Why “Process” Is Where Your Use Case Comes to Life

By the time a use case reaches Step 5 in Agathe Daae-Qvale’s evaluation framework, the foundation is already solid: a real problem has been identified, the right data is available, the value is validated, and the stakeholders are aligned. Now comes the hard part—bringing the idea to life through process.

Celebrating success and turning innovative ideas into reality with practical use cases.

“A use case without a defined process is still a concept,” Daae-Qvale writes in Digitized Product Management. “It becomes real when you can map the steps between data, action, and outcome.”

Step 5: Process—From Insight to Implementation

In this step, teams evaluate how the use case would function within real-world operations. That means understanding not just what the use case will do—but how it will do it, where it fits into existing workflows, and who will interact with it.

Daae-Qvale breaks this step into four parts:

1. Asset Management: Start by identifying the assets involved—physical, digital, or data-based.

2. Process Information: Understand how information flows across teams and tools—but don’t stop there. You need to identify what exactly is flowing between clearly defined departure and arrival points: Is it data? A physical task? A product or a service? Mapping these flows helps ensure that the use case integrates seamlessly into existing operations and doesn’t disrupt what’s already working.

3. Core Integration: Zoom in on how the use case connects with the core production or service process.

4. Path to Scale: Consider how the process might grow or evolve if the use case succeeds.

Real-World Example: Optimizing Asset Maintenance in Utilities

Imagine a utility company wants to improve the maintenance cycle for its transformers. The use case is to reduce downtime using predictive analytics. But without mapping the process, the idea stalls.

Through Step 5, the team realizes:

• Asset management involves pulling sensor data from aging infrastructure.

• Information processes include coordination across field crews, scheduling software, and regulatory logs.

• Core integration means syncing predictions with real-time service data to avoid overlap or outages.

• And to scale, the company would need standardized APIs across regions and partners.

By following the process, the team identifies not only how to make the use case real—but where the friction points will be.

Why Process Prevents Innovation Bottlenecks

Many teams have bold ideas but struggle with adoption. The reason? The process wasn’t mapped. Step 5 pushes teams to stop and ask:

• Where does this use case plug into real operations?

• Who will need to change behavior to make it work?

• Is the process agile enough to evolve as insights develop?

“Process thinking ensures your use case doesn’t just solve a problem—it fits the system built to support it,” Daae-Qvale explains.

What Comes Next?

Process is where vision meets reality. It's the transition from strategic ambition to operational traction. And if it’s not considered carefully, even the best use case can get blocked by invisible barriers.

In Digitized Product Management, Agathe Daae-Qvale equips teams to anticipate these obstacles and map their way through them—step by step.

Want to make sure your next use case doesn’t get stuck in theory? Explore the complete Nine Steps of Use Case Evaluation in Digitized Product Management.