Welcome to The Wash-Up!
Practical AI and delivery tactics for agency people who ship real work
The Wash-Up is a weekly newsletter for project managers, account managers, and delivery leads working inside agencies.
Every edition takes one real problem and gives you something you can use that week. No fluff. No AI hype. No advice that only works if you have zero clients and infinite time.
This is for you if you’re juggling multiple projects, tight timelines, and shifting priorities. And trying to figure out where AI actually fits in your work.
This is not for you if you’re looking for get-rich-quick automation tricks or motivational filler. There are plenty of those. This one is different.
What you get each week
AI for project managers - How to use AI on real projects without creating more work or compliance problems.
Automations that actually work - Real workflows you can copy. Client reporting, status updates, project check-ins. Built in n8n, not theory.
Career growth for PMs - From task manager to strategic operator. The skills AI can’t replace.
AI product strategy - Building AI tools and process inside agencies. What actually works in trenches.
Problem-solution delivery - One PM problem. One clear solution. Every week.
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place:
Someone told you to “use AI” but nobody showed you how. The few times you tried, it created more work.
You spend hours formatting reports, writing briefs, and chasing approvals instead of doing the work that actually matters.
You’re switching between projects, emails, Teams, and meetings so often that your brain never gets a clear run at anything.
Scope creep is a weekly event. Clients change requirements. Stakeholders shift priorities. You absorb it all and smile.
Every project starts from scratch. No systems. No templates that anyone actually follows. No repeatable process.
You’re reactive. Always fixing problems. Never ahead of them.
You’re working harder but not getting further. The promotion feels distant. The burnout feels close.
You know AI is here to stay. You’re not scared of it. You’re just worried you’re falling behind the people who’ve already figured it out.
You tried ChatGPT, got vague answers, and wondered what all the fuss was about.
You want to get better at your job but you genuinely don’t have time to figure it all out alone.
If you nodded at three or more of those — stay.
Who am I?
I’m Tim. 20+ years in product, digital delivery and UX/UI across healthcare, finance, insurance, motorsport, and FMCG.
Currently AI Product Manager inside a 300-person global healthcare marketing agency, building AI-powered products, systems and workflows for AI transformation and real client work.
From managing teams of project managers and developers to being the person in the room when the deadline was absurd and the scope was growing. That’s the experience behind every edition.
Start here
If you want to see what The Wash-Up looks like before you commit, here are some of my most-read editions:
AI Isn’t Useless In Project Management. Your Project Data Is — Why PMs blame AI when the real problem is what you’re feeding it.
You’re Probably Using ChatGPT Wrong for Client Work — ChatGPT vs. Projects vs. Custom GPTs. A clear decision framework.
7 Steps to Build AI Workflows That Remember Your Business — A walkthrough for building context-rich AI automation workflows.
Junior PMs Using AI Can Now Produce Senior-Looking Work. So What’s The Difference? — What actually separates junior from senior when AI levels the output.
Why Your Project Reports Are Putting People to Sleep — How to turn metrics into stories that make stakeholders care.
Learn how to run an automation project
The Problem
Most agency PMs know automation can help. But they don’t know where to start.
The tools look complicated. The tutorials assume you’re technical. And who has time to figure it out when you’re already drowning in client work?
So the same tasks keep eating your hours. Week after week.
The Solution
I’ve created a Notion guide that shows you exactly how to run an AI-powered automation project from start to finish.
No coding. No jargon. No assumptions that you’ve done this before.
Just a clear, practical playbook written specifically for agency PMs who want to stop doing repetitive work and start leading automation projects.
What’s Inside?
7 phases. Every step covered.
Discovery — How to understand the problem before jumping to solutions
Scoping — How to define what you’re building (and what you’re not)
Workflow Design — How to map the automation so anyone can understand it
Build — How to manage the technical work (even if you’re not doing it yourself)
Testing — How to make sure it actually works before it goes live
Handover — How to deliver it properly so it doesn’t fall apart
Maintenance — How to keep it running and improve it over time
Plus:
Ready-to-use checklists for every phase
30 templates you can copy and customise
82 AI prompts to speed up your workflow
A real example project
