The Howcroft Index https://thomashowcroft.com/archive/ Notes by Thomas Howcroft on AI systems, search, creative judgement and company building. en-gb Sun, 18 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0100 Six business workflow automation examples worth testinghttps://thomashowcroft.com/essays/business-workflow-automation-examples/https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/business-workflow-automation-examples/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0100Six practical business workflow automation examples, with clear inputs, human review points and measures for reporting, onboarding, enquiries and documents. Which business process should you automate first?https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/which-business-process-to-automate-first/https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/which-business-process-to-automate-first/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0100Choose a first business automation with a transparent scorecard for recurring work, usable inputs, review effort, ownership and failure handling. What does an AI automation pilot cost in the UK?https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/ai-automation-pilot-cost-uk/https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/ai-automation-pilot-cost-uk/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0100My first AI automation pilots start from £1,750 over four to eight weeks. Understand the scope, running costs, human review and handover before comparing fees. How to choose an AI automation consultanthttps://thomashowcroft.com/essays/how-to-choose-an-ai-automation-consultant/https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/how-to-choose-an-ai-automation-consultant/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 15:00:00 +0100Ask an AI automation consultant for a bounded scope, useful proof, a baseline, clear data ownership, exception handling, complete costs and a usable handover. How I run an AI marketing workflow with human approvalhttps://thomashowcroft.com/essays/ai-marketing-workflow-human-approval/https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/ai-marketing-workflow-human-approval/Sun, 18 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0100Thomas Howcroft explains how XO3D ONE prepares social content and outreach, why humans approve every release, and his reported four-hour marketing week. My personal agent placed its first real order. https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/my-personal-agent-placed-its-first-real-order/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/my-personal-agent-placed-its-first-real-order/ Tue, 01 Sep 2026 11:00:00 +0100 Personal agents become useful when they stop producing answers and start completing bounded tasks in the physical world. Every job is already a set of automations https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/every-job-is-already-a-set-of-automations/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/every-job-is-already-a-set-of-automations/ Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:00:00 +0100 Most business work is automation before software touches it. The internet is becoming invisible. https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/the-internet-is-becoming-invisible/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/the-internet-is-becoming-invisible/ Thu, 06 Aug 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Apps will remain as software, but disappear as places we have to visit. Why AI experiments fail to become dependable systems. https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/why-ai-experiments-fail-to-become-systems/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/why-ai-experiments-fail-to-become-systems/ Sun, 19 Jul 2026 08:30:00 +0100 The model is rarely the hard part. Ownership, evidence and failure handling are. The best workflows make the right decision easier to repeat. https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/the-best-workflows-repeat-the-right-decision/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/the-best-workflows-repeat-the-right-decision/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 09:00:00 +0100 Workflows are decision architecture, not admin. Taste is the part of creative work that refuses to commoditise. https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/taste-refuses-to-commoditise/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/taste-refuses-to-commoditise/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:30:00 +0100 Execution is getting cheap. Knowing what to make is not. Good systems reduce noise before they increase speed. https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/good-systems-reduce-noise/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/good-systems-reduce-noise/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 08:00:00 +0100 The first job of a system is subtracting noise, not adding speed. A second brain for a business. https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/a-second-brain-for-a-business/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/a-second-brain-for-a-business/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0100 What changes when a company writes down what it knows. Building a second brain. https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/building-a-second-brain/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/building-a-second-brain/ Thu, 16 Jul 2026 07:00:00 +0100 How a folder of plain-text notes became the system everything else runs on. The founder's job is standards. https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/the-founders-job-is-standards/ https://thomashowcroft.com/essays/the-founders-job-is-standards/ Sun, 24 May 2026 09:00:00 +0100 What better companies repeat before they scale.