Start with three operational questions
Before evaluating a feature list, choose three tasks that matter to your center. For example: reconstruct an incident, complete a useful QA review, and understand whether a development action helped. Write down who performs each task and what makes it difficult today.
- What starts the task, and what information does the person have?
- Which systems and people are involved?
- What does a successful result look like?
- Where do people search, re-enter information, or wait for someone else?
Follow one task through the demonstration
Ask the team to walk through a complete task. A series of separate feature demonstrations can hide the effort between steps. Record the handoffs, permissions, modules, and manual actions involved.
- Find the relevant communication and replay the source.
- Use any transcript or summary, then verify an important detail.
- Document the review and the next action.
- Show how the appropriate person sees and follows up on the work.
Separate current capability from direction
Keep a simple availability record for each part of the workflow. Note what was demonstrated in a supported configuration, what requires a preview or pilot, and what is planned. Identify any additional module or service required.
- Current capability: what can be used, by whom, and in which configuration?
- Preview or pilot: what are the conditions, limits, and acceptance criteria?
- Direction: what problem is being addressed, and what is not yet committed?
Include the environment and the people
Bring a system inventory and the people who own the daily work. A technically supported configuration must also work for supervisors, records users, trainers, and staff. Ask how access, historical information, and changes will be managed.
- Phone and radio systems, versions, and required channels.
- Historical-recording access and the records workflows you rely on.
- User roles, onboarding, and the people who will own the process.
- Monitoring, support handoffs, and responsibilities during a transition.
Leave with a focused next step
Choose one initial workflow and define the evidence that would make the next decision clear. A useful next step might be a technical review, a configured demonstration, or a bounded evaluation. Assign an owner and make the remaining questions explicit.
- Initial workflow and operational owner.
- Required configuration and current support status.
- Observed gaps and how they will be resolved.
- Acceptance criteria and the next review date.