The explosion of technology over the last 25 years has been a double-edged sword. While offering incredible potential, it's also created a more chaotic and complex landscape, further amplified by the recent emergence of AI.

We're drowning in solutions. Automation offers the potential to revolutionise every facet of business, from marketing and sales to invoicing. But the sheer volume of options, now including a rapidly evolving field of AI tools, makes choosing the right fit incredibly challenging.

Avoid jumping to solutioning before fleshing out a problem statement

A quick Google search can be misleading, prioritising paid placement over genuine suitability. Asking your network is a common approach, but what works for one business may not work for another. And now, with AI solutions entering the mix, the variables have multiplied exponentially.

Even after selecting a solution and getting it up and running (often with excellent vendor support), the nagging question remains: Is it actually meeting our needs? And with AI, that question becomes even more complex, as the technology itself is constantly learning and changing.

Too often, the answer is no. Project after project fails to deliver the promised benefits, and the root cause remains surprisingly simple: We jump into solutions before defining the problem. This is especially true with AI, where the hype can easily overshadow practical application.

First step is identify your problem

Businesses invest time and resources researching and selecting tools, including AI-powered options, but they skip the crucial first step: Asking "What problem are we trying to solve?"

Problem-first decision-making offers a more strategic approach. It allows you to:

  • Clearly define your requirements for a solution, including specific needs that AI might address.
  • Objectively evaluate solutions, including AI tools, against those requirements.
  • Confidently determine when your project is complete, even as the AI landscape evolves.

The shift to problem-first thinking is straightforward. Before any major decision, simply ask: "What problem are we trying to solve?"

This pause can prevent you from rushing into solution mode, especially with the allure of new AI technologies. You might discover alternative solutions that don't involve new technology, or even realise the perceived problem wasn't a problem at all.

And in the realm of AI, this pause is crucial for responsible and effective implementation.

Project after project fails to deliver the promised benefits, and the root cause remains surprisingly simple: We jump into solutions before defining the problem.

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Felicity Hopkins, Director - Research Review

We hired Ant to support us with an important project after he was highly recommended by colleagues. Ant was responsive, speedy, super-helpful and helped us to make key decisions. We appreciated his broad experience, and his ability to hold a high level strategic view alongside expert advice on details. We will definitely be consulting with Ant again and are happy to recommend him.

Gaynor Parkin, CEO at Umbrella Wellbeing

"We don’t need a full-time CTO [chief technology officer]. Ant knows enough about our business he can deliver it virtually. He can translate things for us. During project management, Ant came into his own... Ant gets his head round your business and [took his time] understanding our context. He was really clear about pausing on investment into the app...Ant's inquisitive, curious and approachable - he's very easy to work with."

Gus McIntosh, Chief Executive - Winsborough

"Ant was really quick to understand the business model and our processes and IT structures."

James Armstrong, Director - MediData

"Ant helped us at the early stages of Aerotruth helping us to plan our technical infrastructure and ensure we built a product that would scale. Ant was great to work with and we really valued his support and contribution to Aerotruth"

Bryce Currie, Co-Founder & Chief Commercial Officer - Aerotruth

"No question has ever been too silly. Ant's been accommodating and helped me understand. I've valued that he understands the charitable sector really well. He can look through the experience that he has with larger organisations and what's the reality for a small and mighty charity where you don't have teams of people that can come in and project manage an IT project"

Nicola Keen-Biggelar, Chief Executive Drowning Prevention Auckland

"Having Anthony was really valuable – to lean in on his skillset – and his connections. He was able to provide impartial advice about the different strengths [of the providers]. It was important that we undertook a good due diligence process. Having Anthony there meant we had impartial selection as well, which is very important to us and [something] other not-for-profits [could benefit from]."

Rose Hiha-Agnew, Program Director - Community Governance

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