Efficiency and innovation are paramount in the digital landscape, forcing businesses to constantly look for ways to streamline operations and maximize productivity. Provoke Solutions, a leading digital services company dedicated to transforming the way businesses approach software development and product management, is making waves in this space.
On this episode of From the Ground Up, host John Boitnott spoke with Jenna ChamraChief Customer Officer Provoke solutionsto discuss the transformative power of artificial intelligence (AI) in the modern workplace. They also discussed how Provoke Solutions is leveraging AI to address some of the most persistent challenges in software development.
Meeting the challenge of technical debt
Chamra, who started his career as a designer before branching out into digital strategy and user experience, has spent years battling a problem that plagues many businesses: technical debt. This accumulation of outdated or inefficient code and systems often stifles innovation, making it difficult for companies to bring cutting-edge new products to market.
For the past decade, Chamra has been working to find a way to ensure that the vision it has for its digital products actually reaches end users. But technical debt remains a significant obstacle.
To address this problem, Provoke Solutions developed KNOvva, a generative AI platform designed to alleviate the burden of technical debt. KNOvva employs “digital workers” to handle the tedious and mundane maintenance tasks required to modernize existing systems, freeing up human developers to focus on creating new features and innovations.
Transforming work with AI
For example, KNOvva can have a significant impact on things like web application frameworks. In many organizations, updating frameworks like React can consume valuable time and resources, often at the expense of developing new features. With KNOvva, these updates can be automated, allowing developers to focus on more strategic tasks.
“How do you know if a business owner “Actually, we need a month to upgrade React instead of building your new features and functions?” Chamra asked. “No one wants to hear that.”
With AI, some of the work can be done without the help of human developers, allowing developers and teams to actually work on new features. Ultimately, products can potentially be delivered to customers in “weeks and months rather than months and years.”
The benefits extend beyond save time By reducing the need for human intervention in repetitive tasks, KNOvva also improves the overall quality of work. Developers can spend more time on creative problem solving and strategic thinkingwhich ultimately leads to a more rewarding work experience.
Harnessing the potential of AI while preparing for the future
While the integration of AI into the workplace is often met with concerns about job displacement, Chamra stressed that the real impact of AI will be on transforming jobs rather than eliminating them.
“Who will be most affected by AI? It’s the people who live in mediocrity or who accept being mediocre. If you are there to clock in and clock out, you accept to press the same button every day and you have no desire or passion to learn, to make sure that you are adding value to the company every day and to move to the next level, yes, this technology can definitely be a threat,” Chamra noted.
Provoke Solutions’ approach to AI is based on upskilling and reskilling. The company encourages employees to embrace AI as a tool that can enhance their capabilities rather than replace them.
In fact, Chamra believes that “the biggest threat to your team is not teaching them how to leverage the technology.” That’s when it becomes a serious threat.
Chamra recalled a hackathon held two years ago, where developers worked alongside AI to complete their tasks. The experience not only demonstrated the potential of AI, but also highlighted the importance of staying on the cutting edge of technological advancements.
“We’re not changing the way our teams work,” Chamra noted. “Our digital workers simply join the same Azure DevOps boards as our teams. They’re assigned tasks and they complete them.” By adding digital workers to their teams to handle routine tasks, it frees up human employees to focus on what they love.
Building the future with AI
The key to success is adaptability and a growth mindset. Companies that view AI as a cost-cutting measure may reap short-term benefits, but those that invest in human talent and leverage AI to empower their teams will truly stand out in the market.
Provoke Solutions is already seeing significant benefits from its AI integration. The company’s digital workforce, such as its AI-powered test engineer, has significantly increased efficiency. For example, tasks that used to take days to complete, such as writing test scripts, can now be completed in minutes. This not only reduces costs, but also allows developers to focus on creating new features that add real value to the business.
The goal is not just to integrate AI into the workflow, but to redefine what it means to work in the digital age. By empowering teams with AI, Provoke Solutions is setting a new standard for innovation and productivity, one that other organizations will likely follow in the years to come.
From the Ground Up is a Grit Daily interview show hosted by John Boitnott.
