Build What Matters
Using AI First Principles
WISER FRAMEWORK
Three Phases: Review, Refine, Rebuild with Five Stages: Why, Identify, Simplify, Evolve, ReDngineer
Why
Start by questioning everything. Define what the work is supposed to achieve, who it serves, and who owns the outcome—because if no one owns the "why," the rest doesn't matter.
- Define Purpose
Clearly articulate the process's core mission—its noble cause—in no more than two concise sentences (it must pass the "mom test"). Record why the process was created, who demanded it, and what value it is supposed to deliver. If you can't easily explain it, the process might not be necessary. - Question Everything
Never accept a process without asking why it exists. Challenge assumptions, especially "that's how we've always done it." Most processes are 80% waste, 20% value. Sacred cows make the tastiest burgers. - Accept You Don't Know What You Want Yet
Stop pretending you have perfect clarity from day one. Most teams lie to themselves about knowing exactly what they need. This is normal—nobody starts with complete understanding. The goal isn't to have all the answers upfront. It's to get honest about what you're trying to discover. - Define Objectives
Specify exactly what the process must achieve using velocity planning: quickly list what you DO want and what you DON'T want. Be specific with measurable outcomes: "We want approvals in minutes, not days" and "We don't want people entering the same data twice." This approach is faster than detailed requirements and more honest about how discovery actually works. Replace vague targets like "improve efficiency" with concrete wants and don't-wants. - Assign Ownership
Every objective must have a named human accountable. AI doesn’t decide what matters—people do. Whoever defines the objective owns the outcome. If no one owns it, stop there. You’re not ready to automate. This shifts how businesses work: Think less tech provider, more outcome insurer.
Identify
Expose the gap between what’s documented and what’s actually happening. Map the real workflow, surface the dead weight, and name the sacred cows—because you can’t fix what you haven’t seen clearly.
- Map Reality
Capture how work is actually done—focus on real behavior rather than the "official" process. Identify the gap between documented procedures and day-to-day execution. Most flowcharts are idealized snapshots, not the messy reality. This mapping will start revealing what you actually want and don't want. - Catalog Waste
Inventory every step that fails to drive the defined objectives. Look for redundant approvals, unread reports, endless meetings, and checks that catch nothing. This is about isolating non-value-add activities before any improvements are attempted. - Expose Sacred Cows
Uncover processes that exist solely due to tradition or unchallenged assumptions. These "sacred" steps often persist because everyone assumes they're necessary. Challenging them will clarify what you actually value versus what you've inherited. - Keep or Cut
Classify each step as "essential," "questionable," or "waste"—but pay attention to how this classification refines your understanding of what you want. The goal isn't just brutal honesty about current state. It's using that honesty to discover your real preferences for how work should flow.
Simplify
Cut what doesn’t serve the mission. Ruthlessly remove anything unnecessary, ambiguous, or overcomplicated—because the best process is the one that no longer needs to exist.
- Delete Ruthlessly
Cut more than feels comfortable. If the value isn't obvious, eliminate it. Most organizations can remove 30-50% of their processes with zero negative impact. The discomfort of deleted processes reveals what actually needs to exist. You'll discover what you really want by removing what you definitely don't want. - Learn Through Elimination
Each deletion teaches you something about your real priorities. Pay attention to what you miss when it's gone versus what you don't. This isn't just trimming waste—it's preference discovery through subtraction. What seems scary to remove often reveals false dependencies. - Prioritize Quick Wins
Find waste you can eliminate immediately without rebuilding everything. Early victories build momentum and teach you about your real requirements. Don't wait for the perfect solution when good enough saves money today and clarifies what you actually need. - Try Low-Tech First
Sometimes a checklist, clear ownership, or simple process fix works better than complex tech. Not every problem needs software. Many just need clarity. A $2 whiteboard often beats a $200,000 system—and teaches you more about what you really want. - Optimize Decision Ownership
Sometimes the simplest fix is correctly assigning who makes a decision. Processes bog down because decision rights are placed too high in the organization or left ambiguous. Clarifying decision ownership eliminates more waste than changing the steps themselves.
Evolve
Embrace monozukuri—the art of excellence through making. Let demand pull what's necessary while you iterate toward what you actually want. Each cycle should teach you something new about what really works.
- Let Demand Pull What is Necessary
When processes are deleted, actual needs become visible. Let this natural tension drive improvements, not schedules or targets. Work should happen because someone needs it, not because it's Tuesday. Real demand teaches you what you actually want. - Create Clear Triggers
Develop explicit signals that start work only when real demand exists. Eliminate batch processing. Work should flow based on actual need, not arbitrary schedules. "Just in time" beats "just in case." These triggers will reveal your true requirements. - Build To Learn
Create the simplest workflow that teaches you something new about what actually works. This is monozukuri—craftsmanship through discovery and making. Each iteration should answer: "Is this what we actually wanted?" Build to discover your real requirements, not to execute your first guess. - Iterate Based on What You Learn
Use each cycle to refine your understanding of what you want and don't want. The perfect solution emerges through making, not planning. Resist rebuilding complexity—let simplicity teach you what really matters. - Measure What Moves
Track end-to-end cycle time, handoff delays, and bypass frequency. If people are working around your process, that's data. Count how many "don't wants" you eliminate each cycle and how much clearer your "wants" become. Simple metrics: time from start to finish, number of exceptions, and clarity score of requirements.
ReDesign
Now you know what you actually want. Redesign the system based on what you discovered, not what you originally planned. Build a system that learns and adapts as your understanding continues to evolve.
- Apply System-Wide Thinking
Often starting over is more effective than continual tinkering. Use insights from previous WISER stages to rearchitect the entire system, not just parts. You are not optimizing, you're reinventing based on what you've learned about what you actually want and don't want. - Blueprint based on Discovery
Gather your WISER team to design the ideal process based on everything you now know about your real wants and don't-wants. Don't build to your original specifications—build to what you discovered through making and eliminating. This system should be lean, efficient, and aligned with your refined understanding. - Design for Continued Learning
Build modular components that can adapt as your understanding evolves. Your system should support ongoing discovery, not lock in current assumptions. Design for the reality that your wants and don't-wants will keep getting clearer with use. - Automate Intelligence, Not Just Tasks
When automation makes sense, embed logic that learns your preferences over time. Smart automation should get better at understanding what you want and don't want. Automate decisions based on your discovered patterns, not rigid rules. Keep humans in the loop for judgment and continued learning. - Measure Objectives and Velocity
Build scorecards that track both results (are we hitting objectives?) and speed (how quickly?). Also track discovery: How much clearer are your wants and don't-wants getting? When do people bypass the system? Don't wait for monthly reports to know something's wrong. Good metrics show problems while they're small fires, not raging infernos.
- Define Purpose
