By Vilner Rasmussen
Every methodology I see this year has AI in it. Most of it is a word, not a feature. “AI-powered”, “AI-driven”, “intelligent” — placed in front of things that are, on closer inspection, a rule, a report or a filter.
I understand why. Nobody wants to be the one consultancy without AI on the slide. But in front of a CFO, a vague AI claim is not a small exaggeration. It is the line that makes the rest of the case suspect.
What We Actually Counted
When we built the housekeeping side of the method, we went through every routine and asked one question: does this map to a named, documented SAP AI feature — or does it run on business rules? The answer: of 92 housekeeping capabilities, 51 map to a named SAP AI feature. The other 41 run on proven business rules.
Forty-one is not a number we hide. It is the number that makes the 51 believable.
Two Examples
Duplicate detection. Finding the same customer twice is one of the most valuable routines in master data. In SAP it is typically done with fuzzy matching — deterministic similarity rules, not machine learning. It works very well. It is not AI, and we don’t call it that.
An AI copilot for record creation. SAP’s AI assistant can support people when they create or change records — real AI, catching input errors as they happen. But it is only a benefit if it is used in the daily routine. So the capability we measure is the routine, not the licence.
Why the Distinction Pays Off
- The CFO can check it. A named feature can be looked up; “AI-powered” cannot.
- The business case gets stronger, not weaker. Rules are predictable and cheap to run. Many of the safest benefit lines in a case come from them.
- You avoid the expensive disappointment. When a vague AI promise meets a real system, the gap lands on the project — usually after the budget is spent.
A Simple Test for Your Own Material
Take every place your proposal, method or business case mentions AI, and add one of two labels: the name of the actual feature, or “business rules”. If you can’t do either, the claim should go. That is exactly how every line in our free Business Case Builder is marked — so the reader always knows what is real AI and what isn’t.
Honesty about AI is not modesty. It is what lets people believe you when you say something is.
Related: STEER IT · Where the Proof Comes From · The free Business Case Builder
