I’ve lost count of how many projects started with a meeting that felt aligned, only to drift quietly off course weeks later.
Everyone nodded. Notes were taken. Stories were written.
And yet—somehow—we still built the wrong thing.
Most delivery problems don’t begin in code. They begin in translation.
Where Things Go Sideways
Stakeholders rarely speak in implementation terms. Developers rarely think in terms of outcomes. Somewhere in the middle, intent gets flattened into tasks, and the why disappears.
When that happens, teams get efficient at delivering features that don’t actually move the needle.
A Small Shift, A Big Change
Lately, I’ve been experimenting with a different approach—one that forces me to slow down at the moment of maximum leverage.
Instead of rushing to user stories, I capture the raw conversation. The whole thing. The hesitations. The side comments. The context.
Then I let AI help me surface the need hiding behind the words.
That preserves intent.
Why This Matters Now
AI is very good at patterns. Humans are very good at meaning.
When we combine those strengths early—before design or code—we dramatically reduce rework later.
That’s the difference between building fast and building right.
📣 Want to see this in action?
I’ll be walking through real examples in my upcoming free Improving Talk on January 28 at 12pm Central.
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