Describe the outcome, not the software you have in mind

By Devan Borsboom

When a practice owner asks me how to track inventory, the instinct is to go shopping for software. Do not assume the answer is software.

Describe the outcome instead. For instance:

1. I want to log in and see what we have.
2. I want a notification when certain items run low.
3. I want it simple enough that my staff will actually keep it up to date.

Give AI those goals and let it suggest the solution. There may be a simple answer, like a shared spreadsheet, that gives you the outcome without another monthly subscription.

Our answers can box it in

It's funny, as owners we are used to having the answers, and we are usually right. But if you hand AI the solution you already had in mind, you stop it from finding a simpler one.

Small first, then bigger

My personality is to build something big and impressive. If it is not the right thing, all that effort is wasted. Build something small, test it, improve it, and improve it again. Once the foundation is right, each new piece goes faster than you would expect.

What outcome would you describe first in your practice?