Year in Review - What Actually Mattered in 2025

2025 is wrapping up. Time for the obligatory year-in-review, but I'm going to skip the highlight reel and focus on what actually mattered.

The Wins

The ORBIE

Winning the PhillyCIO ORBIE in May was unexpected. I've been doing this work for 25 years, and peer recognition at this level isn't something I ever planned for. It opened doors - board advisory conversations, speaking opportunities, and connections with other technology leaders I might not have met otherwise. More importantly, it validated the approach I've taken: prioritize execution over politics, deliver results over presentations.

D365 F&O Progress

We're 90% through the Dynamics 365 migration at Julius Silvert. This project has consumed enormous energy but we're on track. Go-live is imminent. The team has been exceptional. The implementation partner has been mostly good (with some course corrections along the way). Most importantly, the business is bought in - this isn't an IT project, it's a company transformation.

MenuIQ Patent

Filing the US provisional patent for MenuIQ was a professional milestone. Building AI-driven menu optimization that increased average order value by 26% was satisfying. Protecting that intellectual property was necessary. Whether we commercialize it or keep it as internal competitive advantage remains to be seen.

Charm City Prime

Leading the acquisition of Charm City Prime and taking operational responsibility was a stretch outside pure technology leadership. Running the day-to-day operations of an acquired company taught me things about P&L management, team building in distressed situations, and integration execution that I couldn't have learned otherwise.

The Lessons

AI Is Real But Overhyped

Microsoft pushed Copilot hard in 2025. The Wave 1 and Wave 2 releases were heavily AI-focused. Some of it delivers value - natural language queries, automated recommendations, intelligent agents for specific tasks. But the "AI will transform everything overnight" messaging doesn't match reality. AI is a tool. A powerful one. But still a tool that requires thoughtful implementation, not a magic solution.

Security Is Everyone's Problem

The breach landscape in 2025 was brutal. 16 billion leaked credentials. Supply chain attacks through SaaS ecosystems. Help desk social engineering taking down major retailers. The lesson: security isn't an IT problem, it's a business problem. Every process, every vendor relationship, every employee behavior is part of your security posture.

People Are Still the Hardest Part

Technical challenges have solutions. People challenges require patience, communication, and sometimes difficult decisions. The best technology strategy fails without organizational buy-in. The best team can overcome mediocre technology. I keep relearning this lesson.

What Didn't Work

I underestimated the data migration complexity on D365. Again. Every ERP project, I say "this time we'll start data work earlier." Every ERP project, it still takes longer than expected. Maybe this is just the nature of the work.

I overcommitted in Q3. Board roles, teaching, consulting, family obligations - something had to give. What gave was personal time and health habits. That's not sustainable and I need to recalibrate in 2026.

Looking Ahead

2026 brings changes. The the company transaction closes in January. Personal changes are coming that will reshape priorities. The D365 go-live will demand intense focus in Q1.

But that's 2026. For now, I'm closing out 2025 grateful for what worked, honest about what didn't, and ready for what's next.

Thanks to everyone who read these posts, reached out with questions, and engaged with the ideas. The best part of writing publicly is the conversations it starts.

See you in January.