Method map: how the Practicum works
The whole three-volume system on one page. Version: 2026-08-11. A compact print version is available as a PDF one-pager and a printable HTML version.
The book's main idea is simple: AI makes output cheap, so value moves to owning the outcome. You frame the task, check the work, and take responsibility for the result. The Practicum turns that idea into action. Each tool uses the same cycle:
question → diagnosis → artifact → action → later check.
You do not just read and feel inspired. You fill in a worksheet, get a conclusion, make one move, and check it against your own measure later.
Book 1: The Human Edge
The Volume 1 workbook has ten steps, one for each chapter. Each step adds a line to your personal diagnosis. At the end, you have a 90-day plan built from your own answers.
| Question for yourself | Tool | What you keep |
|---|---|---|
| Which value lever do I use? | Three value levers | The main lever and what is getting cheaper |
| What is really in my week? | Week inventory | The share of green, yellow, and red work, and your exposure |
| Where am I on the career ladder? | Ladder self-check | Your rung and the nearest next move |
| At what usefulness level do I work? | Usefulness level · the +1 move | A 0 to 5 level and a candidate task |
| How does my system work around AI? | Personal harness builder | The weakest layer in your system |
| Which skill should I train? | Five deficits audit | One skill that becomes more valuable |
| Am I losing my own thinking while using AI? | AI working mode · cognitive-debt checklist | Your mode and one protective rule |
| What does it all mean together? | Integrated profession audit | A diagnosis: weak spot and durable value |
| Who am I when AI does my work? | Workbook step 9, a conversation with yourself | "I am responsible for ..." |
| What will I do in the next 90 days? | 90-day plan | One-task plan with checks at 30, 60, and 90 days |
You can also start from your role instead of the book: the catalog of 13 roles shows what to automate, what to use, and where the red flags are. It leads into the same audit and plan.
Book 2: Business in the Age of AI Agents
The Volume 2 workbook moves from an honest maturity check to a team with agents and a sequence of safe moves.
| Business question | Tool | What you keep |
|---|---|---|
| Did we rebuild the process or only add AI on top? | Process maturity check | A maturity level and where the work is cosmetic |
| What should an agent do, and what stays with a person? | Human Review Matrix | A task map with review points |
| Under what terms does an agent work in a team? | Agent contract | Boundaries, escalation, owner, and a stop threshold |
| Where can an agent pay back in a small business? | SME staff map · where to start | The function with the fastest return |
| Can a client-facing agent find me? | Can an agent see me? · AI-search visibility check | A list of discoverability gaps |
| Which process should change first? | Process scoring | A ranked list and reasons to say no |
| In what order should we move? | Change gates | A route through gates, not a calendar |
For a filled example, see IKEA through the Change Compass. Chapters 7 to 10, on children, your own ladder, platform rent, and 2030 scenarios, are in the Volume 2 workbook.
Book 3: The Economics of Trust
The Volume 3 workbook does not create another profession or maturity stage. It adds one question to any decision: what would be costly to mistake for something genuine here, and how can I check it independently?
| Question | Tool | What you keep |
|---|---|---|
| How do I protect people close to me, money, and access? | Family protocol · personal perimeter | A second channel and a stop rule |
| How do I preserve an important file or a future dispute? | Chain of custody · evidence package | The original, a log, and an independent anchor |
| How do I become easier to check without self-promotion? | Trust footprint map · honest AI policy | One costly signal and a clear boundary |
| What should I check at home and at work? | Trust Compass · browser compass | A one-page trust protocol |
For a filled example, see Marina and her family.
Three ways to use the Practicum
- Follow the book. Read a chapter, then do its workbook step. This is the slow, deep route.
- Start with your role. Choose a profession in Volume 1 or a business function in Volume 2, then use the tools for that place.
- Start with the problem. If you already know what hurts, such as "I do not know where to begin," "I need an agent but I am worried," or "I do not want to make an expensive mistake," use search by task or all skills.
What matters here
- Every tool includes a check. AI suggests something, then you check it against a list, an example, or a number. The check always sits outside the model.
- "No" is also a result. AI is not needed for many processes and tasks yet. The tools say so plainly and protect you from someone else's enthusiasm.
- Everything ages, and the system accounts for it. Living pages show a check date. Tools and workbooks rely on principles that can survive a change of models.
Back to the home page. Routes: Book 1 Workbook · Book 2 Workbook · Book 3 Workbook · maturity route · My Profile.
Version: 2026-08-11.