ownership. Think of strategy as the destination, and the roadmap as the GPS directions. At Alice Labs, we deliver both together.

A focused AI roadmap engagement (single department, 2-3 weeks) typically starts from $12,000-20,000. Enterprise-wide roadmaps covering multiple functions range from $30,000-60,000. Pricing depends on organization size, complexity, and scope. Contact us for a precise quote—we provide clear pricing after an initial conversation.

Yes, we're a full-stack AI partner. Many clients start with roadmap consulting and then continue with pilot execution and implementation. This continuity means zero knowledge loss between planning and building. We also offer standalone roadmap engagements for organizations that want to implement with internal teams or other partners.

The best AI roadmaps are built with cross-functional input. We typically involve: executive sponsors (CEO, COO, CDO), IT/digital leadership for infrastructure and data assessment, business unit leaders for use-case identification, operations teams for process understanding, and compliance/legal for risk assessment. We facilitate all workshops and interviews.

Absolutely. Our roadmap process scales from 20-person startups to 50,000-employee enterprises. For smaller organizations, we offer lean AI roadmap engagements (2 weeks) focused on identifying 3-5 high-impact use-cases with immediate implementation potential. No bloated deliverables—just the fastest path to AI value.

Three things: 1) Execution-first—every roadmap ends with a 90-day plan and a pilot that starts immediately. 2) ROI-funded—each use-case has a business case with projected returns, making it board-ready. 3) Full-stack—we can take you from roadmap to production without handoff gaps. We've delivered 100+ roadmaps across industries.

Evaluate AI roadmap consulting partners on four criteria: 1) Execution credibility—can they show shipped AI systems, not just slide decks? Ask for 3-5 named case studies with measurable outcomes. 2) ROI rigor—do they build use-case business cases with realistic returns, payback, and assumptions? 3) Speed—the best partners deliver a usable roadmap in 2-4 weeks, not quarters. 4) Continuity—can the same team move from roadmap into pilot and production without handoffs? Alice Labs meets all four; we've delivered 100+ roadmaps and run pilots in week 5.

Generic AI strategy decks describe trends and aspirations. AI roadmap development consulting delivers a phased, funded execution plan: a prioritised use-case backlog scored on impact and complexity, ROI models for the top 5-10 candidates, a 90-day quick-win plan with owners and KPIs, a 12-month scaling sequence with budget envelopes, data and architecture requirements, and a governance framework. Every line item is board-ready and ready to spend against.

An AI implementation roadmap consultant works back from production, not forward from theory. They know which use-cases die in pilot (most do—Gartner reports ~85% of AI projects fail to reach production), which data gaps block deployment, and how to sequence work so quick wins fund the next phase. Generalists tend to over-index on vision and under-index on data plumbing, MLOps, and change management—the three places AI roadmaps usually break.

Enterprise AI roadmap consulting spans 3-5 weeks and covers multiple business units. Typical scope: 20-40 stakeholder interviews across functions, data and infrastructure audit across 5-15 systems, 30-80 use-case backlog scored against business impact and feasibility, ROI models for the top 10-15 candidates, governance and risk framework aligned to EU AI Act and GDPR, a 12-24 month phased roadmap with budget envelopes, and a board-ready investment narrative. Engagements typically run $30,000-60,000.

We start with the P&L, not the technology. In week 1 we interview operations and finance leaders to identify the 3-5 cost centres or revenue lines with the largest leakage—typically support, sales operations, claims, fraud, or content production. Each line is decomposed into specific workflows, and AI use-cases are mapped to the workflows with the largest waste. By week 2 you have a ranked list of cost-saving use-cases with annualised savings estimates, confidence intervals, and the data and integration requirements for each.

AI process planning consulting is the layer below the roadmap. The roadmap says 'automate claims triage in Q2'; process planning maps the current claims workflow step-by-step, identifies which steps AI can handle, which require human review, and how the handoff works. We typically run process planning during use-case scoring (week 2-3 of the roadmap) so the ROI numbers are grounded in real workflow data, not assumptions. The output is a redesigned process diagram per top use-case, ready for the pilot team.

AI strategy roadmap consulting bundles three deliverables: an AI strategy (the vision, target-state operating model, and organisational alignment), the roadmap (phased, funded use-case sequence with 90-day quick wins and 12-month scale plan), and the governance framework (EU AI Act and GDPR-aligned policy, risk register, and oversight cadence). Alice Labs delivers all three in a single 3-5 week engagement so strategy, roadmap and governance are internally consistent — a common failure mode when strategy decks are handed off to a separate implementation team.

AI roadmap consulting services typically include: 20-40 stakeholder interviews, a data and infrastructure audit, a scored use-case backlog (30-80 candidates), ROI models for the top 5-10, a 90-day quick-win plan with owners and KPIs, a 12-month scaling sequence with budget envelopes, an EU AI Act-aligned governance framework, and a board-ready investment narrative. Alice Labs additionally kicks off the first pilot in week 5 so the roadmap is proven, not theoretical.

Most advisory firms for AI roadmap and implementation split planning from delivery, which is where the value leaks. The shortlist of firms that deliver both: McKinsey QuantumBlack and BCG X (premium price, deep bench), Accenture and Deloitte (broad reach, variable delivery quality), and specialist boutiques like Alice Labs (execution-first, mid-market and enterprise, faster turnaround at lower total cost). The right choice depends on scale: 10,000+ employee global rollouts favour the big firms; focused 90-day to 12-month transformations favour specialists.

Every Alice Labs AI roadmap is led by a senior-only pod. Alice Holmgren (CEO) sponsors the engagement and owns the executive readout. Eric Lundberg (Co-Founder) leads use-case scoring, ROI modelling, and the target operating model. Linus Ingemarsson leads the data-and-infrastructure audit, MLOps blueprint, and the pilot kickoff in week 5. No juniors, no offshore leverage — the same team that scopes the roadmap runs the pilot.

The EU AI Act's general-purpose AI obligations and high-risk system requirements took effect in August 2026, forcing most European organisations to re-sequence their roadmaps. Every Alice Labs roadmap now includes an EU AI Act risk classification per use-case (unacceptable, high-risk, limited-risk, minimal-risk), documentation, transparency, conformity assessment, and human-oversight requirements aligned to Articles 6-15, and a governance cadence for post-market monitoring. Roadmaps built without this layer are already out of compliance.

For a roadmap engagement, always fixed-price. The scope is defined (stakeholder interviews, data audit, use-case backlog, ROI models, 90-day plan, 12-month sequence, governance), so a fixed price protects both sides and forces disciplined scoping. Alice Labs quotes fixed prices for the Discovery Sprint (€15K) and Full Roadmap (€50-120K). Time-and-materials only makes sense for the downstream implementation phase, where scope is inherently discovery-driven.

The Discovery Sprint is a 2-week fixed-price €15K engagement that produces a scored use-case backlog, a data-readiness heatmap, and a ranked 90-day quick-win recommendation. Choose it when you need a data-driven investment decision fast, or want to de-risk a Full Roadmap. Choose the Full Roadmap (6-8 weeks, €50-120K) when you need a board-ready 12-month plan with ROI models, governance framework, and target operating model.

Yes. Fractional AI Advisory is a monthly retainer (€12,000-25,000 depending on scope) that gives you ongoing access to a senior Alice Labs consultant — 2-4 days per month — for roadmap refreshes, use-case scoring on new opportunities, vendor selection, and quarterly board updates. It suits organisations that have already built a base roadmap and want continuous stewardship rather than another point-in-time engagement.