Gen AI Innovation
Last week I ran a one-day Generative AI Productivity Workshop with a manufacturing team, and we reached my favourite part of any training day: the moment participants stop listening and start working on their own tasks.
Starting with the Basics
The morning was about building a foundation. We looked at what Generative AI is, which tools suit which tasks and how to write a prompt that is clear enough to get a useful answer. None of it was abstract. Everything was pointed at the work the team does every day.
Then the team brought in their own challenges, and the practical results began almost straight away.
Quotations That No Longer Start from Scratch
Quotations were the first target. The team had been retyping order details into each quote and manually tracking which quotations had turned into confirmed orders.
Using AI and their own quotation template, they prepared quotes from the order details. They also built a tracking document to keep orders, quotes and follow-ups in one place, so nothing slips through the gaps.
From Organised Orders to Production Planning
Once the order information was organised, the team moved on to production planning. They used the order details to draft a schedule that they could review and refine themselves. The AI produced the first draft, and the team's knowledge of their own floor made it better.
A Clear Record of Samples
Sample tracking was the third challenge. The team created a categorised record of the samples sent to clients, so they could see at a glance what had gone out.
Why It Worked
What I enjoyed most was watching the training become relevant to each person's working day. These were their tasks and their frustrations, so they understood exactly what good looked like. As they learned to give AI the right context, source information and instructions, they could apply it to work that mattered to them.
It is worth being honest about what happens next. Outputs still need to be checked, the approach will need refining and the team must decide how to use it consistently. But they finished the day with practical results to build on, and they had made a start during the training itself.
That, for me, is what a productivity workshop should achieve: enough understanding and confidence to begin using AI effectively in your own work.
Try It with Your Own Team
I have put together a free guide with 50 practical prompts for South African manufacturers. It covers quotations, order tracking, production planning, stock, maintenance, quality and more. Choose one task your team repeats every week and give it a go.