Insights

Perspectives on technology strategy, delivery, and the decisions that shape how organisations build.

AI & Engineering 7 min read

The Five Levels of AI in Software Development

Every team using AI in development thinks they are ahead of where they are. Here is a framework for knowing where you actually stand — and what it costs to mistake one level for another.

Delivery 6 min read

What a Good Technology Assessment Actually Looks Like

Most technology assessments end with a document. A good technology assessment ends with a decision.

Regulatory 6 min read

CBAM Is Not a Compliance Problem. It's a Data Problem.

Every importer approaching CBAM as a regulatory exercise is setting up for a harder time than necessary. The organisations that will manage it well are treating it as a data infrastructure problem.

Team & Operations 7 min read

How to Read an Engineering Team

The most revealing things about a software team are not in the codebase. They are in how the team talks about its work.

Leadership 8 min read

Diagnosis First: How Fractional Technology Leadership Actually Works

Before you can fix anything, you have to understand why it is broken. And why it is broken is almost always structural, not technical.

Leadership 5 min read

The Real Cost of a Vacant CTO Seat

The visible cost of a CTO departure is a recruitment process. The invisible cost is what happens to the organisation while the seat is empty.

AI & Engineering 6 min read

AI Adoption Fails at the Data Layer, Not the Model Layer

Most AI projects underinvest in data infrastructure and overinvest in models. The model is never the limiting factor.

Regulatory 6 min read

What EU Regulatory Compliance Costs When You Get the Technology Wrong

The cost of non-compliance gets discussed at length. The cost of compliance done badly does not. They are often comparable.

AI & Engineering 6 min read

Why Most AI Projects in Mid-Size Companies Never Reach Production

The graveyard of AI projects is full of successful pilots. The problem is not the technology — it is what happens after the demo.

Delivery 6 min read

Why Clients Stop Returning Calls

When a client goes quiet mid-engagement, the instinct is to assume they are busy. They are usually not busy. They have lost confidence.

Delivery 7 min read

AI Has Made the Case for Starting Small Unanswerable

AI has changed the economics of validation. It has not changed the underlying logic of why starting small produces better outcomes. It has simply removed the last credible excuse for not doing it.

Delivery 6 min read

Why Technology Projects Fail Before They Start

The post-mortem examines what happened during delivery. The failure happened before the first meeting.