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(And what that has to do with quality, AI, and solving real problems) A few weeks ago, I wrote about winning my 6th Finnish Championship in adventure minigolf—and how a simple, analytical approach made the difference. I didn’t expect to write another post so soon with almost the same title. But here we are: last weekend, I won my 7th Finnish Championship , this time on felt tracks , with an enhanced strategy  and a stronger focus on the mental game . I wasn’t in top form for this course. But just like in quality work, success came down to this: → Be brutally honest about the real problem. Then find the tools that truly help. The same method - but deeper this time We followed the same strategic principles as before—almost like managing business risks: Invested 80% of practice time  on tracks with the highest disaster potential Developed fail-safe strategies  to avoid 6-point mistakes Accepted some 1-point risks  to stay focused on what really matters And yes, went after quick wins  when time allowed But felt tracks—especially in Vöyri—require much more technical consistency. To be honest, this has never been my strongest course . We also hadn’t trained as much as we should’ve since spring, and we were missing competition routine. Not ideal. So I had to face another layer of challenge: my own mindset , especially during the first round , where I usually collapse under self-made pressure. Facing my biggest weakness—with AI coaching To deal with that, I did something new: I opened up to Claude.ai , a large language model like ChatGPT. I described my situation with total honesty: my challenges, strengths, and that first round with ever frustrating third track that usually starts the breakdown. Especially when I’m not in my best physical shape, small struggles can quickly feel like mountains. That honesty was crucial. If you base your plans on inaccurate data or wishful thinking, you won’t solve the real problem—not in business, not in sports, not anywhere. My three mental tools for performance flow Together with Claude.ai , I created a preparation plan tailored to me. These were my three main mental anchors: Evening prep  — mental exercises and yes, even choosing shoes that help me feel grounded. Theme song  — Englishman in New York  by Sting. His stage presence and rhythm helped shape my posture and mindset. Mindful curiosity  — At the start of every track: feel my feet. Get curious. Ask: how does this feel when it works? It worked. I had the best first round of my life —compared to how it usually goes. That alone was incredibly inspiring. I had overcome my biggest mental barrier. But then I crashed again The second round collapsed after a distraction threw me off. The third round became survival mode. I finished the day still in the lead—but just barely. And then I did what we often forget to do in business when something goes wrong: → I stopped blaming. I started working. Reflect. Learn. Adjust. - How did I overcome the first day breakdown? Okey, if you mess something up—if you fail—you try again. You don’t blame anyone, not even yourself. You learn. So I returned to Claude.ai . I reflected honestly: what had happened, how I felt, where I got stuck. Together, we worked through the “flow killers” and identified real antidotes. We came up with a new mental plan. Not just motivational fluff, but a practical system I could use. Two new mental anchors I added two physical and mental tools: One for entering peak flow state  – using the image of Sting’s stage presence to shape my posture One for recovering from distraction  – a physical anchor: squeezing my earlobe These may sound unusual—but they were based on me, my rhythm, my way of thinking. And they worked. Championship results—with new tools The system held. I won the championship—this time by 15 strokes . What helped most wasn’t just technique. It was truthful reflection , and the courage to try new tools . You don’t get new results by using only old methods. What does this have to do with your business challenges? Everything. Next time you’re facing a tough situation at work—a messy quality issue or a stuck strategic decision—ask yourself: Are we being honest about the real problems ? Are we using the right tools , or just the familiar ones ? What would happen if we tried a new approach  based on truth, not assumptions? That mindset— truth + tools —can be the difference between another rough round and your best performance yet. And still I ask myself: Is my truth the whole truth?

What happens when quality professional and blog writer gets curious about AI? Meet Pathie - my experimental AI assistant. Why Pathie? Sharing my vision and experience in quality is one of my favorite hobbies. So it felt natural to extend that curiosity to something new. After all, in your own blog… there are no restrictions, right? I started wondering: What exactly is an AI assistant? And what if I could create a positive, inspiring AI spirit — someone who could guide anyone interested in getting real, practical results? I used a free tool (Chatbase) to test the idea. I trained it with content from this blog, and suddenly… Pathie was alive . Curious, warm, and sometimes a little too  eager to explain things. I’ll work on that part. 😊 It took just one day — using the same systematic approach I use in quality improvement: ✔️ Small steps ✔️ Clear goals ✔️ Testing what works What Pathie can do? Pathie is here to: ✅ Answer questions based on the blog content ✅ Share insights on continuous improvement, clarity, and systems that support people ✅ Offer a conversational way to learn — without pressure Pathie doesn’t know everything (yet), and I’m not selling anything through her. But she’s part of a bigger picture I’m building — and honestly, it’s so fun  to experiment. The Bigger Realization Creating Pathie reminded me of something important: We all need a safe, simple way to explore AI. Especially adults who want to stay relevant, curious, and confident — even if they don’t work in tech. That’s why I’ve also been experimenting and building with my husband a beginner-friendly and practical AI course for adults . It ’s practical, empowering, and based on real examples — like Pathie. I’ll share more about the course soon. Want to try Pathie? You’ll find her chat bubble in the corner of every page. Ask something like: “What is the Practical Quality Path?” And let the conversation begin. ✨ Want updates on the AI course? Stay tuned — or subscribe for future posts.

And why this methodology transforms business results Two days ago, I won my sixth Finnish Championship gold medal in minigolf—my first victory competing on Adventure Golf tracks. But this wasn't just another win. It was proof that systematic quality methodology works far beyond normal organizational development. With only 1.5 weeks to prepare against competitors with years of experience on these tracks, my husband (our strategic coach) and I had to be smarter, not just work harder. The Challenge: Maximum Results, Minimum Time Adventure Golf tracks were completely new territory for me. Usually we play minigolf much more starting on felt tracks where we normally start practicing in early spring, but this year we began late in June. Now, with almost no preparation time, I faced a totally new track type. Our competitors? National team players with more Adventure Golf experience compared to my zero. The traditional approach would have been: practice everything equally, hope for the best. Our approach: apply proven quality methodology under pressure. The Two-Question Framework We built our strategy around two simple questions I use in quality/process/improvement work: "Could this be done simpler?" "Do we have a risk here that this could fail?" But we added a third dimension that made all the difference: "What's the real cost if this goes wrong?" Strategic Implementation: The 1-Point vs. 6-Point Rule Here's where most people—and most businesses—get it wrong. They treat all problems equally. My husband calculated the risk potential of each track: How many extra shots could a mistake cost? 1-point mistakes : Minor technique errors on easy tracks, slightly off approach 6-point disasters : Wrong strategy choice, equipment failure, catastrophic misread This changed everything. Instead of spreading practice time evenly, we: Invested 80% of time  on tracks with highest disaster potential Developed fail-safe strategies  that prevented 6-point mistakes Accepted some 1-point risks  to focus on what really mattered (although at very end we started to focus to also to these quick wins) The Results: Methodology Over Experience I won by three shots, defeating several national team players who had extensive experience on Adventure Golf tracks in Finland and abroad. The Business Translation This same framework transforms organizational results: In Business Planning: 1-point risks: Minor process inefficiencies, small budget overruns 6-point disasters: Major client losses, product launch failures, regulatory violations In Project Management: 1-point risks: Meeting runs 10 minutes late, minor scope creep 6-point disasters: Missing critical deadlines, wrong requirements, team conflicts In Quality Systems: 1-point risks: Documentation formatting, minor non-conformances 6-point disasters: Product recalls, safety failures, system crashes The Methodology: Apply This Tomorrow Identify all potential problems  in your current project/goal Calculate real impact : 1-point inconvenience or 6-point disaster? Invest prevention time proportionally : 80% effort on preventing disasters Simplify approaches  wherever possible Accept minor risks  to focus on major ones Then when still time, focus on quick wins. Why This Works Most people spend equal time worrying about typos and potential disasters. This methodology forces strategic thinking: Clear priorities  based on real impact Resource allocation  that maximizes protection Simple strategies  that are easier to execute under pressure Systematic approach  that beats experience + chaos Your Next Challenge What 6-point disaster (or major 4-5) are you ignoring while fixing 1-point problems? Where could systematic thinking give you an unfair advantage over more experienced competitors? The questions remain the same. The applications are limitless.

Even working within a large technology organization, I find myself thinking in smaller units. Why? Because big anything is overwhelming—and big organizations are just collections of smaller parts that need to work well together. This is especially true for small and medium-sized companies, where it's easier to see that quality doesn't need complexity. It needs clarity. The Energy Trap Most Companies Fall Into Here's the choice every company faces: You can create a quality system that consumes all your energy just to maintain it, or you can save that energy and actually get results. Which would you choose? Some (most?) SMEs choose the energy-draining option without realizing it. They implement elaborate procedures, extensive documentation, and complex approval processes because they think "more robust" equals "better quality." Instead, they get exhausted teams and systems nobody actually follows. The Two-Question Revolution What if better quality started with just two simple questions? "Could this be done simpler?" "Do we have a risk here that this product will fail?" That's it. Two questions that anyone on your team can ask about any process, any decision, any workflow. Why This Works These questions create what I call "quality habits"—automatic thinking patterns that prevent problems before they start. When your team habitually asks "Could this be simpler?" they naturally eliminate waste and confusion. When they ask "Do we have a risk here?" they catch issues while they're still fixable. You don't need a quality department to ask these questions. You don't need extensive training or certification. You just need consistency. Making It Stick The questions can vary according to your specific goals. Maybe yours are: "Does this serve our customer?" "Is this the fastest way to get the right result?" "What could go wrong here?" The power isn't in the perfect questions—it's in developing the habit of asking some  quality-focused questions consistently. If you take even one question and make it stick as a team habit, you've already secured at least one clear direction on the path to excellent quality. The Path Forward Systematic steps, consistent habits, and well-understood customer needs will take you further than any complex quality system ever could. Start small. Ask better questions. Build habits that last. The quality will follow. What do you think? Try this two-question approach in your organization for one week or two and see what happens. I'd love to hear your results.

How wonderful it is to focus on results - major results! I mean happier customers, solutions to challenges, rewarding work together and trust among different parties. Those are in the core of quality and have been the motivation and inspiration for me for so long. How could have I known that couple decades ago I instinctively found my profession which I fell in love and still love. It doesn´t mean that it is always easy and smooth, it is more like intriquign daily evolving challence that still makes me smile and ignites new sparks to learn more and more and more. What is quality? For me it is trust and continuous learning. It is that customers have trust in you and that within your organization there really is trust. It is also never ending learning and continuous improvement is the soul of quality. Somebody else could describe quality differently and yes, there are many aspects in quality, but the most precious ones are trust and continuous learning - which lead to real results. And without asking I decided to take the opportunity and start to write about the practical patht to great results. I could say quality results, but as quality is in the core of customer experiance, the subject is as wide as we want to see. Continuous improvement covers so much. Welcome! See you in varius ways in the practical path to very good quality.

Actually it is very simple. You need targets which you try to reach, but targets need to be focused to the correct direction and vision which you want to reach at some point. Shall we end to this as it is so clear? Or think a bit further? Over 20 years ago (oh my god the time flies) I started to wonder that how would I ensure the progress. I was not yet experienced, organization was young and not even certified and I was just collecting the ideas and knowledge to be able make some results. I came up with solution that at first I took the organization vision or actually wrote down how I saw the organizations vision as there was non stated. It was easy to formulate for myself in a small company which was almost a family of people with same passion. The second step was that I had some ideas what would be good to achieve and I wrote those down for next 6 months. It was just a simple word file of one or maximum one and half pages. It was not fancy, but made really clear what should be done. Things were not in perfect order and much later in my career I actually noticed, that quite often you need to give things possibility to find their good timing, the best momentum to happen and cause much less stress. Third step was to just proceed with the roadmap. The real beauty in this idea which worked better than I could have originally imagined was, that I knew where to really target and when ever needed I could look to the vision to remind myself what is the correct direction. Every step from that roadmap was taking us towards the ultimate goal. Specially when you are new to development role it may be challenging to get the direction clear and get the progress rolling. That is the situation for us all, if perhaps the company is not so mature and there is not a clear plan already existing. In bigger organization you may start as a engineer with more restricted area of responsibility, but if you are in smaller company, you have the full playground and it may feel overwhelming. Yearly targets, hopefully many of those process targets, are great help in all, but I truly hope they are aligned with the ultimate goals. It is good to openly acknowledge that everyone of us is starting fresh and we need to make mistakes. Many ideas just do not work, but when something does not work, then we have a clue what to do or try differently. These words bring a smile to my face, because afterwards it is so refreshing and somewhat embarrashing to think some situations and what could have been done differently in the past and that there are so many mistakes still ahead. Many times organizations are taking steps bit to that direction and then slightly to the other directions and it slowers the progres, even that there is progress. Work is done and progress, but as a lazy and results oriented person, I would feel most rewarding getting the most benefit of improvement with least amount of work - every step towards the big goal. How would you feel? What's your way to ensure the progress?