AI assessment and use-case workshopWhere should you start with AI? With the use case that pays off.

Your company wants to use AI but does not know where to start? The AI assessment reviews your processes, data and conditions and delivers two or three assessed use cases with a concrete pilot proposal. Not a tool catalogue, a basis for decision.

Book a first callTake the quick check first
1 day
workshop with business and IT
2 to 3
assessed use cases
4 criteria
benefit, effort, data, legal
0 €
first call, about thirty minutes
A document at a fork between a vault and a network, symbol of deciding which use case comes first
Quick check

Two minutes: where does your company stand?

Eight yes-or-no questions on data, processes and responsibilities. The result shows whether an assessment, a pilot or orientation first is the right next step.

What for? In two minutes you see where your company stands and what the sensible next step is. Answer the eight questions and the result, including a recommendation, appears automatically.

  1. Do we have documents whose retrieval regularly takes longer than an hour?
  2. Are there questions that keep landing with the same person?
  3. Do we have data that must never leave the company under any circumstances?
  4. Does at least one customer require proof of data or IT security from us?
  5. Does anyone here use ChatGPT or a comparable tool with company data?
  6. For a planned AI application, is it unclear which risk class it falls into?
  7. Has an AI topic already been pushed to the next budget round?
  8. Is it unresolved who decides which data may be processed externally?
0 of 8 yes
Your result

Answer the questions and your classification with a concrete recommendation appears here.

  • Zero to two yes. No acute pressure to act. The topic is still worth watching, because the starting situation changes quickly.
  • Three to five yes. There is a concrete use case. The right way is to start small and in one area rather than planning broadly.
  • Six or more yes. AI is probably already being used in an uncontrolled way at your company. The first step is an inventory, not a new tool.

Question five is the most revealing. In most companies the answer is yes, without management knowing.

The problem

Many ideas, no decision

AI initiatives rarely fail at technology. They fail because the wrong case comes first, or none at all. Four patterns I keep seeing in mid-sized companies.

01

The idea backlog

Proposals come from every department. What is missing is a criterion for what pays off, what is legally possible and where to start. So nothing happens.

02

The tool reflex

A vendor shows a demo, the project starts with the tool. The process behind it was never examined. The pilot fizzles out after three months.

03

The unclear data situation

Nobody knows whether the data is sufficient for the use case, where it sits and whether it may be used at all. That only comes out mid-project.

04

The investment question

A quote is on the table, an assessment is missing. Under pressure, a decision is made or postponed, both without a basis.

Typical situation

Does this sound familiar?

Many blank cards on a dark table, a beam of light picks out exactly one
AI-generated
  1. Management wants to do "something with AI" by year end, but nobody can say what that should be.
  2. There has already been an AI pilot. It was technically successful and still is not used.
  3. Departments and IT disagree on whether AI is even a topic, and talk past each other.
  4. A vendor has made an offer, and you cannot judge whether your data and organisation are ready for it.
  5. The data protection officer or the works council has questions that must be answered before a start.
  6. You want to use funding and need a well-founded initiative for it.
The solution

An assessment that starts with the process and ends with a pilot proposal

The AI assessment is a structured walk through your company with one question: Where does AI help measurably, and what has to be in place for it? Together with business and IT, I review the processes that cost time, the data situation behind them and the legal conditions. The result is an assessed grid: benefit, effort, data class, risk, prerequisites.

The outcome is two or three prioritised use cases with a clear recommendation: start, prepare or take a different approach. For the first case there is a concrete pilot proposal with scope, criteria and operating path. Business, IT and management stand behind the result because they developed it together.

The entry is deliberately small: a free first call clarifies whether an assessment makes sense at all. The use-case workshop runs as a one-day format at a daily rate of 1,200 euros net. A comprehensive readiness assessment across several departments is offered by scope.

The result

What you hold in your hands afterwards

No slide deck, a basis for decision: every initiative scored on the same grid, three verdicts, one pilot proposal. The chart shows the format with anonymised examples.

Effort →Benefit →Quick winsPrepareOn the sideNot now123456

Illustrative example with anonymised initiatives. Tap a dot to see its assessment.

Assessment grid

1Query maintenance documentation

Benefit
Effort
Data situation
Legal framework
Start

Documents are well structured, no personal data. A clear pilot candidate.

Pilot candidate
  1. 01

    Assessed grid

    Every initiative scored on benefit, effort, data situation, risk and prerequisites. Same criteria, so the ranking holds.

  2. 02

    Prioritised list with verdict

    Two or three initiatives with a clear recommendation: start, prepare or take a different approach. With the reason.

  3. 03

    Pilot proposal

    For the first case: scope, success criteria, operating path, responsibilities and the next step. Cut so it fits the current budget.

How it works

From first call to pilot proposal

1
First call

About thirty minutes, free of charge. You describe your situation, I tell you whether an assessment or a direct pilot is the better path.

2
Review processes and data

Interviews with departments and IT, review of the system landscape and data sources. A half-day of data classification if it is still missing.

3
Use-case workshop

One day with business and IT: collect initiatives, assess by benefit, effort, data situation and legal framework, prioritise.

4
Result and pilot proposal

Written assessment of the top use cases with recommendation and a concrete pilot proposal for the first case: scope, criteria, operating path, next step.

Business benefit

What you have after the assessment

  • A basis for decision

    Assessed use cases instead of an idea list. You know what pays off, what it requires and where to start.

  • Business and IT aligned

    The result was developed together. There are no losers, only an order.

  • Clarified data situation

    You know which data is available, usable and approved before a project fails because of it.

  • Legal framework upfront

    Data protection, works council and EU AI Act are considered before the start, not after the first conflict.

  • Protection against bad investment

    A quote can be checked against your actual prerequisites, not against the vendor's presentation.

  • A concrete first step

    The pilot proposal is cut so it fits the current budget and delivers results in a few weeks.

Recognise your situation? In a free first call we check whether this route fits you.

Book a first call
Examples

Two typical assessments

Anonymised scenarios: once from idea backlog to priority, once the check before an investment.

From a backlog of ideas to three prioritised use cases
AI-generated
Management, cross-functional

From a backlog of ideas to three prioritised use cases

Starting point
AI ideas come from every department, none gets implemented. What is missing is a criterion for what pays off, what is legally possible and where to start.
Solution
A workshop with business and IT: review processes, clarify data availability and data class, rank effort and benefit. The result is three assessed use cases with a first pilot proposal.
Possible benefit
A basis for decision that business, IT and management stand behind. The first pilot starts with a clear goal.
Possible technology
Method rather than tooling: process map, data classification, assessment grid
Check AI readiness before investing
AI-generated
IT and organisation

Check AI readiness before investing

Starting point
A proposal for an AI solution is on the table. It is unclear whether data, infrastructure and organisation are ready or whether the project will fizzle out after the pilot.
Solution
A structured review of data quality, system landscape, responsibilities and legal conditions. With a clear recommendation: start, prepare or take a different approach.
Possible benefit
An investment decision based on the actual prerequisites rather than on the vendor's presentation.
Possible technology
Assessment grid, interviews, review of the system landscape
See all use cases
Method

What I assess with

In the assessment, method comes before tooling. Technology comes into play once the use case is set.

  • Process mapWhich workflows cost time, where do handovers and follow-ups arise, what is frequent enough for automation.
  • Data classificationFour classes from public to strictly confidential. Decides operating path and model choice.
  • Assessment gridBenefit, effort, data situation, risk, prerequisites. Same criteria for every use case.
  • AI quick checkEight questions as a starting point, which you can take yourself at the top of this page.
  • Reference architecturesProven patterns for knowledge systems, automation, agents and local AI so the pilot proposal is realistic.
  • Legal frameworkGDPR, EU AI Act, works agreements. As a checklist, not as legal advice.

Process first, then technology. The pilot afterwards uses the same open components as all my solutions.

What AI consulting costs

Start small, below the investment threshold

The entry is deliberately cut so that it triggers no investment application. You decide after each stage whether the next is worthwhile.

Stage 1

First AI consultation

One hour plus a written assessment on two pages. It names the viable use case, its risk class and the next step.

free of charge
Stage 2

Data classification and AI pilot

A moderated half-day plus a pilot on existing hardware with your real documents. No purchase, no server procurement.

On request
Stage 3

Support of the AI rollout

From the pilot into regular operation, with hardware, permissions, connecting data sources, training and evidence.

On request
Module

AI training

On your actual use cases and the data rule from stage 2. As a separate module or embedded.

On request

We clarify terms and funding options in the first consultation.

All three stages in detail
Frequently asked

What companies ask about the AI assessment

What does the AI assessment cost?

The first call is free of charge. The use-case workshop runs as a one-day format at a daily rate of 1,200 euros net. A comprehensive assessment across several departments is offered by scope and estimated in the first call.

How long does an assessment take?

From first call to written result with pilot proposal typically takes two to four weeks, depending on the availability of your contacts.

Who should take part?

Management or division heads, the affected departments and IT. If available, the data protection officer and works council, at least for the data classification.

Do we need an AI strategy first?

No. The assessment is the practical route to a strategy: it shows on concrete cases where AI helps. A strategy without assessed use cases remains paper.

What if no use case pays off?

Then I tell you. A result can also be: sort the data first, clarify processes first, AI later. That is a good result because it prevents a bad investment.

Is the assessment tied to your solutions?

No. The use case is assessed, not the vendor. If an existing tool or another provider fits better, that is in the result.

Can the assessment be funded?

There are funding programmes for consulting services in the mid-market at state and federal level. Whether and which programme applies to you is clarified in the first call.

What happens after the assessment?

You decide. The pilot proposal can be implemented with me or with others. Many companies start with a four-week pilot on an AI Appliance or a first workflow.

Read more in the knowledge area

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Which AI trends really matter for the mid-market in 2026?

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Next step

Check AI potential

In the free first call we clarify whether an assessment or a direct pilot is the better entry. You get an honest estimate, not a sales presentation.

Book a first callApproach and costs in detail

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