Using AI to Code: Context Engineering vs. Vibe Coding

The way software engineers are using AI to code now (context engineering) is very different from "vibe coding" by non-developers.

With vibe coding, someone might ask, "create a sales website," and it might work, but not have security, stability, etc. issues.

With context engineering, developers first think through the approach with AI (including security, stability, scaling, etc), get the agent to document what they discussed, then close the agent, and open a fresh one, to clear out the old memories.

This is the key. They manage the context (info in the agent's memory) to keep it from filling up and containing different ideas. This limits hallucinations and keeps them focused on one task.

Then, they ask the fresh one to use the design to come up with the plan. After the detailed plan, with check boxes, is developed, they have it written out, and then shut the agent.

Then, they run a loop where a new agent is spawned, works on one item, checks it off, creates notes for its successor, then shuts it down, and spawns a fresh one (with no memory) to read the notes and take off from where the previous one left off.  It's thus a fully automated, but controlled process.

© 2025 Praveen Puri

Strategic Simplicity® #34

Your PMO isn’t fixing chaos. It’s institutionalizing it.

© 2025 Praveen Puri

Most Valuable Skill in 2026?

The most valuable skill in 2026 isn’t writing code; it’s the ability to articulate the problem clearly enough that an AI can solve it.

© 2025 Praveen Puri

Strategic Simplicity® #33

AI won’t save your strategy. Relentless focus will.

© 2025 Praveen Puri

Why is Health Care and Health Insurance so Messy?

Ultimately, the issue also is that health insurance is a different animal than other forms of insurance. Could you imagine if your home insurance was run like health insurance? Then, instead of just covering fires, etc, every time you needed the heating fixed, or plumbing done, you would have to see if the company was covered under your insurance. The plumber would have to have staff just to handle different insurances. Insurance companies would employ plumbers who would have to read through the issue submitted by your plumber, and pre-approve the work. The costs would be contractually negotiated between the plumber and insurance company.

© 2025 Praveen Puri

Strategic Simplicity® #32

Most transformations fail because no one wants to kill a bad idea early.

© 2025 Praveen Puri

Strategy, Vision, and Planning

I think strategy is different from planning. In my view, you come up with a vision of what you want your future state to be. Your strategy is then that you want to move from your current state to that future state. You keep this strategy in mind as you develop your plan, which is to create a roadmap of intermediate states leading between where you are and your end state.

So, for example, You're in NY. You visualize you want to be in CA. Your strategy is to move from NY to CA. Your plan could include hitchhiking to OH, flying to TX, driving to NV, etc.

© 2025 Praveen Puri