Senior, independent advice from someone who still builds

AI Opportunity Workshop

For leadership teams in engineering and product companies of 20 to 500 people, under pressure to “do something with AI”.

AI has made building cheap. Choosing what to build has become the hard part. Most AI plans are shaped by the loudest voice in the room or the latest vendor demo, while the best opportunities sit with the people closest to the work, in service, quality, engineering and operations.

• Before: the AI Ladder Check, a short readiness assessment for the leadership team, and anonymous ideas and everyday frustrations from everyone taking part, so ideas are judged on merit rather than rank.
• On the day: a facilitated half-day session for 8 to 20 people, on site or remote, using my Idea Mining method. Every idea is sorted by value, readiness and risk against the five levels of AI value.
• After: a short report within five working days, with three first projects, what each needs, where the data would be processed, the main risks and how to measure success. A follow-up call after two weeks.

Fixed price, by group size.

Independent technical advice and due diligence

For boards, investors, lenders and acquirers, and for leaders who want a second opinion before a big technology decision.

I have carried out technology audits for a major UK bank before it lent to businesses, and for a business investment organisation. I assess the technology, the team and the roadmap, and say plainly what is sound, what is at risk and what it would cost to fix. That includes AI claims: what a product really owns, what it depends on, and what happens if that dependency changes.

Typically one to two weeks, with a written report and a clear recommendation.

Connected products

For manufacturers and hardware ventures adding connectivity, smart features or a service revenue line, or fixing a connected product that underperforms.

Strategy, architecture and technology choices; device security and penetration testing; safe over-the-air updates; data sovereignty; and preparing for the EU Cyber Resilience Act, including a software bill of materials. Much of this work is for products sold into several markets with different rules. A short fixed-price audit is often the best place to start.

Decision analysis

For decisions where the cost, timescale or risk is genuinely uncertain.

Single-figure forecasts hide the thing that matters most: how wide the range of outcomes is. I use Monte Carlo simulation and scenario modelling to show the likely range, what drives it and which uncertainties are worth reducing first, so a board can decide with its eyes open.

Fractional technical leadership

For companies that need senior technical leadership without a full-time hire, or a steady hand through a difficult period.

One to three days a week, owning technology direction, architecture, delivery, suppliers and team. I have held COO and CEO seats in listed technology companies, led an IPO restructure and a rescue from administration, and I am as comfortable in a code review as in a board meeting.