Define the problem before proposing any solutions.

Why problem first

Most software projects don't fail because of the technology.

They fail because the problem was poorly defined, teams disagree on priorities, or competing metrics pull the project in different directions. AI accelerates development, and companies are finding that moving faster can also mean getting confused faster. So I start with the people involved and take the time to understand their needs, challenges and priorities before turning to technology.

I do that in person wherever I can, because the people on the ground usually know things that never make it into a proposal or a statement of work. The best answers are often already in the room. I learned this in semiconductor manufacturing, where a wrong assumption scraps wafers you can hold in your hand. Once the problem is correctly defined, the pace changes: what starts slow becomes very fast, because we're building toward a clearly understood need with a way to verify we've met it.