The PULSE Framework
The bridge between the problem and the right solution.
Technology projects fail in the gap between what leadership wants and what's actually happening. The PULSE Framework closes that gap — five phases that start with observation, not assumptions. Built from 15 years of healthcare informatics.
This is how technology projects fail.
A leader sees a demo. Someone says "we need that." A team gets assembled. Requirements get written based on assumptions. Technology gets purchased. It doesn't fit how the work actually happens. Staff build workarounds. Leadership blames the tool. The cycle repeats.
The gap is never between the technology and the requirements. The gap is between the requirements and reality.
After 15 years and hundreds of implementations inside one of the nation's largest health systems, I found the same pattern: 50–60% of "technology problems" are actually training or process problems wearing a technology costume.
The fix isn't better technology. It's a better framework.
The PATH to AI Readiness.
PULSE is a structured methodology for technology implementation that starts with observation, not assumptions. Five phases. One principle: understand what's actually happening before deciding what to build.
One framework. Five phases. Every technology decision starts here.
Start free. Go deeper when you're ready.
The PULSE Framework gives you everything you need to run a structured technology evaluation — from understanding the problem to proving the solution worked.
The PULSE Methodology Guide
Before the tools, there's the philosophy. The PULSE Methodology Guide defines the principles, governance model, and decision logic behind every phase. If you want to understand why PULSE works the way it does, start here.
Free. No email required.
AI Fit Diagnostic
Not sure where AI fits? This free diagnostic walks you through your pain points and tells you which ones are real AI candidates — and which ones need a people or process fix first. Then it builds your personalized PULSE pathway.
Free. Takes 5 minutes.
The PULSE Web App
Five phases. One spreadsheet. Every initiative organized from problem to proof.
One-time purchase. No subscription.
A structured five-phase path from problem definition to 90-day proof. The PULSE Web App automatically surfaces whether pain points are People, Process, or Platform issues — so you fix the right thing first. Technology comes last, and only when justified by evidence.
Key Insight Engine
Auto-calculates your People vs. Process vs. Platform breakdown — most teams discover the majority of their pain points aren't technology problems at all.
Structured Observation
Gemba-style observation sessions with confidence scoring, workflow step mapping, and pain point cataloging with severity, frequency, and waste type.
Analysis to Action
Three-lane action plans — People (training, roles), Process (workflow redesign, SOPs), Platform (technology) — each with owners and timelines.
Proof It Worked
30/60/90-day outcome tracking against predefined success metrics. Control plans ensure improvements stick.
50–70% of “technology problems” are actually People or Process problems. The PULSE Web App helps you see this before you spend.
Organizations need both lanes.
Every organization — especially in healthcare — needs two AI strategies running simultaneously. The PULSE Framework serves both.
Lane 1: Integrate Technology the Right Way
Your organization is buying AI tools, implementing new platforms, and modernizing workflows. The question isn't whether to adopt — it's whether you're doing the work before the purchase that determines whether it actually works.
For: CIOs, VPs, Directors, Operations Leaders
Work With Me→Lane 2: Build With AI Yourself
The barrier to entry for software development is essentially zero. Domain experts — informaticists, project managers, operations leaders — can now build real applications using AI-assisted tools. The skill isn't coding. It's knowing what to build and why.
For: Domain experts, informaticists, project managers, curious professionals
Join From Curious to Capable→Work With Me
I partner with organizations to implement technology the right way — using the PULSE Framework. Every engagement follows the same five phases, scaled to the initiative.
Whether you need a focused assessment of a single initiative or ongoing methodology support across your enterprise, it starts with a conversation.
No commitment. No pitch deck. Just a conversation about what you're trying to solve.
From Curious to Capable. Coming Soon
You're not behind on AI. You're mislabeled. If your career has been translating between the people who need something and the people who build it — you're already doing the hardest part. AI just makes you faster.
What you'll learn:
- →How to write specifications clear enough that AI can build from them
- →How to evaluate, refine, and iterate on AI-generated output
- →How to build real applications (dashboards, automations, knowledge bases) with no-code and AI-assisted tools
- →How to apply the PULSE Framework to your own projects
- →How to move from consumer of technology to creator of solutions
Who it's for: Clinical informaticists. Project managers. Business analysts. Operations leaders. Anyone with domain expertise and the curiosity to build.
Want hands-on guidance?
The 1:1 App Accelerator is an 8-week program where you build your first AI-powered application with direct coaching. From idea to deployed product.
$2,000
The framework in practice.
I don't just teach the PULSE Framework — I use it. These are applications I built by observing real problems, defining what needed to exist, and directing AI to build it.
Activiteez
Activity and resource management for multi-location organizations
Scheduling, inventory tracking, attendance, and multi-building data isolation. Built using the PULSE methodology with AI-assisted development.
GovernIQ
Enterprise work management and capacity planning
Configurable initiative tracking, governance workflows, and real-time capacity analytics. Fully custom-built.
EHR Governance Assistant
Process navigator and AI assistant for EHR governance
An intuitive process navigator that breaks down each governance stage into clear steps, combined with an AI assistant that provides real-time guidance through the governance process.
VytalPath Academy
Training platform for new healthcare staff
1,000+ healthcare terms in plain language, step-by-step workflows, HIPAA modules, and smart search. Accessible, practical, and designed for the first 90 days.
Healthcare is where I learned this.
I spent 15 years inside one of the nation's largest nonprofit health systems — 140+ hospitals, 2,200+ ambulatory care sites, 25,000+ clinicians across multiple EHR platforms. My work spans governance facilitation, enterprise standards, and the kind of workflow analysis that only comes from watching people do the work.
Four years in ICU critical care taught me what it feels like when technology doesn't work at the bedside. Fifteen years in clinical informatics taught me why it keeps happening.
The PULSE Framework isn't something I invented in a workshop. It's the pattern I discovered after hundreds of implementations, distilled into a repeatable methodology that anyone can follow.
I wrote about the invisible work of the people who do this in Between the Clicks: The Hidden Work of Healthcare Informatics →
Same framework. Whether I'm helping a health system integrate ambient documentation or teaching a project manager to build their first dashboard — the process is PULSE.
The Domain Translator
The hardest part of any technology project isn't the technology. It's the translation. Clinical teams describe problems one way. Leadership frames priorities another way. IT speaks an entirely different language. The gap between those groups is where projects fail — not because anyone is wrong, but because no one is translating.
A domain translator sits between all of them. Not belonging to any single group, but fluent in each. That's what I do. That's what the PULSE Framework systematizes. And it's the skill that matters most in the age of AI — because AI doesn't fail when the code is wrong. It fails when the question was wrong.
“AI doesn't fail when the code is wrong. It fails when the question was wrong.”
Frequently Asked
Start with the problem.
For organizations
Read the PULSE Methodology Guide for free. Find where AI fits with the diagnostic. Get the Web App. Or book a call and let's talk about your specific challenge.
For builders
Join a community of domain experts learning to build with AI. From Curious to Capable.