Catalyst Journal
Writing on operating intelligence
Page 4 of 6
Operating Intelligence
The Two-Week Question Is a Systems Audit
A systems audit can start by asking what would stop if the owner disappeared for two weeks.
6 September 2026
Operating Intelligence
Why What Breaks If You Take Two Weeks Off Matters
The two-week question shows where the business still runs on one person's memory.
4 September 2026
Operating Intelligence
Why We Ask What Breaks If You Take Two Weeks Off
The two-week question bypasses vague AI interest and finds the real load an owner or leader is carrying.
2 September 2026
Operating Intelligence
Business Process Automation: What to Automate First
The best first automation is a contained piece of work with clear inputs, predictable rules and a person who owns the result.
31 August 2026
Operating Intelligence
AI Workflow Automation: Put AI Where the Process Needs It
AI belongs inside a well-designed process, not across the whole process. Give it a defined task, the context it needs and a clear review point.
29 August 2026
Operating Intelligence
Business Succession Planning: Build Beyond the Owner
A succession plan is credible when the next leader can make decisions, protect relationships and keep work moving without rebuilding the business from the owner's memory.
28 August 2026
Operating Intelligence
AI Readiness Assessment: Measure Whether Your Business Is Ready
AI readiness is not enthusiasm or tool access. It is evidence that one useful process has a clear goal, usable information, capable people and proportionate controls.
27 August 2026
Operating Intelligence
Business Process Mapping: Find Where Work Really Breaks
Business process mapping shows how work really moves through your business, including the handoffs, workarounds, delays and judgement calls that ordinary procedures miss.
26 August 2026
Operating Intelligence
Fractional Chief AI Officer: What the Role Should Deliver
A fractional chief AI officer should turn scattered AI activity into an owned portfolio with business priorities, proportionate controls and evidence of value.
25 August 2026
Operating Intelligence
How to Scope Phase One AI Automation
Phase one AI automation should prove one useful workflow, with one owner, one measure and a scale path that does not create a dead end.
21 August 2026