Discovery and scoping: from a vague ask to a pilot
Most AI projects fail before any code is written, because nobody agreed what success means. Discovery is how you find the problem worth solving; scoping is how you make it small enough to ship.
Start with the work, not the model
A request like "we want AI for operations" names a technology, not a problem. The first job is to find the specific task, who does it, and what it costs them today.
- Shadow the work. Sit with the people who do it and watch a full cycle, not a summary of it.
- Map the steps. Write down every step, who does it and how long it takes.
- Find where time is lost. Usually one or two steps account for most of the delay.
Pick one metric
A pilot needs one number that the business already cares about, measured before you start. Time to resolve a ticket, claims handled per day and error rate are good examples. Model accuracy on its own is not.
| Weak goal | Strong goal |
|---|---|
| Use AI to help support | Cut average first reply time from 9 hours to under 2, for order status questions |
| Automate claims | Pre-fill 60% of standard motor claim forms, with adjusters approving in one click |
| Better search | Answer 80% of policy questions with a correct citation, measured on 50 real questions |
Write the scope down
A scope is short. It says what the pilot does, what it does not do, how success is measured, and when you stop if it is not working.
- The problem, in the customer's words
- The one metric and its current value
- What is in scope and what is explicitly out
- The data you need and who provides it
- Stages and their exit conditions: proof of concept, pilot, production
- Risks you already know about
Name the risks early
Meet security and compliance in the first week, not the last. Where data may be stored, whether it may leave the company's network and how personal information is handled can change the whole design.
Worth remembering
- The metric comes before the model
- A small scope that ships beats a large one that does not
- Written exit conditions protect you and the customer
Try it yourself
- Take a vague request you have heard and rewrite it as one strong goal with a number
- Write a half-page scope for it, including what is out of scope
Every expert started right here.