The Journal
Notes from the practice.
We write about AI strategy, engineering, and the decisions behind useful systems. Historical articles reflect their publication dates and may describe prior offers; our Services page describes our current approach.
Applied AI·Oct 2, 2026·5 min read
Which version of that answer is current?
An AI answer can change when its sources or configuration change. We examine how to trace those inputs, compare versions, and route uncertainty before expanding a company workflow.
Read the articleIn this piece
Applied AIWorkflow designEvaluationHuman review
Engineering·6 min
Written for the next team.A useful AI handoff preserves the reasoning behind the system: its boundaries, decisions, evaluation evidence, and operating instructions for the people who will change it next.Sep 30, 2026Applied AI·6 min
Which paperwork to automate firstWe assess paperwork by repetition, inputs, judgment, exceptions, and review effort, then define a small test to decide whether AI, ordinary software, or process cleanup fits.Sep 28, 2026Customer Intelligence·4 min
The questions your website is already being askedStart with the questions behind a business decision. We examine how current, governed sources can support clearer answers, customer intelligence, and careful AI adoption.Sep 25, 2026Engineering·5 min
Accessibility is a practice, not a certificateWe treat accessibility as part of evaluating AI and adaptive systems: test a useful workflow, inspect changing behavior, include affected people, and keep evidence current.Sep 23, 2026Method·5 min
The smallest thing that would prove itBefore committing to a software or AI project, test the assumption that could make it a poor choice. We explain how to choose a small working slice and judge what it proves.Sep 21, 2026Applied AI·5 min
A receptionist that tells callers it is not a personAn automated phone receptionist needs clear limits, an honest introduction, and a route to a person. Here is what we would ask you to inspect before putting one on your business line.Sep 18, 2026Buying·4 min
Principal-led: what you gain and what you give upWe explain what principal-led work means for your project, from direct technical decisions to limits on availability, specialist coverage, and continuity.Sep 16, 2026Method·5 min
What you own when we are doneA software handoff should leave you with the code, access, records, and practical knowledge needed to operate the work without depending on its builder.Sep 11, 2026Buying·5 min
Buy it, connect it, or build itMost software decisions are not simply buy or build. Compare an existing product, a connected workflow, and custom software against the work that must improve.Sep 9, 2026Modernization·6 min
Assess before you modernizeBefore replacing an existing system, understand the service it supports. Assess the work, risks, and ownership, then decide what to repair, replace, retire, or leave alone.Sep 7, 2026Websites·5 min
Your hours are wrong on Google. Now what?Incorrect business hours are usually an operations problem before they are a search problem. Fix the source, the publishing path, and the checks around it.Sep 4, 2026Applied AI·5 min
What happens when the model is not sureAI systems can sound certain when the evidence is weak. A useful workflow makes uncertainty visible and gives people a clear way to handle it.Sep 2, 2026Applied AI·5 min
What to decide before you set up Claude for a teamA useful Claude setup starts with one business workflow, clear access decisions, approved source material, and a handoff your team can understand.Aug 31, 2026Method·5 min
What we need before we build a prototypeYou do not need a technical specification to start. We need a clear problem, representative material, access to the right person, and an honest way to judge the result.Aug 29, 2026Buying·4 min
When you should not hire usMost of what a practice publishes argues for hiring it. This one runs the other way: six situations where we are the wrong call, and how to tell before anyone has spent money.Aug 28, 2026Internal tools·6 min
The spreadsheet that runs your companyEvery growing business has one file holding up an operation it was never designed to hold up. Here is how to tell when it has become a liability, and how to replace it without buying a disaster.Jul 30, 2026Buying·5 min
How to judge a software developer when you cannot read codeYou are being asked to buy work you have no way to inspect. Here are six checks a non-technical buyer can actually run, and the one that beats all the others.Jun 25, 2026Method·3 min
We build a prototype before you pay. Here is why.Most agencies sell you a plan and a slide deck. We build something you can click first. Here is the reasoning behind working that way, and what it means for you.May 28, 2026Pricing·6 min
What a website actually costs in 2026, and where the money goesAn honest breakdown of where the money goes in a website project, what you are really paying for at each level, and why the cheapest option is often the most expensive over two years.May 14, 2026Strategy·6 min
Most small businesses do not need an app. Here are the three signs you do.An app is the wrong instinct for most local businesses, and a fast mobile website does most of what people actually want. Here are the three honest signs an app is worth building, and what it really costs.Apr 30, 2026Applied AI·6 min
Applied AI for small business: what is real, what is hype, and where to startA grounded guide to where AI genuinely helps a small business in 2026, where it is still hype or risk, and a sober way to start with one task and a human in the loop.Apr 16, 2026Practice·6 min
From the storefront to the statehouse: one engineering standard, two very different buyersA corner shop and a state agency look like opposite customers. Here is why we hold both to the same engineering standard, and where the practice has to bend to fit each one.Mar 26, 2026