Patterns

Field observations that recur across deployments.

• The 40% trap. Local AI optimization that shifts delay to remaining steps without improving system throughput.
• Authority as the bottleneck. Once AI removes the cognitive bottleneck, the limiting factor becomes permission, not capability.
• Shadow IT is the real ontology. The unofficial spreadsheet reveals the categories employees actually use. The official database does not.
• The magic wand question. "If you had an infinitely capable intern, how would you instruct them to achieve this outcome?" Decouples intent from action.
• Zero-based workflow design. Start with a blank slate. Given today's AI capabilities, what is the absolute minimum number of steps required?
• Seamful handoffs. Deliberately design cognitive friction into AI handoffs to force human review, not rubber-stamp approval.
• The portfolio trap. Hiring designers on pixel-perfect artifacts optimizes for the opposite of forward-deployed performance.
• Demos not memos. If someone gives you a report about software, the software probably doesn't work. If someone lets you use it, they have confidence.