From POC to Production: The 90-Day AI Sprint
Most AI projects die in pilot purgatory. After 6-12 months of "testing," enthusiasm wanes, budgets shift, and promising POCs never reach production. We've refined a 90-day sprint methodology that breaks this pattern.
Written by
THE PILOT PURGATORY PROBLEM
Why most POCs fail to scale:
Undefined success criteria
Scope creep during pilot phase
Loss of stakeholder momentum
Technical debt from quick prototypes
No clear path to production
THE 90-DAY SPRINT FRAMEWORK
Our methodology divides 90 days into three focused sprints:
SPRINT 1: DAYS 1-30 – FOUNDATION
Week 1-2: Discovery & Alignment
Identify ONE high-impact use case
Define clear, measurable success metrics
Align all stakeholders on objectives
Map current process and pain points
Week 3-4: Technical Architecture
Design production-ready architecture (not throwaway POC)
Identify integration points
Plan for scale from day one
Security and compliance review
SPRINT 2: DAYS 31-60 – BUILD & VALIDATE
Week 5-6: Core Development
Build MVP with production standards
Integrate with 1-2 critical systems
Implement monitoring and logging
Create initial documentation
Week 7-8: User Validation
Deploy to controlled user group
Gather quantitative metrics
Collect qualitative feedback
Iterate based on real usage
SPRINT 3: DAYS 61-90 – SCALE & OPTIMIZE
Week 9-10: Expanded Deployment
Roll out to larger user base
Monitor performance at scale
Address edge cases
Refine based on feedback
Week 11-12: Production Readiness
Complete security audit
Finalize documentation
Train support teams
Plan next use cases
KEY PRINCIPLES FOR SUCCESS
One Use Case, Done Right
Resist the temptation to pilot multiple capabilities. One successful implementation beats five incomplete ones.Production Standards from Day One
No throwaway code. Build as if going live tomorrow.Weekly Stakeholder Demos
Maintain momentum with visible progress every week.Metrics-Driven Decisions
Define success metrics upfront. Measure religiously. Let data drive decisions.User Involvement Throughout
Real users, real scenarios, real feedback from week one.
CASE STUDY: REGIONAL BANK TRANSFORMATION
The Challenge:
Manual loan approval: 15 days average
20% error rate in document processing
Customer satisfaction: 6/10
The 90-Day Sprint:
Days 1-30: Mapped loan process, designed AI-powered document extraction
Days 31-60: Built and tested with 100 applications
Days 61-90: Processed 1,000 applications, refined accuracy
The Results:
Approval time: 3 days (80% reduction)
Error rate: 2% (90% improvement)
Customer satisfaction: 8.5/10
ROI achieved in month 4
THE ECONOMICS OF SPEED
90-day sprint investment: $150,000
Traditional 12-month pilot: $500,000
Value delivered in production: Priceless
Speed isn't just about time-to-market.
It's about maintaining momentum, proving value quickly, and building confidence for larger investments.
THE PATH FORWARD
After successful 90-day sprint:
Clear ROI demonstrated
Stakeholder buy-in secured
Team trained and confident
Ready for next use case
The difference between POC and production isn't technology — it's methodology.
Stop piloting. Start producing.
