Sensing
Notice that something happened: a request arrived, a date changed or a job missed a check. Capture it where the business can act on it.
The method
The Business Nervous System.
A customer asks for a quote. Someone needs the request, your rates and the relevant history before they can answer. I connect the records, instructions and software that help people do that work. Business Nervous System is my name for that connected setup.
How the parts work together
Give the company a way to use what it knows.
An incoming request should reach someone who has the information and permission to handle it. The system might gather the customer’s earlier jobs, flag a missing measurement and prepare a draft for approval.
The design specifies where the records live, how the software connects and what each person or AI assistant may do. Automation handles agreed routine steps. An AI assistant can help interpret a message or prepare a draft, with checks appropriate to the task.
In a one-person business, a task can bring back the details you need at that moment. In a team, the same record helps the next person see what has already happened and what they are responsible for.
The functional model
Five things the company must be able to do.
A workflow is a sequence of steps from a request to a finished result. I use these five functions to examine how that sequence works. The Read, my paid business assessment, explains each rating with examples.
Signaling
Get the request and the details needed to handle it to the right person or tool. Someone taking over should be able to see what was promised.
Processing
Prepare the information needed for the next step. That may mean a calculation, finding a relevant past job, or using AI to interpret a message and draft a response.
Deciding
Specify who may approve the action. A routine step can follow an agreed rule. An unusual request or a customer promise can go to a person with the information needed to decide.
Regulating
Check what happened after the action. Find errors or unfinished jobs, bring them to someone responsible and update the instructions when the process needs to change.
The implementation
Six connected parts of the system.
Systems of record
The software that knows its part.
Business memory
The records and current status of each job.
Integration
Information moves between systems.
Processing
Details are prepared for the next task.
Interface
Each person can see and do their part.
Control
People can find failures and unfinished jobs.
Accounting software remains the place to check financial records. Customer-management software holds its customer records. The shared workspace connects the facts and decisions needed for the job, with a rule for keeping any copied information current.
The connections move information between tools. Rules or AI prepare it for use. A task list or other screen puts it in front of the person doing the job. Separate checks establish whether the intended result happened.
The read
Evidence beside every rating.
| Rating | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Functional | Working reliably in the work examined. |
| Degraded | Partial, inconsistent or too dependent on workarounds. |
| Absent | The function is missing from the operating structure or carried by a person without a defined system around it. |
The rating is a starting point for explaining a problem. The report then considers a possible improvement, its likely costs and benefits, and the questions still to test. I call that comparison between today’s process and a possible improvement the AI Gap.
Explore the readControl and ownership
The company keeps authority.
Before a system acts, we agree what it is for, what information it may use and what it may do. A named person handles failures, missing details and cases the system cannot resolve.
The design also checks completion. For example, an automation can report success after creating a draft invoice. We still need a check that the right invoice was approved and reached the customer.
Inspect the architecture standardTalk about your business
What would you like the business to handle better?
Tell me what the business does and what you’d like help with. If a detailed assessment would be useful, I’ll explain the $2,500 Read: a 90-minute session and a report with my recommendation.
Show me your workflowStart with a short inquiry. I’ll reply personally, usually within two business days, and arrange a free 20-minute conversation when I can help.