Then vs. Now: Smart Workspace – When is a good day for the office?
September 28, 2025
In the past, decision models had to be painstakingly built to know whether a trip to the office was worth it. Today, a well-prepared AI prompt can deliver the answer in seconds.
I write about this because it shows how technology creates impact today: through clarity and proximity to people, not through complexity. That’s my guiding principle: technology that works because people want it.
Morning at the kitchen table. Laptop open, coffee steaming. The question: Is today a good day for the office? In the past, it was half science. Today, it takes seconds – if the basics are in place.
Then
The office question used to be a project for data architects.
Calendars had to be analyzed, attendance lists compared, official meetings included. Some organizations even added social signals: friend lists, meeting places, travel data. From this, a decision model was built – complex, tested, and maintained.
The result: usable, yes – but costly in time and effort.
Now
Today, it looks like a simple prompt – on the surface.
The relevant data is available: calendars, department information, intranet news, meeting pages. It’s bundled and passed to an AI. The prompt is prepared so that within seconds, a suggestion comes back:
“Tuesday works, your core team is on site. Thursday most are remote – better stay home.”
Simple on the outside, carefully orchestrated in the background.
Why this matters
The office question is just one example. It shows how technology shifts: away from heavy pre-work toward direct, everyday support.
Intelligence no longer sits in huge centralized models, but in flexible, precise applications.
For leaders, this means:
- Empowerment instead of control – decisions happen in the moment.
- Agility instead of rigidity – systems adapt to situations.
- Human at the center – technology delivers value where it’s needed.
It’s not about more data, but about better connection.