Frameworks & Research
The thinking behind the advisory work
Every framework here came out of client work or the classroom, not a whiteboard. Each one is something I use with finance leaders, published in full so you can pressure-test it before we ever talk. The writing underneath is where the ideas get worked out.
Frameworks
Evergreen, published in full
The Deals Desk
A front-line, pre-signature technical accounting function that shapes contract terms before they are signed, so revenue is protected while it is still cheap to fix.
The Method
Five moves for putting AI to work in finance without losing control of the numbers: Map it, Split it, Fuel it, Guard it, Review it.
AI Readiness
Score your organization across five weighted dimensions in about ten minutes, and see where strategy, execution, people, and risk actually stand.
The Founder Archetype
A 36-question diagnostic that maps how a founder leads across five dimensions, then matches the advice to the founder rather than the other way around.
The frameworks, drawn
The Method and the Founder Archetype Matrix
- 1
Map it
Describe the finished artifact first
- 2
Split it
Separate the deterministic from the judgment
- 3
Fuel it
Give the model the minimum clean context
- 4
Guard it
Run the red-lines check before data moves
- 5
Review it
The person who signs it still owns it
Career Changer
Capital without context
Primed Founder
Best-resourced position
Aspiring Founder
Highest-risk quadrant
Bootstrap Expert
Skill without runway
Career Changer
Capital without context
Primed Founder
Best-resourced position
Aspiring Founder
Highest-risk quadrant
Bootstrap Expert
Skill without runway
Goal orientation, from lifestyle to growth, splits each quadrant into two, producing the eight archetypes above. The matrix diagnoses founder context so advice can be matched to the founder’s resources, goals, and constraints. It does not predict venture success.
Writing
All writing and talks- LeadershipBefore You Advise a Founder, Diagnose the GameA practitioner framework for matching advice to founder context, built on the Founder Archetype Matrix and three diagnostic questions.May 14, 2026
- AI & FinanceClaude Cowork and Skill Packs for FinanceA practitioner's guide to Claude Cowork and Skill Packs. How AI-powered workflows are transforming financial close, reconciliation, and reporting.March 25, 2026
- AI & FinanceClaude Can Now Build Visuals Mid-ConversationAnthropic shipped a feature this week that sounds incremental but isn't: Claude can now generate interactive visualizations directly inside the chat window.March 20, 2026
- AI & FinanceYour AI Strategy Is BackwardsEvery finance leader I talk to asks the same question first: "What AI tools should we buy?" That's the wrong question and it's costing you months of progress.January 19, 2026
- AI & FinanceIs the AI Boom Built on Funny Money?Circular deals, trillion-dollar commitments, and depreciation assumptions. How the money behind the AI buildout is structured, and what investors should watch.January 1, 2026
- Personal GrowthHappy Holidays, Grateful for 2025, and Looking AheadReflections on 2025. Gratitude for the community, lessons learned, and what's ahead for AI, finance, and building a life with purpose.December 19, 2025
Teaching Professor of Finance, Santa Clara University · ex-Google Cloud · CPA, MBA
The frameworks here come out of Devon’s advisory work with finance leaders and the finance courses he teaches. He writes about applied AI, complex transactions, and the teams that execute them.
Put one of these to work
Each framework has a way to go deeper, from a self-serve assessment to a working session with your team. Start wherever is useful, or start a conversation about the problem in front of you.