Industrial AI pilot scorecard

Blank worksheet, OT/IT/integration parallel-path checklist, filled fictional example, and AI prompt for scoring an industrial / AI plant-floor pilot toward MSA or PO.

Blank worksheet

Update weekly. Bring this to midpoint and to the commercial ask. Bound scope to one line / one cell / one SKU family unless the agreement says otherwise.

Criterion	Baseline	Target	Current	Status	Owner
1. ___	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
2. ___	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
3. ___	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
4. ___ (optional)	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___
5. ___ (optional)	___	___	___	[ ] G [ ] A [ ] R	___

OT / IT / integration parallel-path checklist

Start these in week one of serious interest, often before or alongside plant-floor proof instead of after "liked the dashboard." Track them as first-class workstreams beside product proof.

Workstream	Status	Blocker	Owner	Due
OT / plant-floor access	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Network segmentation / remote access	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
MES / SCADA / historian tags	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
ERP / production-order integration	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Safety / MOC / change control	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
Vendor remote-access / OT security	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
SOC2 / IT vendor questionnaire	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___
MSA / PO / CAPEX path	[ ] Not started [ ] In flight [ ] Cleared	___	___	___

Working steps

Paste written success criteria into the scorecard before kickoff: OEE, scrap, unplanned downtime, cycle time, first-pass yield, energy/unit. No soft "operators liked the dashboard" or lab-accuracy-only lines.

Score green / amber / red every week with evidence links ops or finance could re-read.

Run the OT/IT/integration parallel-path checklist every week with named owners. Teams that find OT access or tag-list gaps in the final week miss the planned outage or CAPEX window.

At midpoint, narrow to one line / cell / SKU if amber, and don't add plants without saying so. Keep lab / university / unpaid co-dev on a separate clock if it exists.

In the final week, ask for the PO or MSA schedule; if budget wobbles, cut lines or sites, not list price.

Filled example (fictional: discrete scrap / FPY)

Teaching example only. Pattern-check your deal; do not cite these numbers as a real case study.

Criterion	Baseline	Target	Current (wk 7)	Status	Owner
Scrap rate (SKU family)	4.8%	≤2.5%	2.3%	Green	Nair / you
First-pass yield	91%	≥96%	96.5%	Green	Nair
OT access + MES/historian tags	Not started	Live before ask	Live wk 5	Green	OT + you
Vendor remote access / segmentation	Pending	Cleared before ask	Cleared wk 6	Green	OT security
SOC2 / IT questionnaire	None	Cleared or waived	Report in review	Amber	IT vendor risk

AI prompt

Paste into ChatGPT or Claude. Replace bracketed placeholders with your deal facts.

You are helping an industrial / AI founder run a paid pilot that must convert to a PO or MSA with a manufacturer, process plant, or discrete OEM buyer.

Company / product: [YOUR COMPANY + PRODUCT]
Buyer account: [MANUFACTURER / PROCESS PLANT / OEM + SEGMENT]
Scope in pilot: [ONE PLANT / ONE LINE / ONE CELL OR SKU FAMILY]
Pilot window: [START] to [END]
Target phase-two ACV / MSA intent: [AMOUNT]
Plant champion: [NAME / TITLE, e.g. plant manager / VP Ops / CI lead]
Economic buyer: [NAME / TITLE, e.g. COO / plant GM / corporate ops / CAPEX]
OT / controls contact: [NAME / STATUS]
IT / OT security contact: [NAME / STATUS]
Safety / MOC path (if any): [N/A / STATUS]
Lab / university / unpaid co-dev (if any): [N/A / SEPARATE CLOCK / STATUS]
Compelling event: [PLANNED OUTAGE / CAPEX WINDOW / QUALITY ESCAPE / THROUGHPUT BOTTLENECK / LABOR SHORTAGE / ENERGY SPIKE / CORPORATE DIGITAL MANDATE / OTHER]

Produce:
1) A markdown scorecard table with columns:
Criterion | Baseline | Target | Current | Status (green/amber/red) | Evidence | Owner
Include 3-5 underwritable criteria (OEE, scrap, unplanned downtime, cycle time, first-pass yield, energy/unit). No soft "operators liked the dashboard" or lab-accuracy-only lines.
2) A second table: Stakeholder | Role | Attitude | Next action this week
(Roles: plant champion, EB, OT/controls, IT/OT security, safety/MOC, procurement, operators)
3) A third table for the OT/IT/integration parallel path: Workstream | Status | Blocker | Owner | Due
(Include OT access, network segmentation/remote access, MES/SCADA/historian, ERP, safety/MOC, vendor remote access, SOC2/IT questionnaire, MSA/PO path)
4) End with 5 bullets: biggest risk, whether to ask for PO/MSA this week, scope-cut options (one line / one site / one SKU; no discount), one quick-win memo angle for EB + plant sponsor, one thing to stop doing.

Rules:
- Invent no fake metrics; use ___ when unknown.
- Every status needs a next action.
- Prefer reduce lines / sites / SKUs over discounting list price.
- Plant champion is not the economic buyer.
- Lab demo / university / unpaid co-dev is not a paid customer pilot. Keep the clocks separate.
- OT/IT integration and plant-floor access often start before or alongside the pilot instead of after the lab demo.