A recurring problem that costs you time, money or quality is a great starting place for a digital project. The same goes for problems impacting throughput, maintenance, food safety or the reliability of your supply chain.

A QA specialist that spends part of each morning chasing batch records before finished product can be released deserves your attention. The information may be spread across paper forms, spreadsheets and emails and the solution starts by measuring the time spent finding all these, and the release delays caused by missing records.

That cost doesn’t have a capital budget line because is productivity after all. But making it visible gives you the basis for an investment decision.

In this article I offer three ways to move that decision forward.

Start with a problem you can measure

Protein Industries Canada announced two AI projects on 2 September, covering $4.9 million in total investment, including up to $2.2 million from PIC. One is to help growers decide when disease risk requires intervention, and the other is developing automated grain-bin volume measurement and an auditable digital record.

Both projects are in development and validation; however, their intended benefits are great examples of how to frame a project.

The lesson here is how the problem is defined. Inventory reconciliation, production reporting or repeated document searches could be candidates for investigation. Whether the solution involves AI, conventional software, a process change, or a combination of all these, depends on the work and the available data.

Before choosing a problem to attack, ask: what repeats, and what does it cost in time, errors or lost output? Can I establish a baseline and measure whether the change helps? If we need to collect data first, how will we do it and how long will it take? Who does the work today, and what would make their job easier?

Then choose one problem you can describe clearly, measure and assign to someone. These questions won't settle every issue, but should give you something to evaluate and a brief for suppliers.

Check funding fit

Any time you put into documenting your top three operating problems will strengthen your case for funding. Remember that clarity builds confidence because it helps a funder understand what you want to change, why it is important for you, the industry and the nation, and whether your team can deliver.

So, before exploring a program, take time to write down the problem, its cost, the change you are proposing, and the result you want to achieve and measure. Include the staff time and cash your business can commit. That gives you and the funding organization something specific to assess.

These are some routes worth checking, depending on your situation. Program details checked September 9, 2026.

CAAIN also received a separate $50 million funding renewal for new programming starting this fall. The October dates above belong to existing competitions. Check the scope carefully, because a routine software purchase or a manufacturing project will not qualify automatically.

The next step is to talk to the program administrator before investing in an application. Your business case should explain why the project deserves your own money as well.

Plan for the people and the change

Find your internal project owner and involve them from the beginning. Ideally, they understand the problem firsthand and have the time and authority to move the work forward. The person dealing with the problem every day may need help leading implementation, but keep one person accountable and support the with the right people.

Make sure to allocate room in the project plan for people to learn the new tools and ways of working. Training and support need a budget and someone responsible for them.

Before starting a pilot, figure out who will use it, what training they need, how they will handle exceptions and what results would justify continuing. Set those criteria early so the team can make a decision when the pilot ends. Budget for this work alongside software, equipment and integration.

If you are a technology company selling into food, bring these questions into your customer conversations. They should help determine whether a pilot makes sense, what the customer must contribute and what would happen after a successful trial.

Have a project in mind?

At BrightLine Solutions, we help food and beverage businesses clarify operating problems, assess AI and digital options, and plan implementation.

We also work with technology companies to understand food sector needs and shape practical validation projects.

Have one problem in mind? Send me a couple of sentences describing what you want to improve and what has stopped you so far. We can discuss whether a focused review would help you make the next decision.