EXPERTISE. ENGINEERED.
Start with a business problem worth solving. Connect expertise, data and tools to deliver an AI application your team can evaluate, operate and own.
From task selection to validation, rollout and handoff
WHAT AN FDE DOES
A Forward-Deployed Engineer works close to the business. In enterprise AI, an FDE defines the work to improve with business owners and builds, validates, launches and hands it over with product, data and technical teams. Responsibilities vary by organization.
The company brings a real problem, approved inputs and people who can judge the result. The FDE helps turn these into an application that can be tried, evaluated and owned. Prove one workflow before expanding.
Sales opportunities, market evidence and reports sit in different places. Align sources and definitions, then give decision makers traceable conclusions.
Outputs: sourced briefs, shortlists and open questions.
Real tasks expose access restrictions, missing inputs and exceptions. Connect tools, review and failure handling to the existing workflow.
Outputs: a testable workflow, test records and human takeover.
Knowledge stays with a few people and changes go unmaintained. Keep the method, responsibilities and checks with the team.
Outputs: operating guidance, evaluation examples and maintenance plans.
Check whether the task recurs, inputs are accessible, quality can be judged and mistakes can be contained. Use rules or a workflow when they suffice; add AI where judgment is needed. Resolve unclear goals and ownership before implementation.
Recent primary sources: OpenAI · DeployCo · 2026-05-11 · AWS · FDE Pathways · 2026-10-01. Our synthesis of delivery practice, with no partnership, certification or guaranteed outcomes implied.
Discuss one workflow for delivery →CHOOSE YOUR PATH
Choose a task, explain your judgment and check the result. The foundation and all eleven W00–W10 lessons are available in Chinese.
Explore the business course →I build and deliver systemsConnect data, build tools and evaluate controls through the 12-week FDE curriculum.
Explore FDE Academy →METHODS IN PRACTICE
Original proposals and released film
Read the case ↗RubyStage delivery completed · project archived
Read the case ↗VeliaPlans and materials delivered
Read the case ↗01 / OUR VALUE
Use market, customer, channel and operating perspectives to identify the work worth doing.
Go beyond a conversation. Produce reports and work outputs the business can review, use and act on.
Capture methods, decision criteria and effective corrections in enterprise Skills and Agents.
02 / WHAT GOOD LOOKS LIKE
Is a market worth entering? Bring the recommendation, different perspectives, evidence and unknowns into one decision brief, not just a long overview.
Know why. And know what you do not yet know.
Explore this playDemand remains a hypothesis. Service coverage and channel costs are unconfirmed. Start with customer conversations and concrete partner terms.
A plausible problem–product fit
Willingness to pay and service cost
Validate one customer segment
03 / A MODULAR SERVICE MODEL
Reuse existing systems and tools, then make business judgment explicit and testable. Choose a fixed workflow or an agent for the task. The FDE adapts, validates and hands over the chosen combination.
A proposed service architecture. Availability, adaptation and commercial scope are confirmed per engagement; not every module is an off-the-shelf product.
Connect existing systems with knowledge, tools and a working environment.
Connectors / Knowledge workspace / Runtime and observabilityPackage expertise as methods with clear inputs, judgment and outputs.
Methods / Templates / Sources / Counterexamples / TestsUse a fixed workflow for known steps, or an agent when the model needs to choose the next step. Retain human approval for consequential actions.
Goals / Business context / Skill combinations / Work entry pointsUnderstand the work, adapt methods, engineer the workflow and test value.
Fieldwork / Co-building / Real-task evaluation / Handover04 / ENTERPRISE PLAYBOOK
Markets, growth, operations and knowledge: specific tasks, methods and deliverables, not an abstract AI promise.
Test the important assumptions before you commit.
A conclusion-led market briefGive sales a reason to know who comes first.
A sortable priority shortlistTurn product knowledge into a family of marketing assets.
Core message and visual directionLess time reconciling tables. More time making decisions.
Definition cards and data mappings05 / HOW WE WORK TOGETHER
Choose the work worth improving.
Problem framing / Current examples / Pilot scope and evaluationProduce something the team can actually use.
Enterprise Skills / Tool adaptation / Role workflows / Comparative testsTake a working method into the next task.
Versions and ownership / Fresh-task testing / Reuse and iterationTAKE THE CONVERSATION FURTHER
Two separate reference guides: how delivery works, and where to create value. Explore the website for the additional market-entry play.
Download the reference editions directly, or request guidance for your own workflow.
The FDE ProcessPDF · English · 14 pagesAsk how to apply the delivery process →Enterprise PlaybookPDF · English · 20 pages · 8 reference playsAsk for a starting point for my business →AIELSEN / FDE ACADEMY
The business path starts with tasks and reviewing results. The engineering path follows twelve weeks of principles, implementation, rollout and acceptance. Choose a starting point and learn through tangible outputs.
A FEW GOOD QUESTIONS
START WITH ONE REAL PROBLEM
You do not need a complete AI strategy. Start with a recurring problem, one existing example and someone who will actually use the result.