BigDocs: rolling the dice on big documents
A lot of business still runs on big documents.
Articles
How to get complete, exact and repeatable results from AI on big-document work, and how to measure it. Read in order, starting with the first piece.
AI governance frameworks provide a strong basis for good governance. But they have to be used well to get any benefits in practice.
22 articles
Reflections on ISO 42001 and audit training
What a builder of AI systems noticed going through ISO 42001 Lead Auditor training, and why it matters for smaller organisations.
BigDocs: the benchmark
The patterns benchmarked on a hard case, contract review, against the one big prompt.
There is no checklist
ISO 42001 starts with context.
The Agentic Wordhouse: a dimensional model for your words
Most organisations keep their words the way their systems keep transactions: one document per occasion.
Which framework first
Most small organisations don't need ISO 42001 certification first.
Structure first: documents are written for human eyes
A contract, a tender or an enterprise agreement is written for a person turning pages.
Know the skeleton before you judge the standard
ISO 42001's clause structure is inherited, not bespoke.
The instruction file: write the job down before it runs
Give an agent a big document and a library and ask it to do a thorough review.
Size doesn't excuse you
ISO 42001 scales to the AI system's risk and reach, not to headcount.
Never retype: if the model can't retype it, it can't mistype it
The most natural request in the world is "give me the contract back with your changes".
You probably bought your AI
Most SMBs and NfPs don't build models; they use AI inside tools they bought.
Output built for oversight: put people where judgement is needed
A tidy redline is a strange thing to hand a reviewer.
The documentation trap
Small AI vendors often copy enterprise policy language that claims coverage they can't evidence.
Maintaining the Wordhouse: keeping it true as it grows
Every knowledge base starts with good intentions.
Your AI impact assessment isn't a vibe check
Clause 6.1.4 is a body-clause requirement; you can't exclude it through the Statement of Applicability.
Build the tests in: borrowing confidence from engineering
Software teams stopped trusting "it looks right" a long time ago.
Your AI management system is silent on cost
A certified AI management system proves you are governing AI.
BigDocs: guiding principles
The BigDocs series is about one kind of work: big documents, often several at once, where the business transaction rests on getting the answer exactly right.
What do I say to the person this lands on
Anyone who has shipped a system that makes decisions about people has had to answer one question before it went live: what do I say to the person this lands on?
The register is a lookup tool
Most people treat accreditation as a badge to display.
What a readiness assessment actually checks
A readiness assessment isn't a gap checklist.