Field notes
Expert opinions. Independent views.
Real experiences from operators building with AI in the SDLC, including what worked, what failed, and what changed. We freely give our content. Our only requirement is that you attribute it to here.
By Norman and Nathan — practitioners who build production software with AI agents.
All content reflects the personal opinions of its authors and does not represent any employer, client, or affiliated organization.
Articles
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The Use Case Is Building Software and the Best Practice Is Today
Executive Deck ↗Listen ↗Stop asking about AI use cases. The use case is your entire SDLC. Learn why executives must build with AI tools themselves to lead the transformation.
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The Board Memo Version: Four Sessions, Four Decisions, One Operating Plan
Executive Deck ↗Listen ↗A concise board memo for executive teams: the four-session operating model, timeline, decisions, governance, and risk controls to move from AI ambiguity to measurable execution.
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Customer Zero: Two Engineers. One Year. More Output Than Ten.
Executive Deck ↗Listen ↗Nathan joined a scale-up as CTO with a mandate to hire ten engineers. He hired zero. Twelve months later, he and one existing associate engineer had…
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You Cannot Read Yourself Into AI-SDLC Literacy
Executive Deck ↗Listen ↗Reading about AI won't make you AI-literate. Only hands-on building will develop the intuition you need to lead. Start tonight.
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I Think I Know Where Your High Performers Are
Executive Deck ↗Listen ↗Your heaviest AI users are probably your best people. That's the easy part. The harder question — the one that actually matters — is who still…
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The Executive Operating Model We Run In Private: Four Sessions That Turn AI Anxiety Into Board-Grade Decisions
Executive Deck ↗Listen ↗A detailed, private four-session executive operating model with agendas, timelines, decisions, and risk controls to move from AI confusion to measurable execution.
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Dear CISO — Your Job Is Not to Stop AI. Your Job Is to Make It Safe to Ship.
Executive Deck ↗Listen ↗If your answer to AI is "no" until further notice, you are not reducing risk. You are pushing it into the shadows while your competitors learn…
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The 2028 Problem You’re Creating in 2025
Executive Deck ↗Listen ↗Your 2025 AI decisions shape your 2028 reality. Learn why waiting for clarity is the riskiest strategy and how to build for capabilities that don't exist…
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What Got You Here Won’t Keep You Here: A Letter to Technology Executives
Executive Deck ↗Listen ↗Technology executives: the skills that got you here won't keep you here. A frank letter about adapting your leadership for the AI-native era.
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You Do Not Have Time for a Two-Hour Kickoff but You Have Time to Fail for a Year
Executive Deck ↗A VP told me his org only had 30 minutes for AI training. I recommended the two-hour kickoff that has consistently produced results. He said they…
Essential or Ornamental
Three companies. Three choices. One satisfactory ending.
One does nothing. One maps the waste. One bets everything on twelve people in a warehouse.
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