Companion FDE: implementing AI with a business team

My companion FDE approach combines discussing the business with its owner and building tools, workflows and systems alongside staff. It draws on the field-oriented idea of a Forward Deployed Engineer and my experience in marketing, operations and AI development.

I am He Fangsheng, known as Hequbing in my articles and projects. I am based in Shenzhen; visits, travel and remote work are arranged by engagement.

Begin with the cost the business carries

An employee may want faster spreadsheets while the owner manages orders, rent, depreciation, quality and collections. For a factory short of orders, saving an hour of spreadsheet work does not by itself establish business value.

Can that time support follow-up, fewer missed orders or faster delivery? Examine the process and result. Do not automatically convert all saved hours into payroll savings.

Four areas, one feasible starting point

• Brand and product: customer feedback, use cases, purchasing criteria and product evidence.
• Internal workflows: demand capture, sales-to-production commitments, quotes, samples, scheduling and quality feedback.
• R&D and processes: organized materials or performance questions, research and candidate ideas, with technical staff reviewing experiments.
• Marketing: connect public information, search visibility, inquiry response, quotations and follow-up.

R&D is an exploration area, not evidence that every factory can achieve a tenfold gain. Safety, equipment and process changes remain subject to professional judgment and approval.

A sample inquiry workflow

For one product line, capture demand, find product information, gather quotation requirements, send them to the responsible person for review, and record follow-up. This illustrates implementation, not a completed client case.

1. Review products, customers, quotes, production and delivery.
2. Agree goals, data scope, owners, fees and acceptance.
3. Build a working sample and check accuracy and human takeover points.
4. Train staff and leave processes and instructions.
5. Review successes and failures before continuing or adjusting.

Separate implementation from business change

Implementation acceptance checks operation, error records, handover of information and permissions, and staff usage. Business observation checks missed orders, response, quoting, delivery and qualified opportunities.

Installations and training attendance are activity records, not revenue results. Orders also depend on product, price, competition and delivery. We are responsible for agreed work without selling outcomes outside our control.

What remains with the company

Leave usable workflows, product information, customer questions, tested methods and staff skills. Models may change; the client's knowledge remains useful.

Data, quotes and process information follow agreed confidentiality rules. External communications, permissions and operational actions follow company authorization. Onsite frequency and support scope are explicit, not unlimited.

This supports diagnosis and pilots. Tool-only projects can use development and delivery. See GEO's three evidence layers for content acceptance.

By Hequbing (He Fangsheng / Dosen). English edition prepared on 2 October 2026, based on my WeChat article (Chinese). Original illustrations and publication records are available there.

Contact: WeChat hecare888; hefangsheng@gmail.com. Services and pricing.