Inside Pro Partner: AI, ICT Projects & Motorsport

Chris's conversation with Luke Kemeys

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Luke Kemeys from Next Advisory on the What's Next podcast to talk about building Pro Partner, managing risk in ICT projects, the role of AI, and why a rally car has become such a strong part of our story.

The conversation covered everything from starting a business with a young family, landing our first client through a single LinkedIn post, growing a team, and what we've learned helping organisations deliver complex technology change. But a few themes stood out that are particularly relevant to the organisations we work with every day. They are discussed blow:

https://youtu.be/T_xdX0QswS0?si=fJ9SZNquQcNKvyPu

What Does Pro Partner Actually Do?

One of Luke's first questions was a simple one:"What is [the scope of] ICT?"

The answer is easier to explain through the challenges our clients face.

All of the organisations Pro Partner works with rely on critical systems that have been in place for 10, 15, or even 20 years. These systems often manage finance, assets, operations, customer interactions, or core business processes. Over time, businesses evolve, but the systems they rely on have not kept up.

Pro Partner helps organisations understand their future system requirements, build a roadmap, select the right technology, and manage the delivery of major these technology projects. These multi-million dollar investments with significant business risk and long-term implications.

Why Motorsport?

Anyone who has seen our marketing recently has probably noticed a recurring theme: rally cars. At the CIO Innovation Summit this year, we even brought a rally car onto the exhibition floor. While it certainly attracted attention, there was a deeper reason behind it.

Motorsport provides one of the best metaphors we've found for ICT project delivery.

In rallying, you cannot remove every risk. You can't fill every pothole or put hay bales in front of every tree. Instead, you identify hazards, prepare for them, and build a team capable of responding when things don't go according to plan.

The same principle applies to technology projects.

Risk management is not about pretending problems won't occur. It's about identifying likely issues early, understanding their impact, and creating practical responses before you need them.

A successful project team is much like a successful rally team. Everyone understands the route ahead, knows the potential hazards, and has a plan when circumstances change.

Diminishing Risk, Not Eliminating It

One of the strongest parallels between motorsport and ICT projects is that both require preparation, discipline, and teamwork. In rallying, drivers rely on pace notes. These identify corners, hazards, road conditions, and risks before they encounter them. Projects require exactly the same approach.

Pro Partner spend significant time working with leadership teams to identify:

• Business risks

• Operational risks

• Technology risks

• Vendor risks

• Change management risks

• Resource and capability risks

The goal is to ensure that when these challenges arise, the team already understands how to respond. That's the difference between a project that delivers business value and one that struggles to get across the finish line.

Are We Overestimating AI?

Perhaps the most interesting part of the conversation was around artificial intelligence.

AI is an important topic in almost every boardroom and executive team discussion today. Organisations want to understand how AI will impact the systems they are investing in and what their technology landscape might look like in five or ten years.

However, I believe many organisations are asking the wrong question.

The question shouldn't be:

"How do we implement AI?"

The question should be:

"Do we have the foundations required to benefit from AI?"

As I said during the podcast:

"There's no point paving a road that goes around in circles."

AI will amplify whatever already exists.

If your processes are inefficient, AI will help you perform inefficient processes faster.

If your data quality is poor, AI will accelerate poor outcomes.

If your business lacks clear operating models and governance, AI will introduce new risks rather than solve existing ones.

Before organisations rush towards automation and AI initiatives, they need clarity around:

• Business objectives

• Processes

• Data quality

• Governance

• System architecture

Only then can AI genuinely accelerate outcomes.

AI Creates New Work Too

Another insight from the conversation was something we don't hear often enough.

Many people assume AI reduces effort. In reality, AI often creates new responsibilities.

During the CIO Innovation Summit, I spoke with a technology leader who shared that his team had grown 40% because of the governance, controls, administration, and oversight needed to manage AI effectively.

Even in our own business, AI has improved the quality of our work and increased efficiency in certain areas. What it hasn't done is remove the need for expertise.

It still requires:

• Critical thinking

• Context

• Business understanding

• Validation

• Refinement

• Governance

• 
  

The organisations seeing the greatest value from AI aren't replacing experience. They're combining expertise with AI to achieve better outcomes.

Building a Business Mirrors Building a Project

Whether you're delivering an ICT project, building a business, or competing in motorsport, success comes from taking calculated risks and backing yourself to execute.

You can never remove all uncertainty. You can only prepare, plan, and continue moving forward.

As Luke summarised during the conversation, building a business is ultimately a story of backing yourself. And as we discussed, the same principle applies to major technology change. You identify the risks, confront them openly, create a plan, and then take the next step.

Final Thought

One quote from the discussion probably best sums up how Pro Partner approaches projects and business:

"Prioritise your work. Make sure it's what your customers are needing. [Ask yourself] what's going to change their lives and what's going to change their business?"

Technology, AI, procurement, governance, and project delivery all matter.

But ultimately, the organisations that succeed are the ones that remain focused on outcomes rather than technology for technology's sake. And just like rallying, success does not come from driving harder. It comes from seeing further down the road.

If your organisation is planning a major technology investment, replacing a legacy system, or looking to better understand how AI should fit into your roadmap, email getstarted@propartner.co.nz and ask for us to share share the lessons we've learned helping organisations successfully plan, procure, and deliver complex ICT projects.