Help with an AI or workflow project.
Choose a useful first process, build and test a workflow, train a team or give AI work a clear owner.
Explore working togetherThomas Howcroft / AI and business systems
I build practical AI systems that improve how businesses run.
Systems / Standards / Signal
Founder, operator and hands-on builder of AI workflows, applications and business systems.
Work with me on a defined business project, or explore my experience for a suitable part-time role or contract. The same portfolio shows what I have built, how I work and the evidence behind it.
Remote UK
Projects and part-time contracts
Up to three days a week
Operating experience
Founder and Creative Director of XO3D since 2017
Systems evidence
A governed multi-business operating estate
Evaluation
Evidence, approvals and visible failure states
Search practice
Hands-on SEO work since 2014
In short
Practical AI, grounded in operating experience.
I build and operate the systems shown in my case studies, drawing on founder, creative-director and search experience. My work connects business processes, AI preparation, evidence and human decisions. This website brings together the work, how I can help a client and the experience relevant to a role or contract. For business AI support, explore AI consulting for small businesses. For hiring conversations, start with my experience and contract profile.
Work with me
Two ways to work together.
Choose the route that matches what you need. Both draw on the same hands-on work and operating experience.
Experience for a suitable role.
Review my background and relevant work, request a current CV or discuss a remote UK part-time contract of up to three days a week.
View my experienceClient engagements
AI consulting and practical delivery support.
Choose the engagement that matches your problem: find the opportunity, build a workflow, train the team or give AI work a clear owner.
01Diagnostic
AI readiness assessment
Map the workflows, identify the strongest opportunity and produce a prioritised 90-day roadmap.
See the assessment
02Build
AI automation pilot
Take one valuable workflow through scope, implementation, evaluation and handover.
Explore a pilot
03Leadership
Fractional chief AI officer
Senior direction and hands-on delivery for one to three days a week, without a full-time hire.
Explore fractional support
04Team skills
Practical AI training
Help a small team use AI on suitable work, check its output and understand what should remain a human decision.
Explore team training
Selected work
What does this look like in practice?
Start with the systems closest to your problem: team operations, recurring reporting, preparation and review. The complete portfolio also retains the supporting app, website and creative work.
01Team operations
XO3D ONE: work, review and handovers.
See how a studio operating system brings delivery planning, review and human approval together.
See the evidence
02AI workflow controls
AI workflows with a clear owner.
Research, reporting and preparation connected to evidence checks and human decisions.
See the evidence
03Reporting to action
Make recurring reports actionable.
An operating example of turning page and source information into prioritised work.
See the evidence
04Work and review
One place for work and decisions.
A founder-operated system for organising work, review and bounded task completion.
See the evidence
05Content workflow
Prepare, review and publish consistently.
A connected publishing workflow, with source evidence, consent and clear review boundaries.
See the evidence
06Evidence and limits
What has actually been measured?
Inspect the dates, sources and limits behind operating figures before drawing a business conclusion.
See the evidence
The perspective
What is Thomas Howcroft's approach? Systems, standards, signal.
Three disciplines that make useful work operate properly, meet a worthwhile standard and get found.
Systems
AI strategy and implementation grounded in real workflows and owned outcomes.
Standards
Creative direction taught me that technically correct is only the beginning. The result still needs judgement and clarity.
Signal
Search work taught me that useful work also needs evidence, structure and a route to being found.
The Howcroft Index
Practical answers, backed by the work.
Decide where to start, choose a first workflow and inspect the evidence before commissioning a build.
GuideWhere to start
AI training, an assessment or a pilot: where should a small business start?
Choose between AI training, a readiness assessment, an automation pilot or fractional AI leadership, based on the problem your business actually has.
Read the guide
GuideBusiness automation
Six business workflow automation examples worth testing
Six practical business workflow automation examples, with clear inputs, human review points and measures for reporting, onboarding, enquiries and documents.
Read the guide
GuideBusiness automation
Which business process should you automate first?
Choose a first business automation with a transparent scorecard for recurring work, usable inputs, review effort, ownership and failure handling.
Read the guide
About
Who is Thomas Howcroft?
I founded XO3D in 2017 and still lead its creative work. I have worked hands-on in SEO since 2014, and commercially through Howcroft's Consulting and TomHow since 2017. I now use that operating, creative and search experience to design AI systems that can survive real business conditions.
View my experience and suitable opportunities, or read more about my background.
01AI systems and transformation
Strategy, workflows, evaluation, governance, adoption and fractional leadership.
02Founder and Creative Director, XO3DCreative direction and product CGI work belong to the studio.
03TomHow: SEO and AI searchSearch strategy, technical SEO and AI visibility for B2B brands.
04The Howcroft IndexOriginal notes on systems, standards, signal and company building.
Start a conversation
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For a project, describe the business problem. For a role, review my experience and send the responsibilities and proposed working arrangements.