We’ve got the green light – funding, design, timeline, and use case are all set! Now, let’s dive into how your team can tackle the development phase (Part 2 of our 3-phase guide). This phase focuses on examples of activities that bring your GenAI product to life.
Building a Strong Team:
While all three zones (Strategic, Operational, and Tactical) play a role, the Tactical and Operational zones are the main drivers. Here’s what each zone contributes:
Strategic Zone (Leaders & Decision Makers):
- Vision & Mission: Make sure everyone on the team understands the product’s purpose and gets excited about it! The more people who can clearly explain the product, the better. This lightens your load and increases adoption.
- Connecting the Dots: Introduce your team to other relevant areas of the organization, especially if the product will have a wide reach. This helps them understand the bigger picture and get valuable feedback (“fail fast”). Ultimately, you decide the direction, but diverse perspectives are crucial.
- Get Approval Rolling: Don’t wait! Submit any required forms for using GenAI technology. Need help? Check out “Start to Finish with GenAI (PT 1)” for people to consider.
Operational Zone (Keep Things Running Smoothly):
- Onboarding Made Easy: Create clear instructions for new team members, especially external ones. Make them feel welcome and help them navigate your organization’s tools and processes.
- Budgeting & Cloud Costs: Building GenAI models can be expensive. Set up weekly reports to track cloud resource spending. Establish team rules for starting and stopping cloud resources to avoid unnecessary costs.
- Select the Tech Stack: You have the greatest oversight in available technology or flexibility to test out new technology. Define a base set of tools that you will leverage. Take into consideration the resources (cloud providers), collaboration environment, programming language (python, etc.), programming packages (LangChain, Chroma, etc.), storage (database vs data lake), memory (GPU and processing), and genAI framework (RAG, etc.).
- Approval Prep: Gather supporting documents for technology approval, like architecture design, security risks, and a clear business case. Be flexible and consider future changes, as GenAI technology is constantly evolving.
- Cloud Know-How: Understand your cloud provider’s capabilities and access controls. New features might require administrator intervention, so check access quickly.
Tactical Zone (Hands-on Development):
- Embrace the Unknown: Break down large problems into smaller, manageable tasks using the “decomposition technique.” This makes development easier and less intimidating.
- Plan for More Time: Expect longer development and testing times due to limited documentation for new technology. Experiment, learn from results, and ask “why” and “how” the technology generates outputs.
- Document Everything: Keep detailed records of your work, including architecture diagrams, code, lessons learned, and project reflections. This is vital for future reference and team collaboration.
- Learning is Key: Take advantage of “free GenAI courses” offered by many tech companies. If you’re new to the field, research the technology used by companies you interview. Consultants can ask clients about common technologies to find suitable courses.
Remember, part of learning includes practicing the activities in the other zones. As I mentioned before, the tactical zone is the best zone to learn, fail, and soak all and every piece of information. Success comes from collaboration and understanding across all zones. By following these tips, your team can effectively navigate the development phase and build a fantastic GenAI product!
Want to know more? I’m here to help! I love building things with tech that make work easier and more fun. Let’s chat and see how genAI can change the way you work!
