Our operations manager wants to purchase an expensive AI-enabled ERP upgrade, but I suspect it is just software theater with a premium price tag. How do we run a brutal, zero-nonsense audit of this software to see if it actually solves our real operational bottlenecks?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Do not buy software because it has an AI sticker on the box. Most of what software vendors call AI is just basic database search or marketing hype designed to lock you into an expensive contract. To cut through the theater, you must run a brutal, zero-nonsense audit focused on your actual operational bottlenecks.

Start with your Accountability Chart and your weekly Scorecard. Identify the single biggest bottleneck that is limiting your capacity or hurting your margins. If the proposed software upgrade does not directly solve that specific bottleneck, kill the project immediately.

If the vendor claims the tool will save time, demand a structured, low-risk pilot. Have one team member run the new software side-by-side with your existing process for two weeks. Measure the exact labor hours required to complete the task in both systems.

If the new system does not show a dramatic, measurable improvement in efficiency or accuracy, do not buy it. Never sell AI internally or purchase it as a standalone initiative. Frame the upgrade strictly as an operations-improvement project that happens to use technology, and hold the software accountable to the exact same ROI standards as any other capital expenditure.