Episode 10: The Rise of the Forward Deployed Engineer

Episode 10: The Rise of the Forward Deployed Engineer

Episode 10: The Rise of the Forward Deployed Engineer Every company is becoming a technology company, whether they planned to or not. Engineering firms are building software. Consultants are creating AI-powered tools. Construction companies are developing platforms. Traditional service organizations are discovering that their most valuable opportunities may be hiding inside the work they already do every day. In this episode of Finding 12 Minutes, Frank explores the concept of the Forward Deployed Engineer and why it may be the most important role for organizations looking to move from selling services to delivering scalable technology solutions. Rather than starting with software, Forward Deployed Engineers start with customer problems. They sit close to the work, identify recurring challenges, and help transform expertise into products, platforms, and new revenue streams. You'll learn practical strategies for identifying technology opportunities inside your organization, finding the people best positioned to lead them, and avoiding the common mistake of building technology before understanding the problem. If you're trying to future-proof your business, scale expertise, or turn AI and technology investments into measurable growth, this episode is for you.

Episode 9: Your AI ROI Problem Isn't AI

Episode 9: From AI Cost Center to Profit Center Most organizations have invested in AI, but many are still struggling to answer one question: Where is the ROI? In this episode of Finding 12 Minutes, Frank Lazaro explores why AI often remains a cost center and what organizations must do to turn it into a profit center. Moving beyond productivity metrics and license counts, Frank shares practical strategies for connecting AI investments to revenue growth, higher win rates, improved utilization, faster service delivery, and better business decisions. You'll learn how to future-proof your AI investments by focusing on the assets that matter most: your data, institutional knowledge, and repeatable business processes. Whether you're using AI in proposals, business development, operations, or project delivery, this episode provides actionable steps to ensure AI creates measurable business value. If you're still measuring AI by time saved instead of business outcomes, this episode is for you. Topics covered: * Why AI ROI remains elusive for many organizations * The difference between cost center and profit center thinking * Using AI to drive revenue, utilization, and growth * Future-proofing AI investments through data and knowledge * Practical actions leaders can take today Better Thinking. Faster Decisions. Bigger ROI. Find your 12 minutes.

Episode 8: Your AI Bill Finally Arrived and Its Not Good

Episode 8 explores the uncomfortable reality emerging behind enterprise AI adoption: the bill finally arrived. Microsoft is cutting internal access to Anthropic’s Claude Code after usage costs reportedly became unsustainable. Uber hit a similar wall after AI coding tools rapidly exhausted its projected AI budget. The promise was simple: AI would replace repetitive work, accelerate development, and increase efficiency. Instead, many organizations are discovering that AI at scale comes with very real economic tradeoffs. This episode builds on earlier themes from Finding 12 Minutes: * AI still looks inconveniently human. * Becoming AI-ready without understanding the economics creates new risks. * Saving time only matters if the math actually works. Frank breaks down the shift from “all-you-can-eat AI” to token-based pricing, why AI costs are becoming a finance conversation, and what happens when productivity gains collide with infrastructure spend. The goal was never just to use more AI. The goal was better business outcomes. Topics include: * Microsoft and Uber AI budget overruns * The hidden economics of AI-assisted development * Why efficiency does not automatically equal profitability * Token pricing vs flat-rate AI usage * Human-in-the-loop enterprise reality * The risks of over-rotating on AI adoption * Why the next phase of AI maturity is operational discipline Finding 12 Minutes is a short-form podcast focused on AI, innovation, product strategy, and operational efficiency through a practical business lens.

Episode 7: Why Strategic Innovation Planning Rarely Happens

In this episode of the Finding 12 Minutes podcast, Frank Lazaro breaks down why strategic innovation planning is one of the most important — and most neglected — disciplines inside organizations today. Most companies talk about innovation. Few operationalize it. Building off his recent Substack post and Innovation Strategic Planning Workbook, Frank explains why organizations struggle to align technology, AI, product strategy, and innovation efforts into a clear execution plan. He also explores the hidden cost of “innovation debt” created by disconnected tools, reactive decisions, and lack of prioritization. This episode covers: * Why innovation planning rarely happens * The difference between experimentation and strategy * How organizations create innovation debt * Why operational clarity matters more than ideas * How structured planning improves adoption and ROI * Why AI initiatives fail without alignment and ownership The core message is simple: innovation without structure creates noise. Strategic planning creates momentum.

Episode 6: Product Strategy Is Not Feature Strategy

“AI” is not a product strategy. Features are not differentiation. And most product teams are stuck managing discussions instead of making decisions. In this episode of Finding 12 Minutes, Dr. Frank Lazaro breaks down why strong product strategy starts with problem statements, not feature requests. From the 5 Whys to Blue Ocean thinking, impact vs effort prioritization, and faster decision-making, this episode focuses on how organizations move from endless roadmap conversations to meaningful execution. If your team is building features without solving real friction, this episode is for you.