Charles & Keith: A GenAI Problem-Solving Workshop with 20 Cross-Functional Staff

Blog / Charles & Keith: A GenAI Problem-Solving Workshop with 20 Cross-Functional Staff

Charles & Keith: A GenAI Problem-Solving Workshop with 20 Cross-Functional Staff

1 min read
Share
Summary

Twenty Charles & Keith staff from Ops, Marketing, Finance and HR spent two days solving four real business problems with generative AI — not generic AI instruction, because real problems build more durable solutions. Here is how it ran, and how to do the same with WSQ funding.

Real problems beat hypothetical ones

Around 20 employees from Charles & Keith's Operations, Marketing, Finance and HR functions joined a two-day generative-AI workshop. Instead of generic AI instruction, cross-functional teams tackled four business-specific challenges — because real problems build more durable solutions.

The four challenges the teams prototyped

  • Stock imbalance — an AI assistant flagging inventory mismatches across stores
  • Marketing approvals — a GenAI brief assistant to speed up multi-stage approvals
  • Talent retention — a manager-support tool synthesising feedback patterns (deliberately avoiding predictive-termination modelling)
  • Finance reporting — a workflow drafting variance commentary and surfacing anomalies

The lesson that mattered most

Beyond building, participants learned what GenAI should not do — refusing an inappropriate predictive model in favour of an ethical alternative. Cross-functional teams consistently produced the most durable solutions. The same approach powers our public WSQ Innovative Problem Solving with Generative AI course.

Bring this to your team

Run it as a public WSQ class or an on-site corporate cohort built around your real problems. As a WSQ-accredited course it attracts up to 70% funding, staff can use SkillsFuture Credit, and companies stack SFEC plus absentee payroll. View dates and register.

FAQ

Should we send one team or a mix?

A cross-functional mix works best — Charles & Keith spanned Ops, Marketing, Finance and HR, and the diversity produced stronger solutions.

Can we bring our own problems?

Yes — on-site cohorts are built around your live business challenges.

Is it funded?

Yes — WSQ funding, SkillsFuture Credit and SFEC all apply.

What to do next

  1. Shortlist three real problems across different functions
  2. Reserve seats in the WSQ Innovative Problem Solving with Generative AI class, or ask about an on-site cohort
  3. Leave with working prototypes for your own business problems

← Back to all articles