Bound the business decision
Start with one task or decision where assistance could be useful. Name the user, the context, the desired support and the consequences of an incorrect or incomplete output.
A bounded opportunity is easier to evaluate than a broad ambition to add AI. It also makes it clearer when a conventional workflow or rules-based system may be more appropriate.
Set data and action boundaries
Document the sources the workflow may use, the data it must not receive and the actions it must never take independently. Include retention, provider and access questions before sending real operational data to any model.
Treat retrieved content and model output as inputs that require validation. A fluent response is not evidence that the underlying information is correct or permitted.
Design meaningful human control
Human oversight must be more than a label. Define who reviews the output, what context they receive, how they correct or reject it and when the workflow escalates or stops.
Consequential financial, legal, safety, employment or customer actions need boundaries proportionate to their risk. The workflow should preserve accountable decision ownership.
Evaluate usefulness and failure
Create representative evaluation examples, expected outputs, unacceptable failures and a baseline for comparison. Include edge cases and the situations where the workflow should decline or defer.
Plan monitoring, feedback, rollback and provider change before wider use. Do not convert an internal test result into a guaranteed accuracy, productivity or compliance claim.