Get to know the problem
Follow the work, gather examples and agree what the prototype needs to do.
ZERO TO SIXTY LAB / AUTOMOTIVE AI R&D
Build AI around
the work
you know.
A 90-day programme for automotive teams, taught by Stephen Southin.
You know where things get stuck in your business. I’ll help your team turn one of those problems into a tested prototype, teaching the research, design and testing as we go.
FROM INTENT TO SYSTEM01—06
START WITH THE WORK
“We spend too much time finding out what’s holding a vehicle up.”
- 01Define the outcomeAgree what needs to change.
- 02Investigate & designPeople, data, software and AI.
- 03Build, test & learnTry it on actual examples.
WORK TOWARD
Know what’s holding a vehicle up
and what needs to happen next.
Illustrative programme project
90 daysGuided research & development
Your workflowLearn through a real business problem
Founder-ledMentoring with Stephen Southin
02 / THE PROGRAMMEHere’s how we’ll
Here’s how we’ll
spend the 90 days.
Your team does the building. I help you work out the approach, review what you’ve tried and teach the skills needed for the next step.
Build a small version
Try the uncertain parts first. Bring what works, what breaks and your questions to our reviews.
Decide whether it’s ready
Test it against the original problem, record the limits and work out what to do next.
03 / INTENT-TO-SYSTEM ENGINEERINGWhat should the
What should the
system actually do?
That question stays with us from the first conversation to the final test. I call the approach Intent-to-System Engineering. Here’s how we work through it.
01Frame the intent
Say who needs help, what should change and how we’ll know it has improved.
OUTPUT / OUTCOME BRIEF & SUCCESS MEASURES02Observe the work
Watch how the job gets done today. Where do people wait, chase information or work around a problem?
OUTPUT / WORKFLOW MAP & RESEARCH QUESTIONS03Design the system
Work out what software can handle, where AI might help and which decisions need a person.
OUTPUT / SYSTEM DESIGN & DECISION BOUNDARIES04Run the experiments
Build a small version to answer the biggest unanswered question. Use AI to help research and code, then check its work.
OUTPUT / PROTOTYPES & EXPERIMENT RECORDS05Evaluate & refine
Try everyday examples and awkward ones. Look at what the system missed and change the design where it falls short.
OUTPUT / EVALUATION RESULTS & KNOWN LIMITATIONS06Prepare to operate
Decide who would maintain it, how it would connect to your tools and what still needs testing before anyone relies on it.
OUTPUT / READINESS DECISION & IMPLEMENTATION PLANWHAT WE MEAN BY COMPOSITE AI
Most useful systems need more than a model.
Human judgmentAI modelsAgents & toolsBusiness softwareReliable data
Composite AI means combining these parts around a job. A rule might flag a missing field, AI might read a note, and a person decides what to do about it.
04 / AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONSBring the problem
Bring the problem
you know too well.
Maybe it’s a vehicle waiting for photos, a procedure nobody can find, or a product idea you need to test. Here are three possible starting points.
THE INTENT
Know what is holding each vehicle up.
Status lives in different systems, messages and people’s heads. Your team needs a reliable view of the next action.
AN EXPERIMENT TO RUN
Take a small, approved set of vehicle records. Can a prototype spot the missing step and give the manager a useful follow-up list?
EVIDENCE TO LOOK FOR
Did it find the right blocker? What did it miss? Can the manager act on the answer?
These examples show the kinds of projects we could explore together.
Meet your next
generation of builders.
I’m exploring a pathway for local university students and interns to join supervised dealer-group projects. They would learn by doing, while your team gets to know their work.
Help shape the university & talent pathway
STEPHEN SOUTHIN / FOUNDER & MENTOR06 / YOUR MENTOR
Founder · AI vehicle inspection
Founder · Customer retentionExplore my work and background
I’m Stephen Southin.
I build automotive technology.
I also teach teams how to build.
My work has spanned dealer-to-dealer commerce, customer retention and AI vehicle inspection. Today, I’m building Halo and mentoring teams through Zero to Sixty Lab.
In the Lab, we work on your problem. I’ll help you question the approach, make sense of the results and decide what’s worth building next.
Founder · AI vehicle inspectionFounder · Customer retentionCompanies I’ve helped build.
07 / BEFORE WE STARTA few practical
A few practical
questions.
Who needs to be on our team?
Someone who owns the business problem and someone who can build between sessions. That can be the same person. On our first call, we’ll talk about their experience and the time they have available.
Will you build the system for us?
Your team does the building. I help you work out the approach, review what you’ve made and teach the skills needed for the next step. If you need additional development support, we can discuss that separately.
What is the investment?
Let’s talk about the project and the help your team needs first. I’ll then set out the scope and fee so you can decide whether to go ahead.
08 / START A CONVERSATION
What’s getting stuck?
You don’t need a finished brief.
Tell me what’s happening today and what you’d like to change. I’ll read your note and we can talk about whether I can help.
01 / Share your starting point02 / Discuss scope & investment03 / Agree the programme
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