YOUR OBJECTIVE COMES FIRST
Define the scope in its operating context.
Connect the technology to a useful commercial offer.
Kentucky’s Cabinet for Economic Development lists automotive, aerospace, food and beverage, logistics and manufacturing among its top industries. Consider a distribution team connecting order entry to warehouse execution as a scoping example, not a local client claim. Its work may depend on customer order references, item quantities and the current warehouse status. The engagement should establish how the operating owner resolves conflicting quantities before a task reaches the floor. That operating detail helps distinguish an appropriate service scope from a broad industry label, with actual requirements confirmed by your organization.
Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development: 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 distribution team connecting order entry to warehouse execution, discuss order-to-warehouse handoffs with the people doing the work. Bring customer order references, item quantities and the current warehouse status and identify where the operating owner resolves conflicting quantities before a task reaches the floor. 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: Extract proposed order references and line items, then check approved account and item data. Missing identifiers or conflicting quantities should be reviewed before the record proceeds to the agreed ERP stage. 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: Match incoming messages with the order or shipment and show the current owner. Preserve timestamps and customer communication so staff can avoid repeating a notification or acting on an outdated status. 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.
