Process Debt

Most bad processes don’t start with bad intentions — they start with stress. In this episode of the Process Debt Podcast, Chris and Toby unpack why solving for urgency instead of service creates hidden process debt.

From last-minute requests to chaotic delegation, stress-driven decisions feel helpful in the moment but quietly create repeat problems. This conversation explores how calmer systems, clearer handoffs, and service-oriented thinking reduce long-term friction at work.

Automation isn’t the goal—business outcomes are. In this episode of the Process Debt Podcast, Chris and Toby talk with David Kilzer (engineer, MBA, TEDx speaker, and automation veteran) about what actually has to happen before automation works.

We unpack:

• Why “shiny tech from a trade show” is a dangerous starting point
• How to find “low-hanging fruit” by asking frontline teams what they hate
• The unglamorous foundation every automation effort depends on: DATA
• Why AI triggers fear on both the shop floor and in the C-suite
• How to frame automation as a tool for human ideation—not automation for automation’s sake

If your organization wants AI, robotics, or advanced automation, this is the real starting line: clear objectives, clean foundations, and humans who believe the change will make their lives better.

It’s a new year, which means fresh intentions… and a lot of unused gym memberships.

In this episode, Chris and Toby explore a simple but uncomfortable truth: we judge ourselves by our intentions, and we judge others by their actions. That gap feels small, but it’s where process debt quietly piles up.

They talk about why intentions feel like progress, why actions are harder (and riskier), and how bad time estimation turns good plans into hidden debt. Along the way, they wander through gardening failures, ERP disasters, AI hype cycles, and why some outcomes are tomatoes while others are strawberries.

This isn’t an episode about New Year’s resolutions. It’s about habits, learning curves, and separating failure from identity—so we can stop paying interest on work we never quite finish.

If you’ve ever said “I meant to…” at work, this one’s for you.

Distraction is the most convincing false work in modern business. It feels urgent, emotional, and productive; even when it’s just a reaction disguised as progress. In this episode of the Process Debt Podcast, Chris and Toby explore why reaction is one of the most costly forms of distraction, how unclear strategy causes constant whiplash, and why motion without meaning quietly drains teams. From doom scrolling to executive “wouldn’t it be nice if” moments, we examine how ambiguity fuels process debt and why clarity is the only real solution.

Charlie Munger once said his philosophy was simple: “Figure out what makes people die and don’t do that.” In this episode, we apply that mindset to modern work. Everyone enjoys saying, “That meeting could’ve been an email,” but the truth is that the opposite is often more harmful. Emails hide work, lack acknowledgment, and create silent process debt. We explain why good meetings — with shared agendas, visible work, and real-time confirmation — actually foster accountability. Cut down your email volume by holding more effective meetings.

Blame is the quickest reflex in business, and also one of the most costly. In this episode, Chris and Toby explore why organizations tend to point fingers, how “fast thinking” can override careful decision-making, and why simple routines like dashboards and check-ins are actually key to avoiding chaos. If you’ve ever wondered why problems keep occurring in your workflow, this conversation gets to the root of it.

Many envision AI as a cheerful housekeeper like Rosie the Robot from *The Jetsons*, but today's AI is quite different. It's information-driven and, when misused, leads to more noise and notifications, creating process debt.

In this episode, Chris and Toby discuss the true utility of AI, highlighting how shiny new tools can overshadow their actual value. They emphasize the importance of integration, automation, and craftsmanship in technology. Covering topics from factory floors to family farms, the conversation explores what AI should achieve for us and the enduring significance of craftsmanship.

This episode offers a reflective look at the gap between our imagined future and the reality we're building, along with tips on using AI effectively without losing our judgment.

In this episode of the Process Debt Podcast, Chris and Toby try to do the simplest thing imaginable: log into Wix and update a profile. Twenty minutes later, they’re knee-deep in password resets, missing emails, and a password manager having an identity crisis.

What starts as a quick task turns into a perfect snapshot of modern knowledge work — where tools don’t behave, assumptions break, and “just click reset” becomes the new workplace hazing ritual. Along the way, they contrast digital collaboration with the straightforward clarity of physical work and explore why small process friction snowballs into big frustration.

If you’ve ever lost half a meeting trying to get everyone into the same document, this episode will hit home. And it’s a reminder: most collaborations don’t fail because people can’t work together… they fail because the system quietly gets in the way.

Tune in for laughs, stories, and a surprisingly deep look at why simple collaboration often isn’t simple at all.

This week, Chris and Toby go all the way back to the beginning. The ones and zeros that make modern computing possible, and they explain why AI still can’t match true abstraction.

From punch cards to LLMs, they break down why deterministic systems scale beautifully while AI’s guess-based outputs create unpredictability, noise, and a whole lot of human cleanup. If you’ve ever wondered why AI-generated work still needs a human in the loop, or why enterprise systems can’t just “trust the model,” this episode connects the dots.

A conversation about technology, process debt, and the humans forever stuck in the middle.

The AI boom is everywhere, with soaring valuations, endless hype, and CEOs racing to invest. But is this moment starting to look a lot like the telecom bubble of the early 2000s?

Chris and Toby revisit the dot-com era, long-distance calling cards, and the fiber-optic crash to explore whether today’s AI gold rush is running on real value… or speculation. With Michael Burry shorting AI stocks and Meta’s chief AI scientist heading for the exit, what are the process signals leaders should actually be paying attention to? And what happens when innovation outpaces the business model? Dive in.