From Intention to Action: Landing a First AI Project in 90 Days

The intention to adopt AI is now widespread among Quebec SMEs. Action, far less so. Between the two lies a gap made of uncertainty, lack of time and fear of choosing wrong. The right way to cross it isn't a grand three-year transformation plan, it's a first bounded project, delivered in 90 days.

The first 30 days, you frame. You pick a single process, costly and repetitive, where a gain is plausible and measurable. You define what you're trying to improve, in numbers, say halving the time to prepare quotes. You identify the data you need and confirm the financing. By month's end, you don't have AI yet, but you have something more valuable, a clear project.

The next 30 days, you build and test small. You put the tool in place on a narrow scope, one team, one product line, one customer category. You measure. You accept that the first version will be imperfect, the goal isn't perfection, it's learning. This is the phase too many SMBs skip, trying to deploy everything at once, and it's where the pilots that never end are born.

The last 30 days, you consolidate and decide. You compare results against the target set on day one. You document what worked, what stalled, and you make a call, expand, adjust or stop. A 90-day project that ends in a clear decision is a success, even if it stops, because it taught you at low cost.

At Paquin & Co., we help Quebec SMEs structure that first 90 days so it actually lands. paquinco.com