Field notes for operators
Better systems for the work behind the work.
Practical writing on AI, automation and custom software for businesses with real operations to run. Start with the bottleneck, follow the workflow, and decide what is worth changing.
Browse the latest articlesIdeas, implementation guides and verified project history.
AI with a job to do
Where AI fits, where simple rules work better, and how to begin safely.
Back-office systems
Invoicing, HR, scheduling, handoffs and the repeat work people carry.
Work we’ve delivered
Field examples alongside historical AGA and Akoni product work.
Operations before tools
The handoff is where work gets stuck.
From a missed detail to an invoice waiting for approval, small gaps between people, tools and decisions create avoidable drag. These notes look at the process first, then the software that can make it run more clearly.
Read the field notesFrom the floor to the follow-up.
Each article starts with a piece of work: a late invoice, a missed handoff, an unanswered enquiry, a schedule held together by memory.
Latest articles
Practical guides, worked examples and stories from products our founders have built.
October 13, 2026
How to Implement AI in Your Business in 30 Days
A four-week plan for one low-risk AI pilot: map the workflow, set data and review rules, build the smallest useful version, then evaluate it with the team.
October 13, 2026
Do Small Businesses Really Need AI? A Simple Workflow Test
You may not need AI. Use this workflow test to decide whether a spreadsheet, rules-based automation, AI assistance or no change is the sensible choice.
October 13, 2026
AI Automation for Small Business: What Should You Automate First?
A practical way to choose the first small-business workflow to automate: start with repeated handoffs, clear rules and measurable rework, then keep a human on exceptions.
October 13, 2026
The Shinkansen’s seven-minute lesson: reliability is choreography
The Shinkansen’s seven-minute cleaning window at Tokyo Station is a lesson in operational design: clear roles, standards and handoffs make reliability repeatable. Here’s what founders and operators can apply to growing teams.
Have a process that needs a better system?
Tell us where work gets stuck. We’ll review the workflow and tell you what fits before proposing a scope.
Talk through one problem