AI Use Case Validation

No more AI pilots without impact – start where the business value is highest.

Everyone has AI ideas today. Your team, your management, your IT lead – everyone has suggestions: chatbots, automation, predictive analytics. The list keeps growing, and expectations keep rising. But this is exactly where the real problem lies: The challenge is not finding AI ideas. The challenge is prioritizing the right ones. Without a structured methodology for evaluating business value and implementation complexity, you invest in expensive pilot projects without impact. Budgets are wasted, teams lose confidence in AI, and the expected business impact remains nothing more than a promise on PowerPoint slides.

Duration
2 - 4 weeks
Format
Sprint
Target audience
Head of Strategy & Operations

Solution Approach

AI is not an end in itself. Before talking about technology, it must be clear where and how value is created in your company. That is exactly what we achieve in the AI Use Case Validation Workshop. In a compact, structured format, we jointly identify and validate the AI use cases with the highest business value for your company. Our approach does not start with technology, but with your value chain: Which processes are business-critical? Where are you currently losing time, quality, or efficiency? From there, we systematically derive AI use cases, calculate their concrete business value in euros, and assess their implementation complexity based on five criteria. The result is a well-founded Business Value–Complexity Matrix that shows you at a glance which use cases are quick wins, which require strategic investment, and which can safely be deprioritized.

Benefits

  • Clarity instead of AI hype through a methodologically sound prioritization approach that replaces gut feeling with data-driven decision-making
  • Measurable savings potential through the concrete calculation of the business value of each use case in euros (volume x time savings x cost x realization factor)
  • Faster time-to-value through the targeted identification of quick wins with high business value and low complexity
  • Investment confidence through a structured complexity assessment that helps prevent costly wrong decisions and ineffective pilot projects

Approach

  1. Analyze the value chain: Together, we identify the value creation stages in your company and select the areas with the greatest AI potential.
  2. Model core processes & uncover problems: Within the prioritized stages, we model the relevant core processes, define goals and KPIs, and identify existing weaknesses and inefficiencies.
  3. Derive AI use cases: Based on the identified problems, we develop concrete AI solution approaches that directly address your process weaknesses.
  4. Calculate business value: For each use case, we calculate the annual savings potential based on concrete metrics: volume, time savings per transaction, cost per minute, and AI realization factor.
  5. Assess complexity: Based on five criteria (data, processes, technology, regulation, change management), we methodically estimate the implementation complexity of each use case.
  6. Create the Business Value–Complexity Matrix: All use cases are mapped into a prioritization matrix with four quadrants: Quick Wins, Major Projects, Fill-ins, and Thankless Tasks.
  7. Roadmap and next steps: We define concrete recommendations, quick wins for immediate action, and a strategic roadmap for further AI implementation.

Deliverables

  • Value Chain Analysis with identified AI potential along your business-critical processes
  • Documented AI Use Cases with clear mapping to process steps, problems, and measurable target metrics
  • Quantified Business Value per Use Case with a transparent calculation of the annual savings potential in euros
  • Complexity Assessment of all use cases across the five dimensions of data, processes, technology, regulation, and change management
  • Business Value–Complexity Matrix as a visual basis for decision-making for management and stakeholders
  • Prioritized Roadmap with concrete recommendations, quick wins, and strategic milestones

Speak with our experts!

Let’s work together to identify where the greatest potential lies and which measures will deliver the greatest added value for you.

Tim Schüning
Director Digital Business Consulting
Contact us!
Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have questions? We have the answers.

How does the workshop differ from a traditional AI brainstorming session?

A brainstorming session collects ideas – our workshop evaluates them. Each use case is systematically assessed based on business value in euros and implementation complexity. In the end, you do not have a list of ideas, but a prioritized matrix with concrete figures as a basis for decision-making.

Who should participate in the workshop?

Ideally, a mix of business unit representatives (who know the processes), IT/Digital (who can assess technical feasibility), and decision-makers (who approve budgets). This ensures that the resulting use cases are operationally relevant, technically feasible, and strategically supported.

Do we need to bring our own AI ideas, or do you start from scratch?

Both work. If ideas already exist, they are included in the assessment. If not, we systematically derive use cases from your value chain. This often reveals potential that no one had previously considered.

How reliable is the business value calculation?

The calculation is based on concrete metrics: case volume, time savings per transaction, cost per minute, and a realistic AI realization factor. The result is not an exact forecast, but a well-founded estimate that supports investment decisions.

What happens after the workshop – what are the concrete next steps?

You receive a prioritized roadmap with quick wins for immediate action and strategic milestones. If desired, we can support the implementation of the top use cases directly afterwards – from proof of concept to productive use.