The Disruption Brief is a wake-up call for professional services firms.
In 2012, I watched consulting firms struggle — and some fail — because they couldn’t let go of waterfall. The ones who adapted early to Agile captured the market shift. The ones who dismissed it as “a fad for startups” scrambled to catch up.
I was lucky. I repositioned my practice at Magenic to deliver full Agile teams, and we thrived. That experience taught me something important: disruption follows patterns. And if you’ve lived through one transformation, you start to recognize the opening credits when they roll again.
They’re rolling now.
The AI disruption hitting professional services firms isn’t a distant threat — it’s here. Pipelines are softening. Clients are asking for fewer people. Enterprises are figuring out that their own developers, armed with Copilot and Claude, don’t need as many consultants as they used to. The traditional model of selling architects, developers, testers, and PMs is becoming a commodity play. And commodities compete on price until there’s nothing left.
Why I’m Doing This
After 34 years in this industry — developer, architect, project manager, VP of Consulting, General Manager, CTO — I’m focused on one thing: helping professional services firms navigate this disruption before it’s too late.
I’m not selling a product. I don’t have a vendor agenda. I’m a peer who’s been on every side of this business, and I’m genuinely concerned for colleagues who may not see what’s coming.
Through The Disruption Brief, I share pattern recognition from four decades in the industry, hands-on experience building AI platforms (most recently as CTO at Telos, where we delivered a Databricks-based AI platform that generated $15-20M in revenue lift for an airline partner), and a direct perspective on what the new consulting model needs to look like.
Who This Is For
If you’re a PS firm leader feeling the shift but not sure how to respond — I’m writing for you. The posts here will help you see the patterns, diagnose what’s happening to your pipeline, and think through what repositioning actually looks like.
If you’re an architect or senior developer being told AI is “just vibe coding” — I’d push back on that. Your 20 years of domain knowledge doesn’t become worthless in an AI-first world. It becomes the differentiator. But only if you embrace the shift instead of dismissing it.
If you’re an enterprise stuck in pilot purgatory, struggling to move AI from POC to production — there’s a path forward. And it probably doesn’t look like the consulting model you’ve relied on for the last decade.
The Bottom Line
The window to reposition is shorter than most people realize. The Agile transformation unfolded over five or six years. This one is faster.
I’ve seen this movie before. I know how it ends for the firms that adapt — and for the ones that don’t.
Let’s figure it out together.
About John Doucette
I’ve spent 34 years in IT professional services — starting as a software developer, working my way through architect, project manager, and consulting manager roles, then leading as VP of Consulting, General Manager, and CTO.
Along the way, I’ve built and managed teams across regions, navigated major industry transformations, and helped clients ranging from Fortune 500 enterprises to high-growth startups. I’ve worked in financial services, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, travel, and technology product companies.
Before all of that, I served as a Communications Officer and Software Engineer in the United States Air Force, where I learned that clear communication and disciplined execution matter more than any methodology.
I live in Berthoud, Colorado with my family. When I’m not writing about industry disruption, I’m probably on a road trip somewhere — I’ve always believed that the best thinking happens when you’re moving.
Connect with me: