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Why Your AI Tools Aren’t Working Yet

Explore how to unlock true AI development potential.

Published By Liz Llewellyn-Maxwell
Why Your AI Tools Aren’t Working Yet

AI may help developers work 10 times faster. But most companies aren’t set up to take advantage of this speed boost.

In episode 62 of the Mik + One podcast, Gene Kim and Dr. Mik Kersten discuss the changes in tech setup, leadership, and company structure needed to succeed with AI, including:

  • Why current team setups and big single systems limit AI’s benefits
  • The FAFO approach and how it makes developers’ work better (it’s not what you think)
  • What we can learn from Adidas, Booking.com, and the UK government using AI
  • Why modularity and outcome-based teams help companies succeed with AI

Plus, Mik explains the themes shaping his upcoming book, Output to Outcomes. The new book builds on the concepts introduced in Project to Product (Mik’s first book) to help companies implement a product operating model for the age of AI.

Who is Gene Kim?

Researcher, author, and CTO Gene Kim has now appeared on the Mik + One podcast three times.

In this episode, he shares that his newest book, Vibe Coding, written with Steve Yegge (Google, Amazon, Sourcegraph), explores how AI is revolutionizing software development. Gene sees “vibe coding” – the term used to represent a human supervising AI as it writes code – as a tool that’s made him much more productive and brought back his love of coding.

A prolific writer, Gene also wrote The Phoenix Project, The Unicorn Project, The DevOps Handbook, and Wiring the Winning Organization.

Best Clip

Typing code by hand? Not anymore. In this short video, Gene explores the impact of AI on developer productivity.

Harness AI Best by Rewiring Your Org

Who are the companies that leverage AI well? According to Mik and Gene, they’re the ones prepared to handle the speed boost attained by using AI tools. Here’s how that theory breaks down.

1. AI makes developers work much faster.

Using AI tools lets developers write code much faster – about 10 times faster than before. Gene showed this by writing 4,176 lines of code in three days while also writing a book. This matches what happens in big technological changes throughout history. But companies need good structures in place to use this speed boost well.

2. The main problem has moved.

Since writing code fast isn’t the biggest challenge anymore, the real challenge is how companies make decisions and organize themselves. Even if teams can work 10 times faster, they won’t succeed if they still need lots of approvals or get stuck waiting for other teams. Companies need to change how they work to match this new speed.

3. Companies need new ways to organize.

Old ways of organizing work (like having separate departments for everything or running everything as projects) don’t work well with AI. Instead, companies should:

  • Split work into independent pieces
  • Let teams make their own decisions
  • Focus on results rather than activities

Companies that change how they work to match AI’s speed will do much better than those that keep working the old way. An approach that’s gaining traction now, according to Mik and Gene, is a product-centric approach.

Read Next: The Rise of the LLM-Native Developer: Navigating the Future of AI-Integrated Development

Dive Deeper into How It’s Done

Listen to Gene and Mik’s conversation wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also catch the full episode on the Flow Framework Community page.

Bonus: See how you can drive faster, smarter decision-making with Planview Copilot, the AI-powered assistant for connected work.

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Explore other riveting podcast conversations like these – and be sure to subscribe to learn when new episodes are released.

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Written by Liz Llewellyn-Maxwell Director, Content Marketing

Liz leads the go-to-market content team at Planview. She worked at LeanKit (now Planview AgilePlace) prior to the company being acquired by Planview. A versatile writer, editor, and content strategist, Liz serves as AI Evangelist for Global Marketing, runs the Planview Blog, and has the privilege of leading several original content pieces, such as the 2024 Project to Product State of the Industry report.