By Julius DeSilva

We’re living in an era where every week seems to bring a new AI tool or software promising to “transform” your business. Predictive analytics, digital twins, algorithm-driven risk models—the buzzwords are endless. Although some of these advances do have their place, I’d argue that companies must not forget their basics.

In my previous career as a mariner, I noticed that as technology evolved and found its way onto ships there was still some value in a simple visual bearing and the information it could give you. Call me old school, but I still believe in systems that are owned by people, not platforms. In fact, I believe that now more than ever, we need to protect the ordinariness of our management systems, because that’s where real strength lies.

Don’t mistake “ordinary” for “outdated”

I’ve worked on ships and in boardrooms, with multinationals and mom-and-pop shops. Across the board, the systems that work best are not the flashiest, they’re the ones that are understood, used, and respected. I’ve used fancy preventive/planned maintenance systems as well as simple Excel spreadsheets with macros built in. Perhaps surprisingly, the company using the ordinary Excel spreadsheet had better-maintained equipment.

An “ordinary” system means:

• Everyone knows their roles and responsibilities.
• Processes are documented clearly, not buried in folders.
• Documentation is clear and concise.
• Records are maintained and can be trusted.

You don’t need artificial intelligence to tell you your maintenance wasn’t done. You need a culture where someone owns the task, completes it, and checks the box honestly.

When the tool becomes the boss

I’ve seen organizations spend small fortunes on digital platforms that promise complete “management system automation.” These platforms often come with dashboards no one reads, workflows no one updates (because they don’t know how), and training modules people click through just to make them go away. (Let’s be honest, you know how effective your CBT program is!)

Compare that to a simple 8D form built in Excel, yes, plain old Excel. When it’s used properly by a team that understands the process, it becomes a great tool for problem solving. No licenses, no AI, no data scientists required.

PDCA: still the smartest loop in the room

You don’t need AI to plan, do, check, and act. You need discipline. In a world full of reactive fixes and AI-generated insights, PDCA still calls on people to pause, observe, think, and improve. And frankly, we could all use more of that.

A well-run PDCA cycle doesn’t care whether your data comes from a sensor or a clipboard. What matters is how your team reflects, learns, and adjusts.

Use AI? Sure—but stay in the driver’s seat

I’m not against AI. Let me be clear on that. It’s a tool that, when used wisely, can absolutely support your management system. It can help you analyze patterns in data and generate reports that are helpful. But that’s exactly the point. AI is a tool, not the system itself. And it’s certainly not the leader of it.

I’ve seen organizations fall into the trap of trusting algorithms more than their own people. They install AI to identify when personnel are not using PPE, to generate solutions based on data analysis, and when errors occur. But no one stops to ask the most important questions:

• “Does this make sense?”
• “Is this what’s really happening?”
• “Who validated this?”
• “Why did the person not use PPE?”

The danger is that we start to mistake output for understanding. AI doesn’t know your organizational culture. It doesn’t know that one department always closes their nonconformities just to get them off the list. Only your team, using their judgment and grounded in your process reality, can make those distinctions.

If you’re going to use AI, integrate it into the PDCA cycle. Feed its outputs into your management review. Use it to inform, but not to dictate. And perhaps most importantly, teach your team to question it. Train them to ask:

• “Where did these data come from?”
• “What assumptions are built into this model?”
• “What’s missing from the picture?”

Own your system and keep it ordinary

There’s something refreshing about an audit checklist that an auditor actually helped write instead of an AI-generated one. That’s real ownership. That’s engagement.

Management systems aren’t meant to be high-tech puzzles. They’re meant to be frameworks that help people do their jobs better. They are not a compliance burden, they’re a strategic asset, but only when they belong to the people who use them.

So, here’s my message in conclusion: Keep your system ordinary. And make it extraordinary in how well it’s embraced and used.

About the author

Julius DeSilva is the CEO of Quality Management International Inc. A former merchant marine officer, he has assisted organizations of varied sizes across a wide spectrum of industries implement process-based management systems conforming to ISO and other standards. He is well versed in the following standards: maritime safety/security, aerospace, environmental, supply chain security, and quality. He teaches, consults, and audits in these disciplines, including process improvement and leadership-related topics. DeSilva received his MBA from the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia. He is an Exemplar Global certified lead auditor to various ISO Standard including ISO 9001 and is an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute.

This article first appeared on Julius DeSilva’s LinkedIn page and is published here with permission.