About
I'm Lewis Rogal, and this is where I think out loud.
I'm the Business Systems Manager at PING Europe, leading a team through one of the most ambitious technology transformations we've tackled. But I didn't start here. And this blog isn't just about that work - it's about the concepts, ideas, and lessons that have shaped how I think about technology, leadership, and building things.
The Journey
I've spent over a decade in technology and change roles, mostly focused on ERP systems, enterprise architecture, building teams, and managing new capital equipment and factory moves.
At Bluetree Group (2013-2023), I went from managing procurement to eventually leading technology operations. In 2020, we stood up Bluetree Medical during the pandemic - manufacturing Type IIR medical masks. We built a team of 350 people and got a business operational in a few months. It was intense. Long hours. Everything moving fast. We were the last company to get a government contract but the first to deliver - 37 days from contract to delivery.
That experience reinforced a lot about building under pressure and making decisions when you don't have all the information. I'd been using minimum viable products before, but this drove it home - get things working quickly, then iterate while production is running.
Before that, I was leading Core Systems - re-platforming legacy systems, building custom software, establishing business intelligence functions. The work that always interested me most was figuring out how to make systems that people could actually use and maintain.
Since 2023, I've been at PING Europe, managing ERP systems and leading a cross-functional team. We're going through a major transformation - M3 implementation, enterprise architecture redesign, building team capabilities. It's ambitious work. We're learning as we go.
But the through-line in all of this? Learning how to work in uncertainty. How to build teams. How to make technology decisions that actually serve the business. And increasingly, how to work effectively with AI tools that are changing everything about how we build software.
The Library
I call it "The Library" which is a silly title, but that's what I first called the Google Doc back in 2015 and I never thought about it until writing this.
I keep a running log of books I've read and talks I've watched. Started it when I was struggling to make good decisions in uncertain environments. A manager - Jim Swain, an Operations Director - introduced me to a couple of key books and convinced me to track what I was reading.
That log has grown into quite a collection - business theory, leadership, product management, technical concepts. I'm dyslexic, so I listen to at least one book a month on Audible. That habit has stuck.
This blog is an expansion of that library. Taking concepts that have been useful and sharing them. Not because I've got it all figured out, but because writing clarifies thinking.
What You'll Find Here
Posts about concepts that changed how I work. Some from books. Some from experience. Some from making mistakes and figuring out what went wrong.
I write about agile thinking, product management, organizational change, and lately, how AI tools are changing how we build things. Not theoretical takes - actual experiences. What worked, what didn't, what I'm still figuring out.
Recent posts have been about my journey with AI tools - from hating chatbots to building production tools, learning about cardboard muffins and reward hacking, and working out how to actually use these tools effectively.
Why Write Publicly?
I started writing posts for my team back in 2017. Sharing concepts from books I'd read. Explaining frameworks that helped me think about our work. Those aren't the posts you'll find here, but they share a lot of the same concepts.
I've often thought about writing a blog publicly but never committed to it. Then I started experimenting with AI tools and discovered something unexpected - writing became fun and easy when I could have AI interview me, ask questions, help me clarify my thinking.
So I built this site using Next.js and TypeScript with Claude Code. It's a learning project. A place to experiment with technologies I wouldn't have time to learn otherwise. And a place to share what I'm learning about technology, leadership, and how to work effectively with AI.
This is a personal project, not something I'm expecting a huge audience for. If you're reading this, it's probably because I sent you a link. These aren't prescriptions or rules - just ideas worth sharing. Take what's useful, leave what isn't. If something prompts a thought or sparks a discussion, that's exactly what I'm hoping for.
Questions or thoughts? You can find me on LinkedIn.