Despite its growing potential for value creation, German small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face significant challenges in identifying strategies for adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations. To address this important issue in a comprehensive practical guide, we follow a design science approach to develop a novel, tailored methodology for improving AI integration. Consisting of two phases—success factor analysis and roadmap identification—our methodology aims to equip SMEs with knowledge for AI integration based on the TOE (Technology, Organization, Environment) framework. While we demonstrate the application of our methodology within a single case study and present a brief evaluation to assess its effectiveness, our research in progress leaves the systematic identification of areas to refine our methodology to future research. Nevertheless, our findings contribute to research and practice by providing an applicable, theory-based methodology specifically designed to guide German SMEs in identifying actionable steps toward AI adoption.