Accelerating TruStage's Technology Future

JD Fiscus

For Jeff Voorhees, VP Technology Innovation

Abstract

This page shows how I would approach the Director of R&D role at TruStage. Rather than list qualifications, I'll demonstrate my thinking process: how I break down problems, generate approaches, and converge on solutions.

Method

Gather RequirementsDivergeClusterConverge
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the Challenge

TruStage needs someone to shape enterprise R&D strategy.

Accelerate discovery, validation, and application of emerging technologies. Translate strategic priorities into a research agenda that fuels innovation pipelines and de-risks technology investments.

the bottleneck

The real problem isn't finding good ideas. It's getting them through the pipeline.

  • Exploration generates plenty of promising concepts
  • But validation stalls without clear criteria
  • Pilots run long without pathways to production
  • And 88% of R&D investment never reaches customers
exploration100%validation65%pilot30%production12%-35%-54%-60%

88% of R&D never reaches production.

The pipeline leaks at every stage.

How would I approach this?

step 1: Gather Requirements

strategic leadership

what the job sayswhat it actually means
Define enterprise R&D strategyBuild a system, not a backlog
Assess emerging technologiesSeparate signal from noise
Balanced portfolio (H1/H2/H3)Know when to ship vs. explore

portfolio management

what the job sayswhat it actually means
Oversee R&D project executionMake research legible to business
Partner with AI, Automation teamsBridge the translation gap
Track exploration → productionFix the leaky pipeline

stakeholder management

what the job sayswhat it actually means
Lead stakeholder engagementSell research without selling
Champion R&D literacyTeach others to fish
Communicate to non-technicalMake PhDs legible to execs

pattern

Every requirement is about multiplication, not addition.

The role isn't doing research. It's building leverage.

constraint

Regulated industry. Insurance and financial services.

Research needs to translate into business value while navigating governance.

step 2: Diverge

What are all the ways to build leverage in enterprise R&D?

Generate ideas without judgment. Quantity over quality.

raw ideas (preview)

01Self-service analytics dashboards
02No-code experiment builders
03R&D literacy workshops
04Stage-gate framework
05Technology radar
06Executive research briefings
07AI governance framework
08Research mentorship pairing
09Fast-fail experiment framework
10University partnerships
11Stakeholder feedback loops
12Containerized research environments

+ 28 more ideas...

principle

Suspend judgment during divergence. Criticism kills creativity.

output

Now cluster by theme.

step 3: Cluster

Group 40 ideas into distinct themes.

Click each cluster to explore the ideas within.

40 ideas
click a cluster to explore
40 ideas → 6 clusters

pattern

4 of 6 clusters map to something I've already built and shipped.

Usually early to whatever's coming next.

40 ideas → 6 clusters → Now evaluate and select.

step 4: Converge

evaluation criteria

30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
Impact(30%)Feasibility(25%)Alignment(20%)Speed(15%)Risk(10%)

top selections

1.Enablement & Translation8.3

Addresses root cause of R&D-business gap

2.Tech-as-a-Service8.1

Creates compounding leverage

3.Stakeholder Architecture8.0

Enables all other initiatives

4.Pipeline Management7.6

Fixes the leaky pipeline problem

5.Horizon Scanning7.6

Maintains future-focused perspective

Horizon Scan

What's coming next

Four technologies shaping enterprise R&D in the next 12-18 months.

H1 Core (Now)
H2 Pilot (12-18mo)
H3 Watch (18mo+)
H1 · Core

MCP

Model Context Protocol

58%

Dominant

92%

Providers

“The USB-C of AI. OpenAI + Linux Foundation adoption triggered kill criteria.”

TruStage relevance

Agent-to-system integration, tool orchestration

Click for forecast →
H1 · Core

WebAI

ML in the browser

72%

Surpass Cloud

10%

Mainstream

“Privacy-first AI for member-facing apps. No data leaves device.”

TruStage relevance

Underwriting previews, claims triage in-browser

Click for forecast →
H2 · Pilot

AI Security

Governance infrastructure

62%

Tools >60%

55%

AI Outage

“Prompt injection is permanent. Detection > prevention.”

TruStage relevance

Mandatory before production AI deployment

Click for forecast →
H3 · Watch

Agentic Commerce

Autonomous transactions

68%

Retailers

12%

Consumer

“Members' AI will shop insurance. Optimize for agents.”

TruStage relevance

Claims automation, policy management agents

Click for forecast →

pattern

All four technologies share a common thread: AI moving from capability to infrastructure.

Opportunity

First-mover advantage in regulated AI

Risk

Compliance deadlines accelerating

Proven Pattern

~/proof

Let's talk about which one matters most.

JD Fiscus · Detroit