Company Context
Autonomous Solutions, Inc. (ASI) is a long-standing autonomy provider in off-road vehicle automation, with deployments across mining, agriculture, construction, and logistics. Its mining business includes the Mobius® autonomy platform, fleet orchestration software, and integrations for haul trucks, drills, and support vehicles. ASI has strong technical credibility in retrofitting mixed fleets, but it faces increasing pressure to translate engineering investment into clearer commercial outcomes as mining customers consolidate vendors and demand faster ROI.
Strategic Situation
You are the Engineering Manager for ASI's mining autonomy portfolio. The executive team is deciding how to allocate the next 12 months of engineering capacity to support a broader business objective: grow mining software and services revenue by 25% next year while improving gross margin from 38% to 44%. Two roadmap options are under consideration.
- Option A: Enterprise Expansion Features — prioritize Mobius capabilities required by Tier 1 miners: SAP/ERP integration, advanced dispatch analytics, role-based access controls, and multi-site reporting. This would support larger deals but requires significant platform work.
- Option B: Rapid Retrofit Package — prioritize a standardized deployment package for mid-tier mines using mixed OEM fleets, reducing install time, commissioning effort, and support burden. This could accelerate deal velocity and improve unit economics.
The CEO wants a recommendation now because ASI is entering annual planning, and Sales has identified active pipeline in both segments.
Data Points
| Metric | Tier 1 Enterprise Mines | Mid-tier Mixed-Fleet Mines |
|---|
| Estimated addressable mines in North America & Australia | 55 | 220 |
| Average annual contract value | $3.8M | $1.1M |
| Gross margin | 46% | 34% |
| Average sales cycle | 14 months | 6 months |
| Average deployment time | 9 months | 4 months |
| | |
Additional facts:
- Current mining revenue: $48M, growing 12% YoY; software/services are $22M of that total.
- Current win rate: 28% in Tier 1 pursuits vs 41% in mid-tier pursuits.
- Engineering capacity available: 42 FTEs for roadmap work over the next 12 months.
- Option A is estimated to consume 30 FTEs and could unlock 6 named Tier 1 opportunities worth $22M ARR in total pipeline over 24 months.
- Option B is estimated to consume 24 FTEs and could improve deployment cost per site by 25% and expand reachable pipeline by 18 additional mines over 12 months.
Deliverables
- Size the opportunity for each option using a realistic 12-24 month view, not just headline TAM.
- Assess competitive dynamics and where ASI has a differentiated right to win.
- Recommend how ASI should align engineering work to the stated business objective.
- Propose a go-to-market implication of your roadmap choice, including sales motion and customer segment focus.
- Identify key risks, trade-offs, and metrics you would use to track whether the strategy is working.
Constraints
- Budget for incremental non-engineering investment is capped at $4M next year.
- ASI cannot materially increase total engineering headcount in the next 2 quarters.
- The board expects visible revenue impact within 12 months, not just long-term platform value.
- Existing customer commitments already consume roughly 35% of engineering maintenance capacity, so roadmap slippage is a real risk.
