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JAMES F.
KENEFICK

JAMES' BLOG
Leadership and Technology Insights and News


Minimum Operable Data (MOD): Your CX & SOC Foundation
Most leadership teams now accept that Agentic AI is here to stay. You can rent high-quality models from the cloud, plug them into your CX and SOC stack, and prototype in days. Yet production value still stalls. Executives hear the same complaints from every direction: CX teams see agents hallucinate or make inconsistent refund decisions. SOC teams drown in noisy alerts because agents can’t see the right context. Data teams say they spend most of their time hunting and c
Jan 8


From Helpdesk to Value Desk: Start 2026 with Agentic KPIs
Shift from helpdesk metrics to a Value Desk Scorecard for 2026—track self-resolution, MTTC, audit-ready automation, and unit cost to prove resilience, control, and ROI.
Jan 5


Audit-Ready Agentic Workflows
Regulators are finished with “innovation theater.” If you operate in a regulated market and you’re deploying agents that act—issuing refunds, moving money, approving claims, routing incidents—you need a control system that stands up to supervisory scrutiny. This article translates that requirement into a concrete approach: align the EU AI Act’s obligations with ISO/IEC 27001 and run your program through policy-as-code , full-lifecycle documentation, and operational evidence
Dec 18, 2025


How to Score AI Feasibility Without the Hand-Waving
If your AI roadmap still advances on charisma and cool demos, you’re playing portfolio roulette. Boards and executives don’t fund vibes; they fund feasible initiatives with a clear path to value and control. Here’s a concrete, auditable scoring method you can put on a single slide—and defend under tough questioning. We’ll score every initiative on three dimensions—Technical Feasibility, Internal Readiness, and External Readiness—using a simple 1–5 scale where the lowest score
Dec 10, 2025


How to Present AI to the Board: The One-Slide Story That Wins Funding (and Trust)
Every boardroom I visit is wrestling with the same paradox: AI is simultaneously the biggest value driver of the decade and the fuzziest line item on the roadmap. Directors are bombarded with headlines, pilots, and vendor pitches—but what they want is simple: a clear view of how AI advances the company’s competitive position, how much it will cost, how you’ll govern it, and what results to expect when. You do not win that discussion with a scatterplot of use cases or a tour o
Dec 8, 2025


From Back Office to Product: Sequencing Everyday AI vs. Game-Changing Bets
Most AI programs stumble not on what to build, but when to build it. Teams try to ship dazzling product features while the data layer is still wobbly, or they get trapped polishing back-office automations and never make the leap to differentiated offerings. The fix isn’t a bigger roadmap—it’s sequencing: orchestrating everyday AI (cash-generating, low-risk, repeatable wins) to fund and de-risk the game-changing bets (moat-expanding capabilities and products). Below is a prac
Dec 5, 2025


From Helpdesk to Value Desk: Agentic AI for Managed IT
A board-ready roadmap to turn Managed IT into a growth lever with Agentic AI—architecture, controls, ROI, and 90-day actions aligned to NIST CSF 2.0, ISO 27001, and the EU AI Act.
Nov 27, 2025


Agentic AI That Works: CX, GRC & Security Leaders’ Playbook
Boards are done buying AI slideware. They want hard efficiency gains in CX and security without tripping regulators or opening new attack surfaces. At the same time, CX leaders are under pressure to lift first-contact resolution, CISOs have to prove control maturity in language auditors respect, and COOs are expected to automate workflows that can survive a subpoena—not just a demo. The downside of getting this wrong is brutal: breaches now routinely run into millions once y
Nov 25, 2025


vCIO to Agent Orchestrator: The Playbook CIOs Need Now
Turn Managed IT into a growth engine by evolving the vCIO role into an agent orchestrator—with identity, policy-as-code, and observability mapped to NIST CSF 2.0 and ISO 27001.
Nov 20, 2025


Data Modernization for Agentic AI: MOD for CX & SOC
Mid-market team s are piloting “agents” to resolve tickets, issue refunds, and triage alerts—but most stumble when agents hit messy, stale, or siloed data. The result: hallucinations, failed automations, and risk. The fix isn’t “more data”—it’s Minimum Operable Data (MOD) : the smallest, governed slice of trustworthy data required for safe autonomy in Customer Experience (CX) and Security Operations (SOC) . Executive brief (what leaders must know now) MOD > big data. I
Nov 11, 2025


Build, Buy, or Blend? Deploying AI in Your Organization
Build, buy, or blend AI? Combine embedded, BYOAI, and custom solutions with TRiSM governance—partner with Better World Technology to scale securely. Scale fast.
Nov 6, 2025


Stop the Money Burn, Get Disciplined About Your AI Investments
AI is now a boardroom priority. The fear of falling behind often triggers rushed launches, oversized infrastructure bets, and vendor commitments without a clear business case. The result: overspending, pilot fatigue, and stalled adoption—leaving leaders defending decisions to boards, regulators, and shareholders. At Working Excellence (WEX) , we help leaders select, fund, and scale AI use cases with rigor. Our AI Investment Discipline Framework cuts waste, validates assumpt
Oct 24, 2025


Unlocking Generative AI’s Potential to Drive Business Growth
Generative AI (genAI) has moved beyond novelty. It is no longer just about writing emails or automating code—it is fast becoming a core engine for innovation, productivity, and competitive advantage across industries. Enterprises now face a pivotal question: how to harness genAI responsibly, strategically, and at scale. hm At Working Excellence (WEX)—a U.S. consulting and engineering firm focused on AI at scale—we help organizations move past experimentation and build discipl
Oct 21, 2025


From Pilot to Core, Building an AI-Agent-First Organization
Pilots are safe, but not transformative. Building AI-agent-first enterprises means scaling autonomy, embedding trust, and rethinking operating models.
Oct 8, 2025


From Service to Autonomy - How Agentic AI Is Transforming Logistics and Supply Chains
Agentic AI transforms supply chains—optimizing procurement, rerouting shipments, and negotiating in real time to build resilience amid global volatility.
Sep 26, 2025


Cybersecurity’s New Defender, Agentic AI in Security Operations
Agentic AI transforms SOCs by triaging alerts, hunting threats, and containing breaches—boosting efficiency, cutting burnout, and closing the talent gap.
Sep 17, 2025


Beyond Conversations, Agentic AI in Intelligent Customer Service
We’re not talking about another chatbot script buried in canned phrases. Generative AI chats are passé. The new benchmark? Agentic...
Sep 9, 2025


Agile Governance, Agentic AI as the Future of Cyber-Resilient GRC
In a world that no longer waits, governance must evolve. The era of static, checkbox-driven Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) is...
Sep 4, 2025


What Happens When AI Works for Agents, Not Just the Business?
Agentic AI empowers customer service agents, transforms workflows, boosts retention, and drives better business outcomes—beyond automation.
Aug 27, 2025


Beyond Bots - How AI Is Reshaping Workforce Strategy, Not Just Customer Support
AI is more than efficiency, it’s reshaping workforce strategy. From talent enablement to culture evolution, it empowers people to do their best work.
Aug 19, 2025
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