YOUR OBJECTIVE COMES FIRST
Define the scope in its operating context.
Connect the technology to a useful commercial offer.
Illinois DCEO identifies advanced manufacturing, food processing, life sciences, transportation and logistics, and quantum computing, AI and microelectronics as targeted sectors. Consider a logistics business reconciling shipment notices with customer updates as a scoping example, not a local client claim. Its work may depend on shipment identifiers, current statuses and communication history. The engagement should establish how a coordinator confirms the next action before several teams send contradictory updates. That operating detail helps distinguish an appropriate service scope from a broad industry label, with actual requirements confirmed by your organization.
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity: industry context ↗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 logistics business reconciling shipment notices with customer updates, discuss shipment exception coordination with the people doing the work. Bring shipment identifiers, current statuses and communication history and identify where a coordinator confirms the next action before several teams send contradictory updates. 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: Match incoming notices with the shipment reference, current status and responsible team. Preserve communication history and identify the next action so staff do not repeat a customer conversation already handled elsewhere. 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: Extract header and line items, then validate customer references, units and item mappings. Price differences or missing identifiers should enter a review queue before the order reaches an agreed ERP stage. 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.
