Build What Matters
Using AI First Principles
WISER FRAMEWORK
Three Moves, Five Stages
WISER organizes work into three sequential moves, each containing specific stages that build on each other. Each move serves a distinct purpose:
REVEAL
Expose what actually happens and why it exists; gives you clarity about what actually exists versus what should exist. You can't improve what you can't see clearly.
- W - Why: Define purpose and question assumptions
- I - Identify Map reality and distinguish necessary from unnecessary complexity
REFINE
Eliminate waste while building sophisticated capability; makes targeted improvements to eliminate waste while preserving and enhancing complexity that creates competitive advantage.;
- S - Simplify: Remove bureaucracy, enhance what creates advantage
- E - Evolve: Apply monozukuri principles to iterate toward excellence
REBUILD
Redesign based on discovery and automate intelligently; uses everything you've learned to design something fundamentally better—systems that are both elegant and sophisticated.
- R - Redesign & Automate: Architect new systems that handle both simplicity and sophisticated complexity
REVEAL
Expose what actually happens and why it exists. Map the real workflow, surface the dead weight, and distinguish necessary complexity from bureaucratic waste.
Why
Start by questioning everything. Define what the work is supposed to achieve, who it serves, and who owns the outcome—because if no one owns the "why," the rest doesn't matter.
- Define Purpose
Clearly articulate the process's core mission in no more than two concise sentences. Record why the process was created, who demanded it, and what value it delivers. If you can't easily explain it, the process might not be necessary. - Question Everything
Challenge assumptions, especially "that's how we've always done it." Most processes are 80% waste, 20% value. But question intelligently—some complexity serves real purposes. - Accept You Don't Know What You Want Yet
Stop pretending you have perfect clarity from day one. This is normal—nobody starts with complete understanding. The goal isn't to have all the answers upfront. It's to get honest about what you're trying to discover through making. - Define Initial Objectives
Specify what the process must achieve: quickly list what you DO want and what you DON'T want. Be specific with measurable outcomes: "We want approvals in minutes, not days" and "We don't want people entering the same data twice." This approach embraces the monozukuri principle that clarity emerges through iteration, not perfect planning. - Assign Clear Ownership
Every objective must have a named human accountable. AI doesn't decide what matters—people do. Whoever defines the objective owns the outcome. If no one owns it, stop. You're not ready to automate.
Identify
Expose the gap between what's documented and what's actually happening. But don't assume all complexity is waste—some handles genuine edge cases that create competitive advantage.
- Map Reality Through Observation
Capture how work is actually done—focus on real behavior rather than the "official" process. Apply monozukuri's emphasis on direct observation: go to where the work happens, watch what people actually do, not what they say they do. - Complexity Triage - Distinguish between:
- Unnecessary complexity: Bureaucratic waste, redundant approvals, meaningless checks (eliminate ruthlessly)
- Necessary complexity: Fraud detection, quality controls, customer care escalations (handle elegantly)
- Catalog Waste Without Prejudice
Inventory every step that fails to drive your defined objectives. Look for redundant approvals, unread reports, endless meetings, and checks that catch nothing. Apply craftsman-level attention to detail—small inefficiencies compound into major problems. - Preserve Value-Creating Complexity
Some processes look wasteful but handle genuine complexity that competitors can't. Don't eliminate what makes you uniquely capable—enhance it. This is where monozukuri's respect for mastery applies: recognize sophisticated capability when you see it.
REFINE
Make targeted improvements. Cut what doesn't serve the mission while building sophisticated capability to handle necessary complexity.
Simplify
Ruthlessly remove unnecessary complexity while preserving and enhancing what creates competitive advantage.
- Delete Ruthlessly
Cut unnecessary complexity with zero guilt. Most organizations can remove 30-50% of bureaucratic processes with zero negative impact. The discomfort of deletion reveals what actually matters. - Enhance Necessary Complexity
For complexity that creates value—like handling edge cases, ensuring quality, or providing exceptional service—don't eliminate it. Build better tools to handle it elegantly. Apply monozukuri's principle of continuous refinement to make complex work more graceful. - Try Low-Tech Solutions First
Sometimes a checklist, clear ownership, or simple process fix works better than complex technology. A $2 whiteboard often beats a $200,000 system. Monozukuri values appropriate tools—use the simplest thing that works. - Apply Hands-On Experimentation
The best solutions often emerge through direct experimentation rather than planning. Build simple prototypes, test with real users, and let the making process teach you what actually works. This is monozukuri in action - learning through doing. - Optimize Decision Ownership
Often the simplest fix is correctly assigning who makes a decision. Processes bog down because decision rights are placed too high in the organization or left ambiguous. Clear ownership is a form of elegant simplicity.
Evolve
Necessity drives innovation. The "right" level of complexity emerges through making, not through planning or elimination alone.
- Let Demand Pull What's Necessary
Work should happen because someone needs it, not because it's Tuesday. Real demand teaches you what you actually want. This aligns with monozukuri's principle of responding to genuine requirements rather than artificial ones. - Create Clear Triggers
Develop explicit signals that start work only when real demand exists. Eliminate batch processing. Work should flow based on actual need, not arbitrary schedules. - Embrace Monozukuri—Excellence Through Making
Apply the Japanese art of continuous improvement through hands-on craftsmanship. Let demand pull what's necessary while you iterate toward what you actually want. Each cycle should teach you something new about what really works. This isn't just process improvement—it's systematic cultivation of capability. - Build to Learn, Not to Last
Create the simplest workflow that teaches you something new about what actually works. Each iteration should answer: "Is this what we actually wanted?" Build to discover your real requirements, not to execute your first guess. Embrace the craftsman's willingness to remake until it's right. - Build Sophisticated Capability
For processes that handle genuine complexity—create better tools, clearer escalation paths, and smarter routing. Don't eliminate the complexity; handle it better than anyone else can. This is where monozukuri's mastery orientation shines: building unmatched capability in your domain. - Measure What Moves
Track end-to-end cycle time, handoff delays, and bypass frequency. If people are working around your process, that's data. Count how many unnecessary steps you eliminate while measuring how well you handle necessary complexity.
REBUILD
ReDesign the system based on what you discovered. Build something that handles both simplicity and sophisticated complexity elegantly.
ReDesign
Now you know what you actually want. ReDesign the system based on what you discovered, not what you originally planned. Build a system that learns and adapts as your understanding continues to evolve.
- Apply System-Wide Thinking
Often starting over is more effective than continual tinkering. Use insights from previous WISER stages to rearchitect the entire system, not just parts. You're not optimizing—you're reinventing based on what you learned through making. - Blueprint Based on Discovery
Design the ideal process based on everything you now know about necessary vs unnecessary complexity. Build to what you discovered through making and eliminating, not your original specifications. Apply monozukuri's principle of letting the work itself teach you what it wants to become. - Design Through Making
Apply monozukuri principles when redesigning. Don't build the "perfect" system in theory—build iterative versions that teach you what users actually need. Excellence emerges through the cycle of making, testing, and refining. Each version should be a conscious experiment in better capability. - Automate Meta-Work, Not Decisions
Smart automation handles routing, data gathering, status updates, and information flow around complex decisions. It doesn't make the complex decisions—it makes the humans handling them more effective. This preserves the human craftsman role while eliminating the administrative burden. - Design for Edge Cases
Build systems that gracefully handle exceptions rather than forcing everything into rigid workflows. Your competitive advantage often lives in how well you handle the weird cases. Monozukuri's attention to detail applies here—anticipate and elegantly accommodate complexity. - Build Systems That Learn
Create processes that get better through use, capturing what works and adapting to new challenges. This embodies monozukuri's commitment to continuous improvement—not just making something good, but making something that gets better over time. - Measure Objectives and Evolution
Track both results (are we hitting objectives?) and speed (how quickly?). Also measure: How well do we handle complex cases? How often do people bypass the system? When do our sophisticated capabilities create competitive advantage? How is our capability evolving?
- Define Purpose
