Field notes / Battle Ground, WA
2XD Journal
Editor's pick / Operations
Workflow automation ROI: count the minutes you can actually recover
A fast automation can still be a poor investment. Estimate its value from completed work, review time, and exceptions before you buy the build.
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Field guides
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Operations
Workflow automation ROI: count the minutes you can actually recover
A fast automation can still be a poor investment. Estimate its value from completed work, review time, and exceptions before you buy the build.
Operations
AI agent or fixed workflow? Trace the next decision
Choose the design by asking who can specify the next step. The answer can change halfway through the same transaction.
Operations
Invoice data extraction: test the fields that move money
A legible invoice number tells you little about whether a system can distinguish tax, freight, and the amount payable. Build the test around the posting decision.
Engineering
Prevent duplicate orders when an automation retries
A timeout can mean the order failed, or that it succeeded and the acknowledgment never arrived. Those cases need different recovery paths.
Operations
CRM lead routing: decide which rule wins
A returning customer can match a territory, a campaign queue, and an existing account owner at the same time. Write the precedence rules before wiring up the form.
Knowledge
RAG citations: make every policy answer checkable
A link to a 90-page handbook is a weak citation. A useful answer takes the reader directly to the passage supporting the decision.
Knowledge
Keep a RAG index current when policies change
A new handbook may be searchable while its retired predecessor still answers questions. Plan the removal path alongside the upload path.
Knowledge
Build a small RAG evaluation set before choosing a model
A good test collection tells you why an answer failed. Start with actual staff questions and a reviewer who knows where the answer lives.
Knowledge
Permission-aware enterprise search starts with two test users
The most revealing access test is to ask the same question twice: once as someone allowed to read the source, and once as someone who is not.
Engineering
Design a useful MCP server around one business operation
A mirror of an entire API is rarely the best starting point for an assistant. Choose an operation that a user recognizes and define its contract.
Engineering
MCP tool permissions: separate a lookup from a write
Reading a delivery address and changing one are different privileges. Make those differences explicit in the tools a server offers.
Engineering
Turn a team procedure into a reusable AI agent skill
A good first skill produces something your team already recognizes. A proposal checklist or an onboarding brief is easier to test than an instruction to be helpful.
Engineering
Design a human approval step people can actually use
An approval button does little if the reviewer cannot see what will change. Give the reviewer a decision, its evidence, and a safe way to decline.
Knowledge
Customer support chatbot handoff: send the context with the customer
A customer who asks for help should not have to repeat their story because a chatbot transferred the conversation. Test the experience from both desks.
Operations
Why two revenue dashboards disagree
Two dashboards can be arithmetically correct and give different answers. Before investigating the chart, decide exactly what event the number represents.
Operations
Build an operations dashboard around exceptions
A wall of green metrics can hide one order that needs action today. Design the view around who must do what next.
Consulting
Write AI pilot acceptance criteria before the first demo
A polished demo shows what can work. Acceptance criteria tell the team whether the pilot is ready for real responsibility.
Engineering
Spreadsheet-to-CRM integration: match records before syncing fields
A spreadsheet can look tidy and still create duplicate accounts. The hard part of a sync is deciding which real-world record each row represents.
Consulting
Plan an AI workshop that changes how a small team works
A team can leave a workshop enthusiastic and return to exactly the same process. Build the session around one deliverable people will use the following week.
Consulting
Hiring an AI consultant in Battle Ground: what to bring to the first call
For a Clark County business comparing AI proposals, the most revealing conversation often begins with a sample transaction rather than a list of tools.