I've provided this feedback to others at IBM with no apparent change, so let's see how this goes with you. First off, I work for a Fortune 200 firm who's executives are intrigued by the capabilities Watson can provide for our business. We've had three different Watson engagements for three different business units and three different usage scenarios - none of them came to fruition. The problem is IBM is unable to deliver a Watson project template. Project managers live by the 80/50 rule - when 50% of the project's funds are spent you'd better be 80% complete with your project's features. How do you know where you are with regards to the completion of a Watson project? How do you know you're on the right track? How do you know when to scrap what you have and start over?

IBM sends out a team for each of the engagements to work with the business unit leaders to educate them on the capabilities of Watson and how to train Watson. It was all pie-in-the-sky stuff. Since we're an engineering-oriented company our business executives tend to have a strong engineering background (we tend to promote from within) and the whole thing smelled fishy to them, sounded too good to be true. When they asked us IT guys about it we presented the problems mentioned in the first paragraph. They concurred.

So we've never taken the bait. That's the problem you're having with Watson.