01A use case with a real buyer
Define who experiences the problem, who would use the solution and who approves spending. Examine evidence from customer conversations and existing alternatives. Distinguish an interesting technical capability from a reason an organization would change its current workflow. For a maritime operation coordinating shore and vessel requests, discuss shore-to-vessel service requests with the people doing the work. Bring asset identifiers, contact details and coverage periods and identify where shore staff and operating colleagues know who can act when a connection is unavailable. Use that evidence to refine the assignment instead of assuming every business in the state needs the same capability.
02From a capability to a customer use
Define a potential use in enough detail to test whether the technology is relevant. For example: Turn incoming descriptions into proposed issue records with asset references and contact details. Keep unknown fields visible and send urgent categories through agreed escalation rules rather than a model’s unchecked judgment. Identify the user, buyer, present alternative and limitations. A possible technical solution is a hypothesis to validate, not proof of willingness to pay.
03A delivery model around the technology
A related situation may expose a different requirement for integration or support: Record when an operational event occurred and when the system received it. Avoid letting a late message overwrite a newer status. Define recovery steps for interrupted transfers and repeated submissions. Decide which responsibilities belong in the product, which require a partner and which remain with the customer. Use the findings to refine a pilot and the first commercial offer.
04Evidence for the next commercial stage
Agree a bounded pilot or customer learning plan with acceptance criteria. Examine implementation effort, actual usage and support needs alongside technical performance. Use the findings to revise the offer, roadmap or delivery approach before assuming a larger launch is justified.
