1. Start with the decision
Name the decision you are trying to support. A good use case says who makes that decision, what they need to see before they can make it, and what should happen when that evidence is missing.
2. Check what a person still has to do
Every record says what someone must check, interpret, approve, or decide. If that does not fit how your organisation works, stop here — there is no point going further.
3. Look at what goes in and what comes back
Read the inputs, the outputs, the checks, how answers are backed up, and what happens when the system is not sure. Treat all of it as subject to change until there is a real contract to review.
4. Use made-up examples only
Every example here is fictional or deliberately generic. Never send client documents, personal data, passwords, keys, or real records through a public channel.
5. Keep any pilot small and defined
A pilot should say which sources are approved, how you will know it worked, how you will try to break it, who reviews the results, how data is handled, and the point at which you would stop. Pricing, service levels, and how long data is kept are separate conversations.
Go deeper
The evaluation guides work through this method in detail, including responsible evaluation — what to test, what to keep back, and what a concept record cannot tell you.