Based on 21 questions. This is the same diagnostic Cerebrium runs in the first week of a paid engagement — condensed and self-served. No softening, no sales wrapping. If the verdict is "not yet," we say so.
Inventory data lives across 3 spreadsheets + 1 desktop SQL instance. SKU conventions inconsistent. No single source of truth for customer records.
"Reduce stockouts" stated goal but no baseline measured, no target set, no owner named. Strategy exists as intention, not document.
Modern ERP, clean cloud footprint, no legacy blockers. Security posture adequate for SMB scale.
Ops lead has never worked with a predictive system. No process for handling outputs that contradict intuition. Team skeptical.
No framework yet. Addressable as first workstream — not a red flag, a blank page.
Your infrastructure is ready. That is the least common score on this report. It also means any consultant who leads with a platform recommendation is solving the wrong problem.
Two of three spreadsheets will not survive being read by an AI. Before any tool purchase, four to six weeks of unglamorous data work. This is 70% of the real investment.
Your ops lead is skeptical for good reasons. A pilot that succeeds technically but fails socially is the single most common failure mode we see. Change management is not an add-on.
Total before any AI platform: roughly $22–28k. This is the investment that makes every subsequent dollar productive. Skipping it is the single most expensive decision SMBs make in this space.
