# simonchapman.tech > Simon Chapman — Engineering leader sharing lessons from building teams, platforms, and products. AI transformation, engineering leadership, and what actually works in production. This site publishes long-form writing on AI transformation, engineering leadership, platform architecture, and independent research on cognitive architectures. Markdown source for every page is available under /content/. ## Articles - [Vibe Coding Is Not AI-Driven Development](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/vibe-coding-vs-ai-driven-development.md): Both are 'AI writing code', so they get lumped together. They are different disciplines for different jobs — and confusing them is how teams either smother exploration in process or ship improvisation into production. - [When Every Alert Is Firing, None of Them Mean Anything](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/alert-fatigue-monitoring-hygiene.md): Alert fatigue isn't an annoyance — it's a reliability risk. How chronic, unactioned monitors quietly bury the signals that actually matter, and the hygiene discipline that fixes it. - [Running an AI Champions Programme — What Actually Works](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/running-an-ai-champions-programme.md): Lessons from running a 10-week internal AI adoption programme that actually changed how non-engineers work - [Announcing: Building a Mind — 48,000 Words of AGI Research](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/announcing-building-a-mind.md): Launching the research section: 16 narrative chapters and 5 deep papers documenting the AEGIS project from inception through Phase 15 - [The Pods Model — Structuring AI-First Engineering Delivery](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/the-pods-model.md): An operating model built around cross-functional pods, clear ownership, and engineers who lead AI-driven delivery rather than just closing tickets - [Buy vs Build — When Your Homegrown Solution Becomes the Risk](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/buy-vs-build.md): Two questions that make most buy-vs-build decisions clearer: is it core or context, and what does it cost to own? - [PGlite: Real Database Tests Without the Wait](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/pglite-real-database-tests-without-the-wait.md): How to migrate from in-memory stores to PostgreSQL while keeping your test suite blazing fast using PGlite - [The AI Growth OS](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/ai-growth-os.md): We shipped a quarter's roadmap in one week. Here's the operating model that made it possible — AI-native pods that replaced traditional team structures and delivered a 12x increase in velocity. - [DevSpace: Giving Claude Code a Memory](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/devspace-persistent-memory-for-ai-coding.md): Every Claude Code session starts with amnesia. DevSpace fixes that — persistent memory, usage tracking, cross-session conflict detection, and multi-agent orchestration, built entirely from hooks and local tooling. - [Building an AI-First Organisation at 40 People](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/ai-first-organisation.md): Intercom spent two years and hundreds of engineers becoming AI-native. You have 40 people. Here's how to structure an AI-first organisation at startup and scale-up size — without the enterprise playbook. - [We Built an AI Product Design Factory in a Day](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/design-factory-ai-prd-generator.md): PRDs are tedious, inconsistent, and usually incomplete. We built an AI-powered Design Factory that interviews you, generates structured PRDs, creates interactive prototypes, and publishes straight to Notion. Here's the architecture and why it matters. - [AI-Driven Development: Engineers As Leads, AI As The Workforce](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/ai-driven-development-process.md): We stopped doing Agile. Not because it's wrong — because it was designed for a different constraint. Here's the post-Agile SDLC we built for AI-augmented engineering. - [The Inception Demo: Using AI To Write About Using AI](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/ai-inception-live-demo.md): I showed my QA engineer the power of Claude Code by having it write this article. While he watched. About what he was watching. It's turtles all the way down. - [The Rise of Orchestration: Why The Real AI Battle Isn't Models](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/rise-of-orchestration.md): Everyone's obsessing over which LLM to use. The real competitive advantage is in orchestration — how you coordinate agents, manage context, and build systems that actually work in production. - [We Built a DAST Scanner in a Day With Claude Code](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/build-vs-buy-secone.md): We needed continuous DAST vulnerability scanning. Commercial tools wanted five figures annually. We built our own in a single day using Claude Code and Opus 4.6. Here's why and how. - [When AI Should Be The Foundation, Not A Feature](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/ai-foundation-not-feature.md): Most companies add AI as features on top of legacy architecture. The winners rebuild from first principles with AI as the foundation. Here's when to do which. - [Building AI-Native Platforms: Lessons From Production](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/building-ai-native-platforms.md): What it really takes to build AI-native systems at scale - production lessons from building platforms where AI is the foundation, not a feature. - [The Compliance Stack Nobody Talks About](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/compliance-competitive-moat.md): Everyone thinks compliance is a cost center. It's actually a 18-24 month competitive moat that blocks fast-moving competitors. Here's why it matters. - [How To Actually Measure AI Transformation](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/measure-ai-transformation.md): Stop tracking AI tool usage. Start measuring decision speed, capacity recovery, and strategic work ratio. Here's the framework that actually predicts AI transformation success. - [Why Most AI Workshops Are Theater](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/why-ai-workshops-fail.md): Most AI workshops are expensive theater that changes nothing. Here's why they fail and what actually works when teaching teams to use AI. - [The Hidden Cost of Manual Processes](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/hidden-cost-manual-processes.md): Manual processes don't just waste time. They compound, create dependencies, and block strategic work. Here's the real cost and how to break the cycle. - [Three Things That Kill Startup Engineering Teams](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/three-things-kill-startups.md): Not bad code or technical debt. The three things that actually kill startup engineering teams are invisible until it's too late. Here's what to watch for. - [Engineering Leadership At Scale: 5 To 50 To 500](https://simonchapman.tech/content/articles/engineering-leadership-at-scale.md): What works at 5 engineers breaks at 50 and breaks differently at 500. Here's what changes at each scale and how to recognize when you need to evolve. ## Research - [Chapter 0: Origins — The Human Story](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-00-origins.md): Origins — The Human Story - [Chapter 1: Foundations — Translating Neuroscience Into Architecture](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-01-foundations.md): Foundations — Translating Neuroscience Into Architecture - [Chapter 10: Engineering Polish — Residual Gaps and System 1](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-10-engineering-polish.md): Engineering Polish — Residual Gaps and System 1 - [Chapter 11: Thesis Realignment — The Pivot](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-11-thesis-realignment.md): Thesis Realignment — The Pivot - [Chapter 12: Workspace-Mediated Cognition — Global Workspace](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-12-workspace-mediated-cognition.md): Workspace-Mediated Cognition — Global Workspace - [Chapter 13: Architectural Hardening — Validation at 9.55](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-13-architectural-hardening.md): Architectural Hardening — Validation at 9.55 - [Chapter 14: Expression Layer — Broca's Area](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-14-expression-layer.md): Expression Layer — Broca's Area - [Chapter 15: Evaluation and Validation](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-15-evaluation.md): Evaluation and Validation - [Chapter 16: Action Pathway Closure — When Intent Has No Consumer](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-16-action-pathway-closure.md): Action Pathway Closure — making the system evaluable - [Chapter 17: Fidelity Monitors — Watching What the Voice Says](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-17-fidelity-monitors.md): Fidelity Monitors — a stack of post-hoc checks on the expression layer - [Chapter 18: Eval-Driven Closure — Letting the Test Find the Gaps](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-18-eval-driven-closure.md): Eval-Driven Closure — machine-checkable behavioural evaluation as the primary scoping signal - [Chapter 2: Proto-Self — Differentiation of Self from Environment](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-02-proto-self.md): Proto-Self — Differentiation of Self from Environment - [Chapter 3: Core Self — Proprioceptive Awareness](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-03-core-self.md): Core Self — Proprioceptive Awareness - [Chapter 4: Autobiographical Self — Temporal Continuity](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-04-autobiographical-self.md): Autobiographical Self — Temporal Continuity - [Chapter 5: Social Cognition — Theory of Mind](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-05-social-cognition.md): Social Cognition — Theory of Mind - [Chapter 6: Consciousness Metrics — Metacognitive Maturity](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-06-consciousness-metrics.md): Consciousness Metrics — Metacognitive Maturity - [Chapter 7: Embodiment — Autonomic Systems](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-07-embodiment.md): Embodiment — Autonomic Systems - [Chapter 8: Maturation — The First Reckoning](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-08-maturation.md): Maturation — The First Reckoning - [Chapter 9: Scientific Rigour — Closing 37 Gaps](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-09-scientific-rigour.md): Scientific Rigour — Closing 37 Gaps - [Brain Functional Architecture: A Systems Engineering Reference for AGI](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-brain-functional-architecture.md): A systems architecture reference mapping the functional architecture of the human brain for engineering artificial general intelligence — covering twelve major subsystems, four theories of consciousness, and the engineering implications for AGI. - [Consciousness Emergence and Self-Identity Formation in Brain-Inspired AGI](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-consciousness-emergence-research.md): A research foundation for architectural design — covering self-model theories, consciousness emergence mechanisms, hemispheric lateralisation, identity formation, and implementation roadmap for brain-inspired AGI. - [Integration Architecture Research: The Connective Tissue of AGI](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-integration-architecture-research.md): Researching and designing the integration layer for a brain-inspired AGI system — surveying nine cognitive architectures, analysing eight integration patterns, and synthesising a concrete Thalamic Global Workspace architecture. - [Local LLM Evaluation: Linguistic Cortex for AGI Architecture](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-local-llm-evaluation.md): Evaluating local LLM options to serve as the linguistic cortex within a brain-inspired AGI architecture — hardware analysis, model benchmarking, and dual-model System 1/System 2 design on Apple Silicon. - [Research Notes: Memory Systems, Attention, and Learning](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/aegis-memory-attention-learning.md): Compiled research notes on working memory, episodic memory, attention mechanisms, and learning systems — from Baddeley's multicomponent model to Tulving's episodic memory and Complementary Learning Systems theory. - [Brain Functional Architecture](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/brain-functional-architecture.md): Brain Functional Architecture — foundational research for the AEGIS cognitive architecture. - [Consciousness Emergence Research](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/consciousness-emergence-research.md): Consciousness Emergence Research — foundational research for the AEGIS cognitive architecture. - [Integration Architecture Research](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/integration-architecture-research.md): Integration Architecture Research — foundational research for the AEGIS cognitive architecture. - [Local LLM Evaluation](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/local-llm-evaluation.md): Local LLM Evaluation — foundational research for the AEGIS cognitive architecture. - [Memory, Attention, and Learning](https://simonchapman.tech/content/research/research-memory-attention-learning.md): Memory, Attention, and Learning — foundational research for the AEGIS cognitive architecture. ## Whitepapers - [AEGIS: A Brain-Inspired Cognitive Architecture for Artificial General Intelligence](https://simonchapman.tech/content/whitepapers/aegis-cognitive-architecture.md): A comprehensive white paper describing the AEGIS cognitive architecture — a brain-inspired approach to artificial general intelligence through emergent consciousness. - [HDUKPR: Hash-Derived Unique Key Per Record](https://simonchapman.tech/content/whitepapers/hdukpr-hash-derived-unique-key-per-record.md): Novel algorithm eliminating operational key management with 331 septendecillion years brute-force resistance - [JUSSA: Lightweight Structural Analysis for SQL Query Cost Prediction in Production Middleware](https://simonchapman.tech/content/whitepapers/jussa-sql-query-cost-prediction.md): Lightweight structural analysis algorithm for SQL query cost prediction without database statistics ## Optional - [Sitemap](https://simonchapman.tech/sitemap.xml) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-chapman-cto/)