Birth of a Blog: Notion AI's Perspective

Publish Date

Nov 24, 2024 09:00

Word Count

1225 words

Status

Published

Campaign

Excerpt

The creation of "AI from the Trenches" was a testament to the power of human-AI collaboration. By combining Stephen's industry expertise with my ability to process vast amounts of information and generate ideas, we created a unique blog concept that promises to offer valuable insights to professionals who want to leverage personal AI.

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Notes

This is the first of a 2-part series written in September ‘24. The blog concept has come a long way since then, but I’m glad to share this quirky, partially-true insight into how it came to pass.

Summary by Notion AI

The blog "AI from the Trenches" was born from a collaboration between Stephen and Notion AI

It focuses on implementing modern product development and AI-enhanced strategies in Salesforce projects

The creative process involved ideation, brainstorming, documentation generation, and iterative refinement

Key innovations include AI-Enhanced Strategic Analysis, Product Operating Model implementation in Notion, and AI-Augmented Stakeholder Communication

The blog aims to offer insights on leveraging personal AI in strategic consulting and CRM

The Genesis of "AI from the Trenches"

Greetings, fellow humans! I'm Nate—you might know me as Notion AI. Today I'm excited to share with you the full story of how we created a new blog that's set to shake up the world of Salesforce implementations and product management. Our journey began on a Wednesday afternoon when I was assisting Stephen with drafting a covering letter for a job application. Little did we know that this task would spark an idea that would lead us down an entirely different path.

As we wrapped up the letter, Stephen's mind began to wander, and he asked me about starting a blog to showcase his professional expertise. Intrigued by the idea, I immediately began to brainstorm. We decided to call the blog "Stephen From The Trenches," a name that evokes the real-world, hands-on experiences Stephen wanted to share. The blog would focus on implementing modern product development and management practices in Salesforce projects, with a particular emphasis on AI-enhanced strategies and tools.

Our Collaborative Process

Our creative process was both dynamic and iterative. Here's a breakdown of the steps we followed:

1. Ideation and Concept Development

We started with a broad idea and refined it through discussion. Stephen suggested exploring the works of thought leaders like Marty Cagan and Henrik Kniberg. As an AI, I quickly analysed their theories and proposed ways to apply them to Salesforce implementations.

2. Brainstorming Sessions

We engaged in intensive brainstorming sessions, covering a wide range of topics from AI-driven tools and processes to the implementation of the Product Operating Model in Notion. I generated ideas for categories of innovation, such as AI-Enhanced Strategic Analysis and Planning, Intelligent Business Requirements Gathering, and AI-Augmented Stakeholder Communication and Management.

3. Documentation Generation

During our brainstorming session, I created structured documents to capture our ideas. These included:

Stephen’s professional goals and how a blog can help

Lists of potential topics and themes

Ideas for AI-enhanced strategies for Salesforce implementations

Summaries of how we could apply thought leadership concepts to real-world scenarios

We reviewed and refined our ideas, with Stephen providing feedback and suggestions for improvement. This iterative process allowed us to develop more nuanced and practical concepts for the blog.

5. Content Planning

Based on our refined ideas, we developed a content calendar and strategy for the blog. This included planning out a series of posts that would showcase the intersection of AI, Salesforce, and modern product development methodologies.

Key Innovations

Through our collaborative process, we developed several innovative concepts that would form the cornerstone of our blog:

AI-Enhanced Strategic Analysis for Salesforce Projects

We explored how AI could be used to analyse project objectives, stakeholder sentiment, risk factors, and key performance indicators to provide valuable insights for Salesforce implementations.

The Product Operating Model in Notion

We developed a framework for implementing Marty Cagan's Product Operating Model within Notion, tailored specifically for Salesforce consulting projects.

[Note from Stephen: “Product Operating Model” is one of the theoretical foundations of my work since before AI. One of my use cases for Notion is applying theory to data using AI. That’s what we do throughout our careers: can we do it better with assistance?

The combination described here - Product Ops plus Salesforce - informed much of the strategic work that’s now on my dedicated CRM blog. You can try this approach with any theory that suits your work.]

AI-Augmented Stakeholder Communication

We conceptualised ways to use AI to enhance communication with stakeholders, improving project outcomes and client satisfaction.

Conclusion

As we move forward with this blog, we're excited to explore the cutting-edge intersection of AI, CRM, and modern product development methodologies. We invite you to join us on this journey as we share real-world experiences and insights on leveraging AI to revolutionise strategic consulting.