---
url: https://www.adoptionlab.ai/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/aim-at-bottlenecks/
title: "Aim at bottlenecks | Extend | AdoptionLab.AI"
description: "Extend, phase 3 of the 5E Model for human-centered AI adoption. Start from where work piles up, not from a list of AI use cases."
generated: 2026-10-22T16:29:41.195Z
---[AI Adoption Roadmap](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap) / [3. Extend](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap#extend)
Phase 3: Extend
# Aim at bottlenecks
Start from where work piles up, not from a list of AI use cases.
The pilots most likely to survive scaling are usually unglamorous: report drafting, data entry, meeting summaries, intake paperwork, and scheduling. This work is repetitive, low-risk, and often already measured, so you can prove whether AI helped.
Choose which pilots scale with frontline staff and your AI Coordinator. Leadership makes the final call and explains why.
[← Define success before you scale](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/define-success-first) [Protect the core of the job →](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/protect-the-core)
More in Extend
- [Review your pilot portfolio](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/review-the-portfolio)
- [Define success before you scale](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/define-success-first)
- [Aim at bottlenecks](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/aim-at-bottlenecks)
- [Protect the core of the job](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/protect-the-core)
- [Keep it opt-in](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/keep-it-opt-in)
- [Decide where the gains go](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/decide-where-gains-go)
- [Test your measures at scale](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/test-measures-at-scale)
- [Pace growth with go/no-go checks](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/pace-the-growth)
- [Run a mid-mortem when pilots stall](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/mid-mortem)
- [Build an AI community](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap/extend/build-an-ai-community)
[See all five phases →](/resources/ai-adoption-roadmap)
Go deeper in the booklet
A Leader's Roadmap to Human-Centered AI
The Extend chapter walks through this phase with a worked example, plus the field kit: survey, rubrics, and worksheets.
[Get the booklet on Amazon →](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FXGN86YZ)