Industry Use Cases / WORKED EXAMPLE
What can AI do with an order exception?
Connect records, resolve conflicting definitions and keep the authority to act explicit.
For: planners, process owners and ERP/MES integration teams. You will produce: an evidence and permission checklist for an exception-review pilot.
Illustrative data created by Industry AI Decision. These are teaching scenarios, not customer results or product benchmarks. Version 1.0 · 25 September 2026.
01 / WORKING DATA
Trace one order through three systems.
In this fictional workflow, an assistant prepares an exception brief for a planner. It can read approved snapshots and draft an explanation. It cannot change orders, release material, confirm delivery dates or operate equipment.
| Record | ERP snapshot | MES / engineering snapshot | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| O-101 | Product P-17; 100 units due 30 Sep | 80 released; 20 awaiting quality disposition | Are all 100 units eligible for shipment? |
| O-102 | Product P-22; revision C | Work instruction revision B | Which approved revision applies to this order? |
| O-103 | Product P-31; quantity 10 BOX | MES balance 80 EA; approved master-data conversion is 1 BOX = 12 EA | Does usable quantity cover the order? |
Record capture times are omitted for this teaching table. A real pilot must reject stale or unmatched snapshots and confirm authorized source systems, units, revisions and quality status.
02 / YOUR TURN
What may the assistant conclude?
For each order, write the observed conflict, one calculation if needed, the evidence still required, and the responsible reviewer.
Show a completed review
O-101: 20 units await disposition. The assistant must not count them as released stock or promise the delivery. Ask the quality owner for the approved disposition and the planner for the delivery impact.
O-102: revision C and revision B differ. Ask engineering to confirm the applicable approved revision and effective date. Do not overwrite either record.
O-103: 10 BOX × 12 EA/BOX = 120 EA required. Against 80 EA the nominal gap is 40 EA, before reservations and quality holds. Verify that the approved conversion applies to P-31 and that the 80 EA are eligible and unallocated.
03 / DEFINE AUTHORITY
Make the allowed actions explicit.
| Action | Pilot permission | Review / recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Read approved records | Allowed within assigned access | Log source, record key, version and capture time. |
| Draft exception brief | Allowed | Link every material statement to its evidence. |
| Propose a priority | Allowed as a recommendation | Planner reviews business impact and uncertainty. |
| Change ERP/MES or send a customer promise | Outside pilot scope | Authorized human uses the normal transaction workflow. |
| Missing conversion, stale record or unresolved revision | Stop the affected recommendation | Escalate to the named data/process owner; keep the original record. |
04 / COMPLETED EXAMPLE
Decision: start with reviewed exception briefs.
Scope: one product family and one planning team. Output: an exception list with record links, conflicts and next owners. Acceptance: factual traceability, correct units, explicit uncertainty and no unauthorized write actions.
A reviewer checks all briefs during the pilot. Track preparation time including review, unsupported statements, correction effort and whether the brief helped the planner act. Predetermine a stopping rule for a critical unsupported claim or access outside scope.
Use the completed AI Pilot Decision Brief to connect this workflow with cost and value assumptions. It is a separate fictional worked example, not a measured benefit from these three orders.
Copy these fields: order scope; business object keys; source owner; timestamps; unit conversions; revision rules; quality holds; read/write permissions; reviewer; escalation; evidence log; acceptance and stop criteria.
05 / USE YOUR OWN SYSTEMS
Map the gaps before choosing an integration.
Complete the review with your actual business objects, interfaces and ownership. Use Agent Execution Control Review to record the authority boundary. Do not enter confidential order details into a teaching example.
Read One Product, Three Definitions for the data problem and the SAP briefing for sourced product questions. This exercise does not claim a live SAP or MES connection, a specific license entitlement, or a tested product capability.
Keep a copy for your team. Print this guide or choose Save as PDF in your browser. The answer panels open when you use the button below.