Articles
Field notes from the work, in first person - on discovery, documentation, AI and the shape of systems.
These go out on LinkedIn first and are archived here. Following there is the easiest way to catch new ones.
The Change that AI Brings
I accidentally became the AI Guy in my daughter's parents group. It started because I got AI to build her a capybara game. Then someone said: “I didn't know AI can do this!” Fair enough. These days AI can be the researcher, note-taker, executive assistant, development team, QC team, sounding board - and apparently the builder of faintly ridiculous educational capybara games. And I think that extraordinary range is partly why we keep mistaking AI for the transformation itself. When one thing turns up in every room, it starts to look like the reason the house works. Some thoughts on what AI actually changes - and the rather important part that it doesn't.
AI business transformationAI strategyenterprise AIAI readinessAI implementationdigital transformationknowledge managementbusiness process mappingdata governanceAI adoption
Workflow Scar Tissue
Every day at 5pm, a system had to generate two Excel files. Same data. Same recipients. Same day. One sorted by transaction. One sorted by customer. Nobody knew why. But everyone knew both were absolutely, critically necessary. It took us three days to discover that the reason had disappeared more than a decade earlier. I’ve come to call things like this Workflow Scar Tissue. And as we rush to automate our businesses with AI, I think we’re about to automate rather a lot of it. Faster. At scale. With a dashboard.
AI transformation strategybusiness transformationAI in digital transformationenterprise AI strategyAI adoption strategybusiness process transformationAI-enabled transformationdigital transformation strategybusiness process improvemententerprise transformationAI implementationAI and business strategyAI operating modelworkflow transformationorganisational transformationhuman centred AI transformation
AI Is Not the Transformation
I think, in a few years, "AI transformation" may sound as strange as "internet marketing" eventually did. Not because AI will become less important. Quite the opposite. Maybe the question isn't "How do we transform our business with AI?" Maybe it's simply "How do we transform our business?" And AI - alongside systems, integration, process, people, and sometimes a perfectly ordinary Excel sheet - is one of the means to get there. Some thoughts on why I think the transformation is the objective. AI is one of the means.
AI transformation strategybusiness transformationAI in digital transformationenterprise AI strategyAI adoption strategybusiness process transformationAI-enabled transformationdigital transformation strategybusiness process improvemententerprise transformationAI implementationAI and business strategyAI operating modelworkflow transformationorganisational transformationhuman centred AI transformation
Three Records
A customer was refunded the wrong amount. We investigated, and by the end of the day we'd found duplicate records, a forgotten workaround, a tax that had been abolished years earlier... and a role that most organisations don't even realise they're missing.
enterprise data governancedigital ecosystem architecturetechnical debt managemententerprise architecturesystem integration challengesdata silosoperational transformationbusiness process governancedigital operating modeltechnology governancetransformation leadership
The Talent
This is a story about an outstanding Talent who joined a company. Brilliant. Tireless. Patient. Capable of changing the way people worked. It is also a story about the Manager who finally figured out how to make that happen. It's also a question: Is your company even ready for this Talent?
AI change managemententerprise AI adoptionAI implementation strategypreparing organisations for AIAI transformationAI readiness assessmentdigital transformation leadershipAI operating modelorganisational transformationAI governancefuture of work
Please Forward This to Yourself
Your AI really only knows what you tell it. If you tell it you're superman, it'll believe you and engage accordingly. If you leave gaps... then it'll be like the time when AI told me to escalate my issue - to myself.
AI context managementAI prompt engineeringenterprise AI implementationAI onboardingorganisational knowledge managementAI instructionsAI adoption strategyAI assistants at workAI productivity frameworkknowledge transferbusiness context AI
The Council
Bet even Cao Cao wouldn't have turned down a council that never slept, never got tired, and didn't mind answering the same question eight different ways. They still wouldn't have been making the decisions. While I am not nor have ever been a warlord, the idea became the basis for my latest article.
multi AI workflowAI decision supportAI-assisted researchhuman judgement in AIAI strategyAI consultingAI augmentationAI productivityenterprise AI adoptionAI agents for businessusing multiple AI models
The Magic Tool
Near the start of every project - before the requirements, before the architecture, before the APIs - I start talking to clients about magic. Yes, magic. No, I'm not crazy. I'm just chasing the Ideal thing. Or, the Magic Tool.
future state design methodologydigital transformation roadmapbusiness process redesignsystems thinkingenterprise architectureproduct visioncustomer-centric designbusiness process improvementworkflow optimisationtransformation strategyinnovation methodology
The AI Yo-Yo - Where Did My Project Folders Go?
A Wednesday morning, twelve empty Project folders, and the one habit that got 80% of it back by evening. On documentation, drift, and treating AI like an autopilot rather than magic.
AI workflow documentationenterprise AI adoptionAI knowledge managementAI context managementAI productivity workflowsAI reliabilityAI governanceAI hallucination preventionworking with AI assistantsAI memory managementhuman AI collaboration
The Long Discovery
Start of a hopeful week in Singapore. It's been 3 years since I've started coming down here 3-4 times a year. Spent a little time this morning reviewing how we got here.
digital product discovery processenterprise product discoverydigital transformation methodologyAI-assisted product developmentAI prototypingproduct architecturecustomer journey mappingworkflow automation designenterprise SaaS developmentAI-assisted software developmentbuilding digital products