Discovery

Understand the terrain before you commit to a route.

Why this Phase exists

Discovery is the phase where organizations move from abstract interest in an AI solution to concrete understanding. The focus is not on tools or pilots, but on identifying where AI solutions can realistically improve outcomes, reduce friction, or unlock new capabilities.

In this phase, teams clarify objectives, constraints, and success criteria. Poor Discovery leads to misaligned pilots, wasted spend, and skepticism later in the adoption journey.

Discovery is about deciding what not to do as much as what to pursue.

Where this phase fits in the journey

Discover
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Pilot
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IOC
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FOC
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Scale
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Frameworks for this phase

AI Altitude Model

AAM

The AI Altitude Model (AAM) is a staged operating framework that helps organizations understand where they are in their AI adoption journey and what is required to safely progress from experimentation to full operational control and sustained value realization.

Explore Framework

Flight Crew Operating System

FC-OS

The end-to-end operating system that governs how organizations discover, deploy, adopt, and scale AI.

Explore Framework

AI Adoption Operating Model

AAM

A structured model that maps AI initiatives from experimentation to sustained operational impact.

Explore Framework

Opportunity Mapping

FC-OM

A structured method for identifying and prioritizing AI opportunities tied to real value pools.

Explore Framework

Commander’s Intent

CI

A clear articulation of intent that aligns teams without prescribing tactics.

Explore Framework

Briefings to master this phase: 

How you know you're in this phase

  • Leadership acknowledges AI as a strategic priority but lacks shared clarity on where it applies
  • AI discussions are fragmented across IT, data, and business teams
  • Tool experimentation exists, but value hypotheses are informal or anecdotal
  • No agreed definition of “success” for AI initiatives

What must be true to move forward

  • Priority business problems suitable for AI are clearly articulated
  • Constraints (data, security, skills, change capacity) are explicitly understood
  • Leadership aligns on a short list of candidate use cases worth piloting
  • Success criteria for a pilot are defined in operational terms