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Insights · Field Notes Vol I · 2026, ongoing

Field Notes.

Essays, field notes, and method from inside the engineering organizations we work with. Written by a practitioner, for practitioners. No recycled conference decks. Just what we’re learning day to day in the field.

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Featured · Issue 04

Agent Loops, explained plainly.

The shift from prompts to goals and loops is showing up in all of our feeds these days. Here is what an agent loop is, where they help, and the downsides before you dive in.

Essay7 min readTravis ProwellJun 9, 2026
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On the desk

What’s drafting this quarter.

We publish when something is worth publishing, not on a content calendar. Here’s what’s moving from notebook to draft to ship.

In edit

The seam map: a different way to plan modernization.

What we draw before we plan a rebuild, and why it predicts cost more reliably than any estimate.

Drafting

What “AI-First SDLC” actually changes, by phase.

Not the marketing version. The specific places work flows differently when the team operates AI-First.

Researching

Throughput vs. cycle time, after six months of AI rollout.

What the metrics from a real engagement actually showed, and which ones turned out to be lagging indicators.

The archive.

4 pieces · 2026

Issue 02 is on the desk. Three pieces drafting. Ship dates announced via the letter, not a public calendar.

The letter

One or two pieces a month, from inside the work.

No broadcast newsletter. No “thought leadership” promotion. Just the two or three things worth writing down this month, delivered directly. Unsubscribe the moment it stops earning its space in your inbox.

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