The Three Flawed Ways to Scale Expertise
- Work More Hours
- Hire People
- Raise Your Prices
These approaches simply redistribute the pressure rather than solving the underlying challenge. They often lead to burnout and inefficiencies.
The Real Bottleneck: The Translation Layer
The true problem lies in the gap between knowing the answer and documenting it for someone else. Consider an experienced consultant who can diagnose a systems problem rapidly. Yet, the post-diagnosis documentation takes hours. That ratio is the problem. This has always been the bottleneck. A senior architect can whiteboard a design in a single session, but validating the solution, complete with creating the output documentation, can take many days or weeks.
Your brain works fast. Documentation works slow. This gap can hinder progress and stifle innovation.
The Breakthrough for Scaling Expertise with AI
There is a game-changing breakthrough for scaling expertise with Artificial Intelligence. This is not just for architects and engineering contractors. The principles apply to anyone, whether you work in technology or not.
Key Principles of AI-Driven Expertise Scaling
- Expertise Compounds, Documentation Does Not: Your deep knowledge remains your competitive edge, but the documentation burden is dramatically reduced.
- You Retain Quality Control: The AI provides the foundation, but the crucial final sign-off remains with the expert.
- Embrace the 80/20 Threshold: Focus your finite time on the most valuable 20 per cent of the work, allowing AI to handle the initial 80 per cent draft.
- Context is the Multiplier: The power of AI lies in the context you provide. To generate a high-quality first draft, you need to define four critical areas:
- The Task: What you need.
- About You: The context of your role and expertise.
- The Audience: Context about the client, patient, or reader.
- Your Expectations: The specific goal for this draft.
The clearer you are, the better the AI’s 80 per cent draft will be, and the more efficiently you can apply your expertise to the final 20 per cent.
How Orion Data Analytics Solves the Challenges
At Orion Data, we leverage our extensive knowledge to solve the biggest barriers blocking organisations from fulfilling successful AI solutions. We focus on the major contributing factors required to produce accurate designs and rapid documentation.
1. Architecting the Solution
This involves human expertise and strategic work:
- AI Business Strategy
- Data and AI Business Requirements
- Design Thinking (Workflow Optimiser)
- Architecting (Stack and Integration)
2. Automating the Translation
We then utilise AI tools throughout our process to collect the data at scale and speed up the process, synthesise the data (using techniques like RAG, Azure Search, and LLMs), and finally present the findings by creating the pre-execution phase artefacts:
- Project Plan and Scope
- Architecture Diagrams and Design (HLD, LLD)
- Security Requirements and Policies
- Azure DevOps Setup and Access Controls and Permissions
The Future of Expertise in Business
As we look to the future, it’s clear that AI will play a pivotal role in how we approach expertise. Imagine a world where the bottleneck of documentation is lifted. What if you could focus solely on your core competencies? This is not just a dream; it’s becoming a reality.
AI can help you streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. By embracing these technologies, you can position your organisation for success.
Practical Steps to Implement AI in Your Organisation
- Assess Your Current Processes: Identify areas where documentation slows you down.
- Choose the Right Tools: Invest in AI solutions that align with your business needs.
- Train Your Team: Ensure your team understands how to leverage AI effectively.
- Monitor and Adjust: Continuously evaluate the impact of AI on your operations.
Conclusion: Embracing the Change
Hopefully, your chosen consultancy is leveraging AI; otherwise, you are at a disadvantage of speed, longer wait times, and missing out on cost efficiencies and scalability.
What is the one thing this week where you spend hours translating your expertise? How can you practice letting AI lift that bottleneck for you? Embrace this change and watch your organisation thrive.
