Why a fit check matters more than a demo
A polished demo of an AI product can look impressive. It can also be completely irrelevant to your situation. We have seen companies spend six figures on tools they never integrated because nobody asked the right questions first.
The fit check above is a compressed version of the diagnostic workshop we run at the start of every engagement. It probes five dimensions: data maturity, process clarity, team readiness, strategic alignment and budget realism. Weak scores in any dimension are not disqualifying; they simply redirect the conversation.
One logistics firm in Belfast scored low on data maturity but high on strategic alignment. We spent the first eight weeks building a data pipeline before touching any model. Their first production classifier went live in week twelve and reduced manual shipment tagging by 63%.