Field Notes
Essays on Decision Architecture and capital allocation. Published on Medium and here.
Decision-makingThe Dashboard Said Green. The Organization Was Already Failing.
When every light is green and things still feel off, the problem isn’t effort. It’s your instruments.
June 28, 2026 · 1 min read
Decision ArchitectureThe Margin Mirage: Visibility Is a Design Problem
MSOs don’t suffer from too little software; they suffer from too many realities. Stop buying speed for bad data. Build a review layer with owners, a dictionary, and cadence.
June 23, 2026 · 6 min read
leadershipmanagementproductivityThe Cost of Maybe | Field Notes | Mark J. Crawford
And whoever you give it to almost always knows less than you do. Continue reading on Medium »
June 17, 2026 · 1 min read
Decision ArchitectureDecision Debt: The Liability Nobody Puts on the Balance Sheet
Your P&L won’t show it, but your calendar does: the compounding cost of unresolved, unclear, and unowned choices that slow everything down.
June 15, 2026 · 5 min read
Eleven People, One Decision, and a $510,000 Delay
The most expensive line item on your P&L is the one that never appears on it. Continue reading on Medium »
June 11, 2026 · 1 min read
scalingprivate-equityprofessional-servicesThe $30M Cliff: Service Firms Fragment, Not Scale | Field Notes | Mark J. Crawford
Monday, 9:10 a.m. The weekly “green-yellow-red” opens like every other one this quarter. The COO pulls up the gross margin waterfall. Last… Continue reading on Medium »
June 2, 2026 · 1 min read
private-equitystartupdecision-makingThe $30M Decision Stall: Rebuild Rights to Restore Speed | Field Notes | Mark J. Crawford
It’s 8:02 a.m. on a Monday. Revenue is at a $34M run rate, and the PE board meeting is eight days out. The CEO wants answers on margin… Continue reading on Medium »
May 26, 2026 · 1 min read
decision-makingcfoartificial-intelligenceThe AI Roadmap Was Brilliant. Five Decisions Were Still Stuck on His Desk.
The CEO clicked to slide twelve. Continue reading on Medium »
May 22, 2026 · 1 min read
executive-leadershipdecisionarchitecturecfoinsightsThe $4.7M Process Nobody Wanted to Redesign
The CFO ran the math on a Saturday morning. Continue reading on Medium »
May 19, 2026 · 1 min read
cfoinsightsorganizational-systemoperational-intelligenceThe 22-Minute Meeting That Quietly Cost the Company $8M
The conversation lasted twenty-two minutes. Continue reading on Medium »
May 16, 2026 · 1 min read
financecfoaccountingThe CFO’s Real Job: Asking the Question That Breaks the Deal
It’s Thursday afternoon. The deal closes Friday. Continue reading on Medium »
May 12, 2026 · 1 min read
healthcarefinanceoperationsThe 40-Hour Form: The Real Reason Service Businesses Stall at $50M
A clinician fills out an intake form wrong. One field, wrong dropdown. Continue reading on Medium »
May 7, 2026 · 1 min read
financeprivate-equitymergers-and-acquisitionsYour Roll-Up Isn’t a Platform. It’s Seven Expensive Hobbies.
$100M learning platform. Inc 5000. Subsidiaries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Continue reading on Medium »
May 5, 2026 · 1 min read
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