People leaders are frequently asked to implement a solution before the organization has clearly defined the problem: introduce an AI-enabled tool, replace a platform, launch training, revise a policy, improve engagement, or fix the culture. But moving too quickly from request to intervention can create considerable activity without addressing what is actually getting in the way. Drawing on her experience building people strategies across healthcare, technology, and high-growth startups, Deena Trucco Uludemir will explore how senior People leaders can look beyond the initial request, identify the underlying organizational need, and direct time, technology, and investment toward solutions that produce meaningful change. She will also examine how HR leaders can evaluate AI and other emerging technologies based on the problems they solve and the outcomes they improve, not simply on adoption or efficiency. Key takeaways: - How to distinguish the stated request from the underlying organizational problem - How to determine whether the barrier is structural, behavioral, technological, or leadership-related - Why best practices, benchmarks, and AI-generated insights should inform, not replace, organizational judgment - How to assess whether AI and technology create meaningful value or merely more activity - How to measure success through organizational outcomes rather than completed HR initiatives