You're Approaching AI Backwards

Another vendor demo. Another shiny AI promise. Another budget line that might lead nowhere.

You're sitting through your third sales pitch this week. The vendor shows flashy dashboards and talks about "revolutionary capabilities." But when they ask what specific processes you want to improve, you realize you don't have a clear answer.

So you pick the tool that sounds most impressive. Six months later, your team is still doing the same manual work. The AI sits barely used because it doesn't actually solve the problems slowing you down every day. You spent $50K on software that automates the wrong things.

Here's what happened: You bought a solution before defining the problem.

Most companies approach AI backwards. They start with vendor selection instead of process mapping. They get excited about features instead of identifying bottlenecks. They compare pricing before they understand what outcomes they actually need.

The result? Expensive shelf-ware that doesn't move the needle.

The companies that win with AI do something different first. They map their current workflows. They identify where time actually gets lost. They define what success looks like before they ever talk to a vendor.

Only then do they evaluate tools that solve their specific operational challenges.

When you start with clear operational goals, vendor selection becomes simple. When you start with vendor demos, procurement becomes a gamble.

Are you defining the problem first, or shopping for solutions to problems you haven't mapped yet?